10 Tips for Gardening With Your Dog
Updated: Sep. 20, 2023
With our expert tips, you can make gardening time fun for you and your dogs. You'll need patience, treats and a sense of humor!
Establish a Positive Gardening Routine
Make the garden a joyful place for you and your dog. Establish a positive routine around gardening time so your dog enjoys the experience and knows what to expect.
It takes patience and consistency. Don’t just yell at your dog because they suddenly start digging in the wrong place. Encourage their curiosity and teach them what you do want them to do. Be patient, gentle and fun.
If they pick up something you don’t want them to, don’t shout. Tell them they’re wonderful and ask to see what they’ve got. Make them feel good and happy so that they’re more likely to engage with you and give up the thing.
And accept the fact that everything will take a bit longer with your dog helping.
Keep Your Dog Entertained
Our dogs love to help, but they get distracted easily and can cause chaos in the garden. Plus, sometimes we need to do something they really can’t help with.
When you need a few dog-free minutes, find ways to keep them entertained. Use puzzle feeders, snuffle baskets, lick mats or interactive toys to occupy them while you’re busy. But obviously, supervise them from a distance.
Give Your Dog a Job
A “job” provides mental stimulation that tires out your dog faster than physical activity alone.
Set aside an area nearby where your dog can dig, but not in your way. Teach them this is a safe “job” for them with lots of encouragement and positive reinforcement. Then add in a command so your dog knows to go dig in that spot when you give the command.
You can also teach search, find and retrieve commands, then hide a pine cone, special toy or other dog-safe treasure that you’ve previously trained them to seek out. Set them to search while you get on with your task.
Teach them to pick up and carry a lightweight bucket. Then set that bucket out and ask them to bring it to you. Or teach them to pick up their toys and drop them into the basket.
Teach Garden-Specific Commands
Commands you use in the garden are also really useful in everyday life. Some of the most critical are “stop,” “leave it,” “watch me” and “stay.” But remember, make it so your dog can win.
Start training what you want them to do in tiny increments, and use natural learning wherever you can. Don’t shout, scold or be aversive if they don’t do what you want, because they simply don’t know.
With a “stay” command, start with getting your dog to sit still or lay down, then pause a second. Step out and step right back in, giving a treat and praise for their stillness. Repeat this a whole bunch of times. Then step out and pause for two seconds, step back in, and treat and praise. Build it slowly, and do it in one or two-minute bursts so training is fun for both of you.
Use Positive Reinforcement and Rewards
Positive reinforcement in the form of treats, praise, games and cuddles is critical to happy gardening companionship.
Kindness, love and patience, even when they’re testing your limits, is vital. Take a few deep breaths when they’re driving you crazy and calm yourself so they can calm down, because your dog feeds off your energy.
Let them sniff and examine things and tell them they’re amazing so they feel good just giving stuff a gentle sniff. If your dog comes to settle next to you, take a second to pet and tell them they’re fabulous. If they do something you don’t want, instead of disciplining, make a kissy noise or a silly sound to get their attention, then redirect them to something else.
Provide Shaded Rest Areas
As much as our dogs love to help us, in warmer temperatures it’s essential they take some time out in the shade to avoid heatstroke and overexertion. This is where a “stay,” “settle” or “bed” command is really useful. My two pups love their cooling outdoor beds so will happily go chillax on them in the shade when I ask.
I’ll sometimes go and sit with them for a while, because the humans need some shady time, too.
Keep Treats Handy
No, you don’t need to feed your dogs constantly while you’re in the garden. But keeping treats in a pocket or fanny pack is a really good idea. This is especially true when you’re both still learning how to work in harmony in the garden.
Treats let you mark desired behavior and offer rewards for things like doing as you ask. You can also swap a nice, high-value treat for that piece of dandelion root or seed packet they’re trying to steal.
Ensure Safety and Supervision
Dogs, like kids, do what feels good or fun, even if it’s not smart. So you need to make sure they’re safe and supervised.
I only grow dog-safe plants because Oscar enjoys snacking on leaves and flowers. And I don’t mind. It’s part of my dog sensory garden setup. If I’m working in the garden, I keep one eye on my pups at all times, because you just never know what will happen.
Phoebe found a dead mouse in the hedge and was so proud of herself! She probably would’ve eaten it if I hadn’t been there, but I don’t know how the mouse died. A neighbor could have put out poison the mouse ate. In which case, if Phoebe had eaten the mouse, she would’ve ingested the poison, too.
So I told her she was super-wonderful-amazing, gave her a cuddle, then swapped the mouse for a high-value treat.
Take Breaks and Hydrate
I always make sure there’s a bowl of fresh, cold water by their beds, in the shade. And I always make sure we take breaks at regular intervals if it’s warm outside. Heat stroke can happen quickly for dogs, and it’s often fatal or can cause long-term problems. So I don’t take any chances.
I also put ice in their water in the warmer months. And once they’re showing signs of exertion and feel warm, we take a break in the shade, even if we’ve only been working for five minutes. Use common sense. If it’s hot or humid, be mindful of how much exercise and sun exposure you let your dogs have.
Celebrate the Partnership
Enjoy being with your dogs. Celebrate the time you spend together. Be silly, have fun, get lots of snuggles in. They love you and want to spend time doing things with you. So embrace it.
Take a few seconds to breathe and calm yourself if they start to irritate you. Understand that gardening will take you longer, but it’ll be more joyful with a dog. Take lots of breaks for fusses and tummy rubs. Take a second to pet your dog and tell them you adore them when they come over to investigate what you’re doing.
Remember, we don’t have them for many years, so we should make the most of every minute.
Originally Published: July 11, 2023
