Husky lab mix who wants to eat the fertilizer of the fruit trees

[crazyforlatin]

I have 4 berry trees in about 15” pots and had to block them off from our dog with horrible looking wire fencing. 

Is there another solution that doesn't involve buying a garden table or planter stands and putting 4 heavy pots on top? 

I planted a Meyer lemon tree and had to put bricks on top of the soil with just a little room for water to go through. 

She's a digger but I don't think she is as aggressive as a true husky planning an escape. Maybe pebbles? Mulch? 

All other plants are safe from her, just the ones where we used fertilizer which smells a little like poop for some reason. 

Has anyone come up with a solution for a fertilizer-eating digging dog?

[Pawz4me]

The lazy/pat/holier-than-thou response to a question about digging is that the dog is bored or not getting nearly enough exercise. Which is sometimes true. But also true is that some dogs just love to dig. For those dogs it can be a hard behavior to stop. It's like getting a hound to stop sniffing. I'd try some decorative pebbles or brick chips or something like that. Does she leave them alone once the fertilizer is watered in? If so, and depending on your fertilizer schedule, then using the bricks for a day or three afterwards may be the simplest thing to do. Or perhaps you could try those fake mulch rings to go on top of the soil? I think they probably come in various sizes and colors, maybe different materials?

[Laura Corin]

I have a dog that eats soil, but only when it's freshly turned.  She doesn't otherwise dig.  The delicious smell seems to wear off after a while.  How long have you had the fence up?

[crazyforlatin]

4 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I have a dog that eats soil, but only when it's freshly turned.  She doesn't otherwise dig.  The delicious smell seems to wear off after a while.  How long have you had the fence up?

It’s been up for 3 weeks, and I may try removing it now to see what happens. 

[crazyforlatin]

4 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

The lazy/pat/holier-than-thou response to a question about digging is that the dog is bored or not getting nearly enough exercise. Which is sometimes true. But also true is that some dogs just love to dig. For those dogs it can be a hard behavior to stop. It's like getting a hound to stop sniffing. I'd try some decorative pebbles or brick chips or something like that. Does she leave them alone once the fertilizer is watered in? If so, and depending on your fertilizer schedule, then using the bricks for a day or three afterwards may be the simplest thing to do. Or perhaps you could try those fake mulch rings to go on top of the soil? I think they probably come in various sizes and colors, maybe different materials?

I was actually considering the mulch rings. I even saw round plastic ones that you can cut to fit. Even after 3 miles of running, my dog can still find an excuse to dig. I know there are mice in the yard, but I don’t know if that’s the reason for her digging.

[Selkie]

We divided our yard up so that the dogs have their own fenced areas where they can dig to their hearts’ content. Every so often, we fill the holes back in so they can start over.🙂 Any plants that we want to actually survive are on the other side of the fence.

[crazyforlatin]

1 minute ago, Selkie said:

We divided our yard up so that the dogs have their own fenced areas where they can dig to their hearts’ content. Every so often, we fill the holes back in so they can start over.🙂 Any plants that we want to actually survive are on the other side of the fence.

Maybe I should do that again. The area was next to the fence with a dog on the other side. 

[Loowit]

Last year I tried getting fertilizer spikes which turned out to be a big mistake.  He thought I was burying dog treats in the yard for him.  We ended up having to put very heavy, he couldn't move, rocks over them so he would leave them alone.  We also have to keep a close eye on him when he is out after we fertilize.  I use a liquid fish fertilizer that is safe for pets, but he still shouldn't be trying to eat it.  I need to fertilize my roses about every 3 weeks, and dog loves the smell and tries to dig.  I just have to keep a closer eye on him for a day or two until the smell dissipates a bit.

Whenever I plant something new I have to put a temporary fence around it so that the dog can get used to it being in his yard.  It usually takes a couple weeks to a month depending on what I planted.  He doesn't like change. I like to change things around. It is not a great mix.  He barked every time we let him out for about a week at the back corner fence when a neighbor cut down their tree.  He was very upset about it.

[crazyforlatin]

DH transplanted the roses to pots. I think he used rose food/fertilizer, but the dog didn’t do anything. Maybe the thorns got in the way. I didn’t know roses had to have fertilizer that often. One of my roses has yellowing leaves. Is that a sign of overwatering? Maybe I should have another post, I really don’t want the roses to die. 
 

 

[Loowit]

My dog has pulled out a couple of new rose bushes, which is when we figured out we needed to put fences around them.  We make them out of wire mesh in a round cylinder shape and put it over the rose.  I was surprised that the thorns didn't bother our dog.  During blooming season it is recommended to fertilize every 2-3 weeks with granular fertilizer (established roses) or 4-6 weeks for liquid (newly planted roses need this because granular will burn their little roots) until about 8 weeks before the first frost.  I didn't fertilize mine enough last year and while they did okay, this spring/summer they have had a lot more blooms. I have no fully container roses, all of the ones in containers have an open bottom to the ground so they can grow deeper.  Only smaller rose species do well in pots typically.  I am still learning a lot of about the care of roses.  Right now I am dealing with black spot on my leaves and aphids.  The website I use for tips on growing roses is where I have bought most of mine (Heirloom Roses).