If Dogs Are a Nuisance

Is your lawn scattered with holes surrounded by small piles of dirt? Is your span of green lawn interrupted by sporadic circles of yellow or dead grass caused by animal urine? While mowing the lawn or during gardening, do you find offerings of dog poo, even though you don't own a dog? If so, then unruly neighborhood dogs are most likely the culprits. Short of installing a fence around the perimeter of your landscape, there are a few things that you can do if you find dogs to be a nuisance. Here are some tips to discover what you can do to keep dogs at bay:

• If you use organic products to fertilize your lawn or garden, cover them with a spray of vinegar or other bitter compound. Because they retain food odors, organic fertilizers, such as bone or blood meal, tend to attract animals. Neutralize the natural food aromas with bitter and foul-scented organic products to keep dogs from digging in your garden.
• To deter dogs from crossing your lawn to deposit a daily constitutional, purchase an environmentally-friendly dog deterrent spray from your local pet store. Spray the product on the perimeter of your lawn, and dogs will not enter your space.
• Discourage dogs from digging your flower beds and vegetable garden by spreading ground chili peppers over those areas. Buy ground chili peppers from your grocery store, or buy whole, dry chili peppers and grind them yourself. Distribute the mixture over areas you want to protect. The capsicum in the peppers will make dogs turn away, leaving your lawn and gardens undisturbed.
• If you've small plants that are constantly ruined by a male dog hiking his leg on them, protect them by surrounding them with small, wire fences. Not only will the dog not be able to get close enough to the plant, the small fence may add a decorative touch to your landscape.

If you notice that you have a wild dog problem in your neighborhood, and that they run in packs, then call your local animal control office. Abandoned dogs can cause problems, since they forage for food anywhere they can. They may overturn garbage cans looking for food, attack your children while they play in the yard, or chase your cat up a tree. It is advisable to call animal control in such instances, rather than taking matters into your own hands and shooting at nuisance dogs.