Duchess (a Springer too) is a great potato digger!!!! We just point to where we want her to dig and then we start catching the flying potatoes. She's much faster than we are and no more tine holes in the potatoes.

She leaves the potatoes alone as she prefers that we throw the scrub apples for her. She really loves apples.

She also digs planting holes for me. She did great for the elderberry transplants.

I wonder if I even need a rototiller....hmmmm.....lol

I had a gardening cat, until about 2 weeks ago. He loved the garden.

EG

{{gwi:118611}}

Years ago I had a golden retriever/yellow lab mix that was great in the garden. She would eyeball a tomato and turn to bark at me and then point at the fruit she wanted. If I said no she would leave it alone and if I said yes she would gently twist and pull removing the fruit with no damage to the plant.

I was so impressed with her that these days I have a golden retriever and yellow lab (pure breeds rather than a mix) and neither is like the mix. They both see my garden beds as just another area to dig since it has soft dirt and plants are just a toy to be pulled/dug up and chewed on (they are both under 1 year old puppies).

I never did a thing to train the lab/golden mix, she just 'got it'. I have no idea how to train either of my 2 current dogs to 'get it'. Hopefully it will come with age, but I doubt it.

My previous dogs all loved garen fresh fruits and veggies, but neither of my current 2 will touch anything other than dog food, meat or grains. Fruits and veggies just get an upturned nose.

Amazing stories. Laughaha, I love the idea of the dog digging the potatoes for you. I did entertain that idea, but I figured the dog would maul the spuds. Interesting that it actually worked for you - and I'm sure it was a blast for the dog!

justaguy, your dog sounds like a much more accomplished version of mine. The westie will bark for me to pick her a sungold, even when the ground is littered with them. I wonder if age has something (everything?) to do with it. Our westie was 6 or 7 before she started gardening. Maybe your pups will grow into the role. It's what to do in the meantime . . .

engineeredgarden, what happened to your cat? He certainly is handsome, as is your garden! I'm thinking of getting a cat for vole control.

vickima - he caught chipmunks almost everyday. Here's what happened to him. Thanks for the garden compliment.

EG

Here is a link that might be useful: my buddy

EG that is really sad, so sorry about your buddy. I have a cat that visits, the other day i found him sleeping between my two tallest eggplants. He let me pet him but does not hang around too much when the dogs are around, he is way larger than the dogs, but there are more of them...

I have 4 canine helpers, one of them a puppy. He is tag teaming with the alpha dog and they are in cohorts to steal tomatoes. It used to be just the red ones, now they steal the green ones too. The puppy gets them, gives them to her and she eats them. All of them LOVE carrots. I was not aware that dogs liked carrots so much. They look way too interested when I pull a carrot out of the ground, so now I do it when they are not around....of course, the carrots are in large tall pots and the dogs are very little, smaller than most cats. The largest one (she is 10 lb, wow) just likes to sit there and watch me work, while she makes herself a nice cool dug out spot on the dirt in the shade. The 4th dog only comes out of under the covers when some barking needs to be done, and then she goes back. She is a little 6 lb attack dog, my little Napoleon.

In any case, I really appreciate their company, and I am thinking about planting more carrots for them. Just like we do (the humans) the dogs seem to really prefer the garden grown carrots than the commercial ones.

cabrita - yeah, he was my gardening buddy. That's funny that your doggies pull the carrots out. Puppies get into everything. lol.That's why I had to put a removable fence around my garden (the roaming wildlife and such).

EG

I wonder if age has something (everything?) to do with it.

I suspect age has a lot to do with it. Puppies are universally cute, but also a lot of trouble due to their age. I think as dogs age they figure out how to fit in with the household (pack) whether they are formally trained to or not.

Now if you will excuse me I have to go stop my lab puppy from chewing up the house :)

I have two gardening dogs, neither of whom seem to realize that not every plant benefits from liberal doses of liquid nitrogen. But they do help me out sometimes.

Here's my terrier pointing out a tomato volunteer in the lawn:
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And here he is, pretending to be a tomato:

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EG, that's a heartbreaking story. A gardening buddy can make our time in the garden so much more enjoyable; losing yours in such a way must have been awful!

cabrita, I've heard carrots are good for dogs. Mine hasn't shown much interest, but she goes nuts for peas!

justaguy, I'm wondering if it's possible to train puppies to be better gardeners. The risk is pretty high, though. An "oops" could mean a whole garden bed!

fliptx - great pics. Love the tomato!

justaguy, I'm wondering if it's possible to train puppies to be better gardeners. The risk is pretty high, though. An "oops" could mean a whole garden bed!

If dogs can be trained to turn on and off lights, open drawers and remove the requested item, fetch newspapers, etc. I am sure they can be trained to garden.

Perhaps start with something that comes naturally like digging up potatoes or something and work from there.

My two dogs, with no training at all, have become very proficient at digging up my blueberry bushes. In fact all but one (maybe two) are now dead as a result. However, the next time I have a difficult shrub to dig up and remove, I know where to look for help ;)

"My two dogs, with no training at all, have become very proficient at digging up my blueberry bushes."

Ha, ha! Actually I shouldn't laugh. If it were my blueberry bushes, I'd be close to puppycide. But I do admire your courage, or fortitude, or whatever it is that enables you to keep two puppies under a year old. My one 6-month-old springer is so much more "maintenance" than I ever imagined; having two just seems incredible (notice I didn't say "impossible").

I think I'd be happy if I could train the dogs to stay OUT of the garden. I have one who is a serious veggie lover. We adopted her and her sister at 4 months old (6 years ago). Within days, she got into the garden and harvested (and ate) all the carrots I had. She does some self-service snacking (especially the beans) whenever given the chance. Of course, she'll steal your salad off the table if you turn your back for too long...although not if you leave a steak on the counter...(that is, she'll go for the steak in case there was any question about the wording there). It's a very short list she won't eat (olives are one) She'll even eat grapefruit.

We lost her sister to an accident 3 years ago, but her new "brother" doesn't have the same love she does. He tries his veggies, but sometimes he eats them, sometimes he doesn't. No worry, she'll come in and clean up anything he leaves.

My garden is in my side yard, not my backyard, so it's out of the dogs' reach at this house. I thought it was safer out there with the wild rabbits than the dogs.

Oh, and they are both lab mix...there's been some digging in our world. Do you think they help dig when I'd like them to?? No, they sit there and watch me do the work. After I've finished, when I'm not around, they'll re-dig what I just finished...

My dogs love veggies, too, greenbean08. They have very different tastes, though. My hound mix loves raw potatoes, tomatoes, and any kind of fruit (especially apples and melon). He'll eat any cooked vegetable except okra--I once offered him a piece of okra, which he took into his mouth, then immediately wrinkled his muzzle, spit out the chunk, and ran for a drink of water. Everything else, he loves.

My terrier is pickier: He doesn't care for raw vegetables at all, doesn't like fruit of any kind, and loves cooked veggies... but only when they're cooked absolutely perfectly. If you overcook his green beans, he'll just sniff them disdainfully, and then sit next to his bowl without touching them. He does, however, love okra.

My dogs are both veggie and fruit lovers and will play with the stems of grapes, tossing them in the air, for an hour at a time. Then again, when you have a dog that's allergic to dog food...stupid dog...raw veggies (and fish/venison)are about it!

I was cursing slugs eating off the tops of my toms. for months. They left slime trails and everything...and then caught the Great Dane licking the top of a tom. plant and nibbling off the tip. Who would have thought HIS slime trail would have rivaled a slug's.

we had a choc lab that loved to stay in the garden with me. he was behaved enough that after 1 time of telling him no for waling on the rows he would walk only between rows from then on. he loved to find and catch teh bugs, run off the rabbits and birds, and help build the dirt mounds for the melons. he would dig and toss dirt right up on the mound for me. and amazingly that was the only times he would dig a hole!

i have a little terrier mix..that loves my sugar snap pea's..

My dogs are good harvesters. I can't grow fruit like strawberries because they eat them all. I used to blame the birds until I noticed my female cocker had sweet strawberry breath one day.

Both my cockers love tomatoes. Any tomatoes that are below about 3 feet get devoured by the dogs. I get the higher up tomatoes. I have a doggie door and a small backyard so they let themselves out an help themselves to the garden feast. I didn't know about the tomatoes until one day when I was lamenting to my friend about my pitiful tomato production, my female cocker, as if on cue, came trotting into my living room with a freshly picked tomato in her mouth.

When we lived in Alaska, we had a lot of raspberries, a portion of which grew along the chain link fence. Even though mine are thieves, it appeared that they would only do self-serve on the raspberries when I was out there picking (or at least nearby). They would see me putting on my berry picking clothes (either to shield against rain or vicious bugs), and get all wound up. They would pick a few along the fence, but mostly wait for me to toss some to them when I was on the other side.

Here they are at the edge of the berry bushes-
{{gwi:118614}}From Drop Box

The one closest is the more picky "brother" I mentioned before. He likes raspberries, but not as much as the whipped cream (ice cream is good with him too). Dairy is one of his favorites. My sister was shocked this summer (when she met him) at the pouty face (as she put it) this boy makes if you don't share a little cream with him. I swear, it looks like he could almost cry tears sometimes.

davidandkasie, I just love the idea of a helper dog in the garden, but it seems to just kind of happen. I've never heard of anyone intentionally training a dog to help in the garden.

greenbean08, my Westie doesn't like raspberries very much, but even so, when we're picking a bunch and eating them, she wants to join in the feast. Sounds like your dogs enjoy it because you are there. I think that's the thing I like most about having a gardening dog/buddy - they are so in to it. Having said that, I can also understand that for many dogs, keeping them out of the garden is the best course.

vickima,
Now my garden is outside of the fenced yard. Once in a while they get to come "help", but usually that means DH has to bring them out on a lead. I have tried off leash a little with them. My older one is getting to where she usually doesn't run off (no, she is hunting for something gross to eat - something slimy from the compost bin perhaps? maybe a horse "apple" that missed it's mark). My young one can be trusted for about 10 seconds, then he takes off. I do wish they could just come hang out in the garden with me.

My young one can be trusted for about 10 seconds, then he takes off. I do wish they could just come hang out in the garden with me.

Have you ever tried the "come game" with your dogs? I have used this game with both of my puppies and it has worked wonders for getting them to hang nearer to me as well as reliably come when I call them unless they get super distracted such as when a rabbit dares bounce by (silly rabbits).

The link takes you to a web site with a lot of dog training techniques, but opens with the come game. It teaches it using a clicker, but if you aren't familiar with clicker training that is OK as it really isn't necessary with this particular game. Just ignore the mention of 'clicking'.

I used this on a friend's Jack Russel Terror, I mean terrier that I watched for a week. The dog had a really annoying habit of bolting out any open door and running off. It wouldn't come when called either. After a couple 5 minute training sessions it did and it can now be trusted off leash to a much greater extent.

Our Toy Fox Terror (Terrier)/aka "Lizard Dog" is my protector in the garden. She loves to lie in the jungle of the canna bed...also lies and watches the lantana...never know when a monster will coming running out. When she was quite young, I taught her when Mama says, "Here NOW!" she is to come and sit by me. My son's cocker spaniel never listened so I'm impressed.

She loves carrots but has not figured out I have them growing in the garden. My husband snacks on tomatoes/peppers/carrots while in the garden and she's right there begging, loves lots of veggies.

Our 3 cats are house cats due to a large feral cat population in our neighborhood; they stay inside away from these. I would love to have them with me in the garden.

Peggy

justaguy,
I'll have to try it. While mine have actually been to dog school, COME is one that they never have done so well with, reliably that is. At least when they do take off, they are easy to catch with the car. There have been a couple times we've gone to retrieve them, and haven't seen them, but they end up chasing the car home. They like to go to the street behind us that is a much farther to drive than walk to. Thankfully we don't have a very busy neighborhood, and they don't escape often (well once we fixed the young man's escape holes through the fence. You wouldn't think a 90 lb dog could fit through a just slightly enlarged bunny hole...)

Love all the stories. I garden with a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever that love to pick veggies. In the early gardening season, one or two "no" reminders will keep them out. They'll sit and wait near the row of snow pea pods for me to throw them the over sized pods. (Every few years the neighbors have peas in the field near my garden, then the dogs will find a spot and sit and pick their own.)b By the time the cucumbers are producing, all bets are off when it comes to staying out of the garden. Then, if I'm not quick enough to pick and toss some large cukes their way, they'll pick their own. They take them off to a shady spot to munch while I continue slaving in the sun. Zucchini is another favorite along with butternut squash, though they prefer the butternut cooked. They've also come to enjoy tomatoes, though have yet to pick their own maters. They also like apples and will occasionally pick them off the trees, gooseberries, plums, & apricots are also on the menu.About the only things they won't eat are green beans, onions, and garlic. One thing is certain, things are never dull when they're helping me.

hostaholic, I'm amazed at the variety of produce your dogs eat. Somehow, it never occurred to me to have my dog try cucumbers, but it makes sense they would like them. You've given me some ideas for next season, although I might be creating a monster . . . .