Seeing your dog peeing on your beloved plants that you have taken care of for months is going to be very heartbreaking.
You could have lost your control and started yelling at your dog for his action and this does not seem to deter his “determination” to keep going back to the flower pots for his subsequent potty.
So what should you do to keep your dog from peeing on your plants?
You see, plants are especially attractive to your dog as they are bold and colorful and this makes them have the urge to pee on them.
Of course, the best way is not to allow your dog to pee on these flower pots in the first place but if he had done so, you would need to remove the urine odor from his urine spot so that he would not be tempered to revisit the same area.
The tricks to keep your dog away from peeing on your plant include potty training, creating barriers such as fence or burying gravel in the soil and making the plant’s smell unpleasant to him. Because dogs use their nose for everything, one whiff of a bad smell will keep them away from the plants.
By following a few easy steps listed below, you can protect your treasured plants and enjoy the season of green again!
Baking Soda With Water (To Clear Off Urine Odor)
You see, your dog is extremely good at discriminating where his urine scent is using his sensitive nose. If your dog has an accident, you would want to completely remove his urine scent away from the flower beds to deter him from revisiting the place.
This can be done through baking soda mixture.
1. Mix 1 cup of baking soda with 1 gallon of warm water and keep stirring the mixture till the soda is completely dissolved.
2. Sprinkle the solution near the plant perimeter where your dog had previously urine on.
The baking soda will act as a scent removal to eliminate his urine odor.
Correct His Potty Habit (Preferred Approach)
Nothing works better than training your dog the right potty habit.
Just like you can stop your kid from going to the kitchen by setting up the baby gate, wouldn’t it be much better to train him NOT to go to the kitchen (behavior training) which is more effective than preventing him from going there through “barrier”.
If your dog had got used to doing his potty at your plants, you just gotta break that behavior by not giving him the opportunity again!
Put him on a leash before you bring him out for his potty. Direct him to the designated potty spot in the yard, say “go potty!” for him to do his elimination.
Make it a positive experience for him by praising and rewarding him once he completes his peeing in the designated spot. Do this for a week to help him associate that potty in this spot, he will be rewarded.
Under no circumstances should you hit or shout at your dog if he has an accident as it will only make the problem worse. Moreover, it will make your dog frightened and confused.
You should make use of positive reinforcement to help him associate potty in the right spot with a rewarding experience.
Use Of Gravel To Cover The Soil
Get some gravel or stones chips and have them placed near the perimeter of the flower pots. This will act as a “barrier” to discourage your dog from making a move to the plants.
The uneven and rough surface of the gravel will make him extremely uncomfortable to walk on, and he will give up the idea of “visiting” your plants.
Fencing Your Plants
You can set up a small fence using chicken wire or garden fence to create a barrier to prevent your dog from coming near the plants. Make sure that the fence is tall enough to deter your dog from making his jump over it.
Bury Bricks
If you find that your dog attempts to dig under the fencing (since he can’t jump over it), bury some stone or bricks on the places where he digs.
Dogs won’t like the feeling of hitting hard and rough surfaces with its paw and this will stop him from repeating the digging.
Use of “Irritating” Scent
Make use of the great smell of your dog to your advantage to deter him from going to the plant for his potty.
There are certain scents that dogs usually hate and make use of this to discourage him from going to that premise to do his elimination.
Overtime, he will relate that unpleasant smell with the area and that will keep him away.
So what are the types of scent that dog HATES!
Spicy Powder
While humans like spicy stuff, your dog certainly does not favor it. Make use of this to your advantage.
The way to do it is really simple!
Get some Tabasco chili powder, curry powder or cayenne pepper (anything that has a hint of spice) and sprinkle them around the perimeter of the plants. Do not put it directly on your flower pot.
That’s it! Simple and easy to accomplish.These “spicy” scent would act as a strong deterrent to keep your dog away.
Vinegar
Mix the vinegar with water and pour the distilled vinegar around the perimeter of your plants. Take care not to apply the mixture directly to your plants because vinegar will kill them.
Your dog will certainly hate the pungent smell of vinegar and will keep him away from that area.
Citrus Odors
You can make use of the peels from orange or lemon and place them around your plants perimeter. The concentrated smell from these peels is so intense and will keep your dog away for good.
Alcohol
Dogs do not like the smell of alcohol as the scent is too strong for them. You can apply the alcohol on some cotton balls and leave them near your flower pot.
Coffee Ground
If you are a coffee lover, this is something that you can easily get from your kitchen.
Simply sprinkle some coffee grounds to the soils of your surrounding plants and that strong odor will be able to deter your dog from approaching the plants. It also acts as a nutrient provider for your plants as well.
Avoid Having Exposed Soil Near The Plant
Digging is part of your dog’s natural instinct and if there are large patches of exposed dirt or soil near your plants, this is going to encourage him to go there for his digging and peeing.
Use of Motion Activated Sprinkler
This will help your dog to steer clear from your plants. The setup is pretty straightforward. Connect the water hose to the device, plug in the battery and aim it at the area that you want to protect your dog from reaching.
The combination of sudden noise, movement and water from the sprinkler is certainly going to make your dog alarm and go away when he enters the coverage zone.
Add Plants That Your Dog Dislike
How about mixing some types of plants that dogs dislike with those regular plants that you already had in your yard. The strong scent from these plants will keep your dog away.
Go for plants that come with a strong scent to keep dogs away such as Lemongrass, Curry plant, Lemon balm or Scotch bonnets.
Marking Of Territory
Your dog may be peeing to mark his territory, in particular on some vertical objects such as flower plants. For this case, getting your dog neutered could be a feasible option to stop his urination on the plants.