How To Keep Dogs Out of Flower Beds (Cheap and Humane Solutions)

Once a dog has marked your planter as their turf, it can be tough keeping them away. Here are some humane, affordable solutions for discouraging dogs from doing their business in your flower beds.

So, the neighborhood dogs think your flower bed is their latrine. Too much animal urine can kill your flowers and plants.

Commercial granular deterrents are pricey, and some are ineffective or must be reapplied frequently.

But that doesn’t mean you have to let your beautiful flowers go to the dogs. We asked our frugal readers to share any humane, inexpensive solutions and remedies for keeping dogs out of flower beds and gardens.

Inexpensive Ways to Keep Dogs Out of Flower Beds

Read on to see if one of these reader solutions might work for you.

Try Jerry Baker’s Recipe

I got the following recipe from Jerry Baker on PBS:

2 1/2 parts flour
1 part Cayenne Pepper
1 1/2 parts Dry Mustard Powder

Sprinkle around the area as needed. If it rains, it will have to be replaced

I have noticed that the cats do stay away from my deck. I am not sure how it will work with dogs, but Jerry Baker’s ideas are usually very good.
Carol D.

Use ‘Stickers’ To Keep Dogs Out of Flower Beds

Do you have roses? After cleaning the flower bed of grass and weeds, prune back your rose bushes. Cut the trimmings into six to eight-inch pieces and scatter over the bed. The dogs do not like walking on the thorns of the rose bush clippings. The sticky leaves and trimmings from a holly bush will work also.
John W.

Talk to the Dog Owners

Why not try speaking to your neighbors about the situation? Is there a leash law in your area? Perhaps if speaking to your neighbors does not help, a call to the local police or animal rescue would.

Another inexpensive way to deter the dogs from entering your yard would be to spray them with your garden hose each time they enter your yard. I have a dog myself, and I am an animal lover. I do feel it’s your neighbor’s responsibility to prevent the dogs from entering your yard and destroying your beautiful flowers.
Deb T.

Give Dogs a Little Poke With a Clothes Hangers

My mother’s dog “pottied” in her flower beds until she made this deterrent: Take a wire clothes hanger and unbend it, leaving the rod part still bent. Stick the straight part into the ground, with the bent part pointing out and at the approximate height of the dog in question’s bottom.

When the male dog lifts his leg, he gets poked just a little. Works for her!
C.

Keep Dogs Out of Flower Beds With a Pepper Protectant

Go to the bulk barn and get black pepper (still intact, not ground up already) and an assortment of chili peppers, cayenne peppers, and anything else that makes your eyes water when you open the big bulk lids!

When you get home, grind up the black peppers as you use them (they will be fresher and more effective). Mix the black and various other peppers together in a sandwich bag, and then spread it in your garden wherever the dogs/cats go. They always sniff first, and they will get a nose full of pepper and go away unhappy. You will have to repeat every few days for about two weeks. The dogs remember not to go to your lawn because of the peppers after a few times.

It won’t cost too much. A little goes a long way.
Mika

Detergent Solution That Is Also Good for Plants

One of the best ways to keep dogs out is to put a small piece of their poop in the spot that you want to protect. A dog will naturally avoid digging, etc., in its own poop. However, if you have several dogs visiting you, you won’t have access to their individual deposits.

You might try neutralizing all of their odors by spraying the entire area with a mixture of 1/3 dishwashing detergent with 2/3 water. This is good for your plants and is used routinely by organic gardeners.
Pamela

A Simple Solution From Down Under

Here in Australia, it’s common to see water-filled soft drink bottles on lawns and gardens. People swear that this keeps dogs away. (Don’t ask how, but I’ve seen it work).

Take an empty 1-liter or 2-liter soft drink bottle (clear plastic), remove any wrappers and fill it with water. Put it out on the flower bed (just lay it on its side) and see if it works on US dogs!
Hanne

Use an Ammonia Mixture To Deter Dogs

Want to know how to keep dogs out of flower beds? All you have to do is to spray ammonia mixtures into the flower bed. The smell will keep the dogs away.
James K.

Hair Can Keep Dogs Out of Flower Beds!

You could try this and it is free.

Take your hair clippings and sprinkle over the beds. You may need to get other members of your family to “donate” hair for this. The theory is that as dogs sniff around, the hairs irritate them to make them go away (and possibly sneeze too!) and they learn to stay away from your flower beds.

Worked for me!
Nancy L.

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Reviewed April 2024