Change pack leaders. If you establish dominance over your dog & make him/her do your bidding, instead of coping with what your dog does, I guarantee you will both be happier. Neither will your dog hold it against you if he has to move down a notch in the pecking order.

Al

Al,

I feel a little insulted.

Change pack leaders. If you establish dominance over your dog & make him/her do your bidding, instead of coping with what your dog does...Neither will your dog hold it against you if he has to move down a notch in the pecking order.

That to me is a very ambiguous post. It leaves me wondering if your dog has always been in perfect check or that you once had the same thing happen and had to establish yourself as leader. I'll assume the latter since that is what you posted to help things out.

I would sincerly like to know what method you used to stop it.

We've never met. If we had you would know that what you suggest is not the case here. She's not the pact leader. She is a pet that is loved. Aside from her taste for cucumbers and being drawn to the flowers in the yard she has an understanding of who's at the top of the "pecking order".

If I lead you to think that I was coping by allowing her to have some cucumbers then you have a higher priority of a cuke than me.

The flowers are not a "treat" she just picks them. I hope to correct this behavior but I'm not in the yard all day like she is.

What I am asking is, if anybody has had something similar to this and if so what was done that worked or didn't work. I'm sure alot of container gardeners have pets too so just maybe...

If I'm the only one with a flower picking dog maybe I should call animals funniest videos. Smile.

Thanks

Must be quite a sight to see a Bassett picking and munching on cucumbers! I'd grow a whole bunch extra just to get to see that.

Bitter Apple spray can work but you'll want to test it first to make sure it won't kill your plants. One or two applications should convince your girl that flowers aren't fun to have in her mouth. (I've tasted it; it's pretty awful.) You'll have to do a few set ups but most dogs, after getting that stuff in their mouths once, will learn not to mouth things that smell like it. It's available at most pet stores.

Tom - sorry if you feel insulted. It wasn't my intent. I'll allow that my reply could be considered ambiguous, but no more so than your question. I guess even the use of the word ambiguous is, in itself, ambiguous. ;o)

You didn't say the dog is picking flowers & eating cukes behind your back. From your post, I thought it was doing it in front of you. If so, you're guilty & it's not the dogs fault. If the dog doesn't do it when you're around, you'll not likely break it of the habit unless you physically restrict it from the area where the plants are, only allow it in the area of the plants when you have physical control of the dog, and are diligent about correcting behavior. Dogs can't determine what is off limits when it seems allowable one minute & not the next.

Have my dogs always been well behaved? No. As puppies they were somewhat unruly, as all puppies are, but I worked with them regularly on a leash & they soon understood that I had the ability to make them do whatever I wanted of them. I never strike my dogs & if I raise a hand to them, they have no reaction (they don't skulk, cower, or duck). I frequently impose on them by giving commands to lay & stay, often for a half hour or more. They will not move until released from the command. This is one way to establish & reinforce dominance. Other ways: When you return home after being away, do not allow your dog to joyously leap about & greet you in the manner he chooses. Make him sit & stay for a period before you join him in play. When you feed him, make him sit & stay before being allowed to dine.

99% of the time, when a dog is unruly, it's because the dog is dominant and the master is not willing to do what is necessary to correct the aberrant behavior. Perhaps that's not the case with you.

You said "If I lead you to think that I was coping by allowing her to have some cucumbers then you have a higher priority of a cuke than me."

I hadn't prioritized anything, but would you agree that if you don't know how to correct the undesirable behavior and allow it to continue, there is no conclusion to be made other than you are coping with it?

Having raised & sold finished & semi-finished hunting dogs (60 - 75 at least), I'm no stranger to unwanted behavior in dogs. The comments I offered probably fit almost all situations like yours. Though blunt, if you think about what I said instead of reacting as though I was intentionally out to get you, some of what you're reading might make some sense & help you resolve the problem.

Take care.

Al

Well, I can tell you this - When I was growing up, we had a dog that would go out in Mom's garden in the back yard and dig up only tulip bulbs - she didn't eat them - just dug them up and left them there. Mom would replant them and Suzie would dig them up and not bother another thing. Mom finally decided Suzie didn't like tulips for some reason and so she planted them out in front of the front porch and Suzie never dug up another thing in the garden and both she and Mom were happy! What we really always wondered about was how Suzie knew where they were - they were 6" under ground!

Hello all,

Duckee
it is an unbelievable site. I had my house reshingled last summer and the roofers would all take 5 and watch. She even knows which are ready to be picked.

I'll see if I can found the bitter apple spray. Thank you much.

F_F_L
It's good to know that there are others. Dogs can make you ponder things that you would never otherwise think about. Moving the plants may be the answer but it's gonna have to get worse first. Thanks for your thought. I can just imagine Suzie digging away.

Thanks again.

AL,

if you think about what I said instead of reacting as though I was intentionally out to get you, some of what you're reading might make some sense & help you resolve the problem

I never thought you were out to get me. I reacted to your post because it was blunt and it didn't even offer one specific idea to help. You gave me a micro lecture on what all dog owners should know about the Alpha role in dogs.

I've read many of your post and find them most helpful. You have my utmost repect concerning your knowledge base of container growing and the willingness to share it with others.

I just don't understand why you would reply to my post if you don't have a specific try this idea.

No hard feelings here.

I use fencing to protect my plants from my 14 dogs. A decorative fence to keep a Basset Hound away from the flowers could be a short one indeed.(G) I like to use the reddish brown or green foldable fences from HD or Lowes around the edges of my berry beds. They are almost invisible, yet work well to keep even my young dogs out of the beds. Try to see the fence in the photo below(G).

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Brown fence

Hey Lisa,

That looks great. It is hardly noticeable.

I have that basic idea employed around one of my gardens. I should do that around my rose bed as well, thank you.

The potted plants on the patio are the ones that are at greatest risk.

Have a great day.

nctom, for my container plants I use circles of green or standard wire fencing. It *is* visible, but helps a great deal to keep the dogs from digging in the pots and knocking fruit off the tree with waggy tails. It is easy enough to remove the fencing for asthetic reasons when company is coming over(G).

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Safe plant

Usually a "NO, MAMMA"S"does the job with my 2, establishing a time or 2 that they are mine!EXCEPT- for my mixed schnauzer, i put bone meal on the flower bed. he jumped over the fence, and licked it up, i told him he would get spanked, and did it. i said "now, leave it alone".next time, he jumped the fence, licked it up--and quite obediently came over to me, and turned around to be spanked!needless to say, i didnt apply any more bone meal. now--who won? lol

Hey Lisa,

I have got to get my head out of a box and put a fence around my pots.

That's a great idea.

The bitter apple spray deserves to be checked out but I find nothing wrong with the fencing. Putting it around the pot like you have never occured to me. Duh. I was only imagining fencing off areas.

Thanks alot.

Hello Ceresone,

That's a good one! There are some things worth getting in trouble over I guess.

Have a nice day.

You might want to try diluting tobassco in a hose end sprayer. Becarful with overspray and spray in the evening.

~james

Thanks James.

I'll keep that in in mind too.

I love tobassco. What if it stops the dog but then ....
Well that will be a new thread.

Thanks for the idea.

I also was going to suggest a low fencing around the areas that your dog likes to prune. I've done it myself and it works well. I've bought the 2' to 3' green wire fencing from Home Depot for the areas that I want to keep our pets out of. I plant thickly and unless you're looking for the fencing, you can't see it. I've also used the 1' to 1 1/2' fencing inside the rim of a container. I pull them up in the Fall and store them until the following Spring.

I had to laugh at your cucumber picking dog! We had a Lab/GS mix that went crazy for carrots. She never ever went into any beds other than the one that I had carrots planted in. Taught me to close the gate leading into the vegie garden. I have to admit, that I did plant her own carrot patch next to an area she always loved to lay in and she was one very happy 4-legged furry girl.

Jenna

I enjoyed the container related dog talk. I have 4 terriers(3 males, 1 female). One of them, Duffy, likes to pick and eat bell peppers. It doesn't bother me at all. I get a kick watching him. The dogs and me walk on leash virtually every morning. They are sometimes unruly and act nutty; they are terriers. But they are generally well behaved and they are an integral part of our family. I fully understand both viewpoints.

The bitter apple suggestion is a good one. I've also used the stuff you buy at a pharmacy to stop children from sucking their thumb. It worked well. You might also try the product at pet stores that repels them from furniture.

I'd caution against the white granules that people put out to repel dogs and cats. I tried that once to keep cats out of a flowerbed. The smell was absolutely horrifying. That year I had to nearly wear a gas mask to do anything near that garden bed.
-Hal

nctom
This may be a basset hound trait,as I had the same problem."Clyde" would pick flowers too and I would get a little annoyed at the time, but now as I think back to him doing that,I smile.I never did cure that problem,other than watching him closely and telling him no ,maybe he was just trying to help Mom with the gardening chores.
I have no answers for you,just to enjoy your basset.
Clyde had to be put down last year(cancer),and I miss his little ways,including the flower picking.

Hello all,
Thanks for responding.

I'm trying the bitter apple spray and have fenced around a couple of the hibiscus.

The verdict is still out as I haven't witnessed her picking lately ( vacation,yea!!).

The problem with the hibiscus may not be solved easily, as the blooms drop on their on.In trying to find out what to do I learned that hibiscus is poisonous to dogs so I may just move them to the front.

Yes, I do enjoy watching her explore her world but would love to stop this behavior.

Molly I'm truly sorry for your loss. I know that you miss Clyde dearly.I agree that it may be a basset thing.

Thank you all again for your advice and letting me know that I'm not alone.

Have a blessed day.