Sharing a garden with a dog

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I like dogs, and I like gardens, and often they just don't mix. Dogs can be rough, and can turn a backyard into a dead zone very quickly, even little dogs. But my garden just wouldn't be the same with a dog, and my preferred breed is the dachshund.

No, I don't recommend dachshunds, unless you've had experience with them - and I have, more years than I care to admit. Yes, they're small, but they're bred to dig, and can be very difficult to train. You will often see funny videos of dachshunds after they've dug a hole half-way to China. Funny in a video, not so funny IRL (In Real Life).

I got my first doxie when I worked from home, and now that I'm retired I can keep an eye on the pup, who just turned one - that's her up there.

The yard belongs to her - she can scamper around anywhere she wants to, and she can also, uh, "do her business" anywhere she wants to in the yard (we're still working on learning not to soil inside of the house - and with doxies it takes a lot of time, and patience!).

Interestingly enough, I've found that when you combine a dog with a garden you find that a LOT of plants are poisonous to them. I've gotten comments from people who have seen my cycads in my photos online and told me that they were poisonous, and they are. In fact, a LOT of plants are poisonous, plants that normally you'd never give a second thought to. But the solution isn't to make your dog (and yourself) live in a moonscape, but to keep an eye on them, and train them not to chew on plants. Again, this takes time and patience, but isn't that what a garden is all about? A labor of love?

I like my garden, and I like my dogs!

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