MADOR STORY Chapter 7 - Dogs and garden

The belief

'Want a dog, or want a garden' - we hear this sentence so often we almost think it true. The dog digs holes, digs flowers out, makes his job just everywhere, makes a sign at the trees thus dries them, runs and so destroys the grass, chews the roses, places the toys all around the place, etc. you can continue forever. Still there are more and more of us who love our dog(s) and our garden as well, and we do all our best to make a beautiful environment for the dogs, too.

The reality

Evidently, the dog's basic type and heritage is fundamental: there are 'vandals' and 'calm lambs', and everything in between like sometimes digs but otherwise is a good dog. It is very important what the puppy sees at the mum's behavior: if mum lays down calmly on the grass, there is a high probability the puppy will act similarly, in opposite cases the pup will learn the grass is the place to dig.

If we spend a lot of time and attention to the dog since puppyhood, (s)he will quickly learn what (s)he can do and what not: when (s)he starts digging, an instant 'No-no' will follow, and when the puppy stops, the reward is a bone or something else to chew calmly. The dogs tired both physically and mentally are less likely to destroy than those who are left alone all day and only receive food, if any. If we do our job well during the day (walk, dog school, show, or simply visiting friends and family, journey etc.) then the dog would drink and lay down when coming home, will not even think of dig or destroy. With a regular daily routine, the dog can be 'garden trained' and make his/her job during the daily walks. (For instance, Alex is like this.)

Being alone would probably make a dog distroy much more than being in company with another dog(s). If the dog is bored or simply wants more attention, (s)he would surely find something better to do. According to researches, digging and chewing produce endorfin, so the happiness-feeling would increase in the dog. It also counts if the older dog is a 'good' dog, showing good example for the puppy. (Alex would never touch anything in the garden, he is a very calm dog, and Mador acts just like that, more and more.)

There are periods when otherwise calm dogs start digging/destroying: during females' heat periods, males are willing more to mark their territory than in general, or in summertime, dogs try to dig a hole to reach cooler soil, etc.

Of course each dog is different, and individual experiences might vary on a large scale.

Flowers in the garden

What can we do to preserve the garden?

Take the dog's needs into consideration: the dogs try to make their jobs as far from where they live as possible. When we don't go walking on a daily basis, set a relatively far away corner, put in sand that is easy to clean, put a stick if you have a male dog, and when the dog is successful there, reward it, and carry the previous product there to get the smell, in other places clean the garden as soon as possible. Over time, there is a probability to minimize the 'mined area' in the garden.

Do not plant flowers near the fence, when the dog guards the house, it will not go around the vegetation.

If the grass is new, observe where the dog goes and set the trail there (of course, in line with our needs, where you need the path).

Spend a lot of time with the dog daily, make it move, run, play etc. I have 'sessions' with Alex and Mador twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. With Mador I have more formal exercises and plays, and Alex, I mostly carress him and scratch his belly.

To protect the plants, it is advisable to use dog spray or hot chili-pepper-mustard sauce, but I know leonbergers who rather like it hot. Get experience with your own dog and use what it dislikes. When nothing helps, build a fence around the flowers. For the dog's security, have non toxic plants in your garden.

There are people who create a separate area for the dog(s): this is a solution of course, but I personally strongly disagree. Leonbergers are family dogs, they like to be where everybody is, they are happy to lay down at our feet and have a rest with us. If we separate the dogs from us, we lose the advantages of its true nature, kindness, very favorable type (and of course they are excellent to place your feet on them, and it is good to listen to how they breathe). In our home, the whole garden is for the dogs, and if someone comes that the dogs don't know, I simply tie the dogs for the time the visitors enter and leave, then free them again.

How do Alex and Mador behave?

Alex is very calm, he has never been a vandal type. He would lay down all day, sleep half alarmed, when needed, he would run to the gate or fence to defend the house. He respects private property, something is his when explicitely given, otherwise he would not touch anything (he eats his meals when I allow him). He would not even think of paying attention to the flowers. Sometimes he digs a hole when it's very hot, but somehow he digs at places where it can hardly be seen at all, as if he knew how important the garden is for me, and if he appreciated the hard work I do in the garden.

Mador chewed at the beginning, he ate the pansy flowers one by one (surely the wind made the flowers move and he was intereste), it is not by accident that there is a metal edge on the dog house, he helped me cut the roses etc. He never destroyed anything spectacularly, and of course I never planted anything again. A solution can be to have only grass at soil level, and have the flowers in ceramic pots. It is interesting that he never touches anything that existed before his arrival, in hotels and other places he would not touch a thing. As he grows, he plays a lot with Alex and now he does not chew anymore, he lays down calmly, and started to defend, he respects private property more and more. If I am present when he does something I don't like, I stop him immediately, but ex post you should not punish the dog, in these cases I take a deep breath, rearrange the garden and act as if nothing has happened.

The pictures on this page were taken in the garden. In the beginning there was no grass at all and the dogs were very dusty, in the show season Mador needed much cleansing. After we put the grass, in one month we had a beautiful green garden, the dogs are much cleaner, and the grass is only damaged when Mador stops for his ball thrown.

In the evenings, after playing and running, it is very nice to sit in the garden and enjoy its beauties with my dogs.

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