Your beautiful yard is a true testament to the hard work you’ve put into it, boasting an immaculate lawn, blooming flower beds, and a thriving vegetable garden. But as you look out on your pride and joy, it seems that your neighbor’s annoying dog has mistaken your yard for a toilet yet again, leaving poop presents for you in their wake.
Talking to your neighbors about your dog poop in yard problem can encourage them to be more vigilant about their dogs’ pooping habits. That said, you may also need to find ways to repel dogs from setting foot on your property in the first place. After all, if one dog likes to use your garden for pooping, you can be sure others will too.
Keep reading to find out what you can do to prevent dogs from pooping in your yard.
1. Apply Dog Repellent
Dogs have a very sensitive sense of smell. They use to guide them towards familiar-smelling places perfecting for pooping. But, you can use dogs’ sense of smell against them by applying either a natural or a commercial dog repellent in your yard:
DIY Natural Dog Repellents
Most people report mixed results with DIY dog repellents. Although, if you want to give this method a try before moving on to commercial-grade substances, pungent natural ingredients can sometimes work to repel dogs.
Homemade recipes usually include garlic mixed with either olive oil or almond oil, while others find the acrid smell of vinegar helps prevent dogs from pooping in their yard. The best method for using these natural dog repellents is to fill a spray bottle with your chosen ingredients and apply the DIY mixture to all the places where you’ve found your neighbors’ dog poop. Remember to apply your repellent to places they might have peed too, such as fences, posts, and trees.
Although it’s controversial, many swear by cayenne pepper or strong chili powder as an effective natural dog repellent. Annoying dogs who come sniffing around the rose bush you’ve sprinkled with chili powder will certainly think twice before returning. Although, since cayenne pepper can irritate a dog’s nose, eyes, and genitals, this might make issues with your neighbors worse.
Commercial Dog Repellents
If DIY methods fall short, using a commercial dog repellent is often a far more effective way to prevent dogs from pooping in your yard.
Although ingredients can vary between brands, one of the most common and crucial additions is methyl nonyl ketone. This colorless oil has a powerful odor that dogs hate. As a bonus, you might find fewer pests in your garden in general as methyl nonyl ketone repels animals and insects too.
When using commercial dog repellents, always follow the instructions for your safety. In particular, you should only use liquid repellents in dry weather when temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll also need to reapply often to ensure it stays effective all year round.
And don’t get discouraged if you continue to see annoying dogs in your garden or the poop they’ve left behind. Dogs learn by picking up patterns but it takes a few encounters with repellents before a dog starts to understand that your yard is now off-limits.
2. Install Motion-Activated Lawn Sprinklers
If the endless process of reapplying dog repellents doesn’t appeal to you, you might prefer to set up motion-activated sprinklers across your lawn.
The combination of an unexpected spray of water and the whirring noise that sprinklers produce when they come to life is sure to keep dogs from venturing onto your property.
Motion-activated lawn sprinklers are also quick and simple to install, giving you peace of mind throughout the night as well as during the day. And, while the upfront cost of setting up sprinklers around your lawn is higher than buying a repellent, it’s far more efficient in the long run, and may even end up being a more economical option too.
Lawn sprinklers are also much better for the environment as a safe, natural method that will help repel dogs through training rather than as a way to avoid the discomfort of chemical repellents. What’s more, your lawn will look even more immaculate than ever before with all that watering!
3. Erect Barriers
It may not be the cheapest or simplest solution, but putting up some kind of physical barrier around your yard is one of the most effective ways to prevent dogs from pooping on your land.
One option is to erect a fence around your garden. If you were already considering erecting a fence for added privacy, this could be a good way to deal with the poop problem at the same time. Once the fence is in place, even the most determined dogs will find it near-impossible to gain access to your property.
That said, if you hadn’t planned on putting up a fence or don’t like the aesthetics of it, the expense is far from justified.
Instead, a living barrier such as a hedge or a line of dog-repelling plants could be more your style. Lavender, for example, is a scent that dogs hate, while citronella and the ‘scaredy-cat plant’ (also called Plectranthus caninus and Coleus canina) are attractive and effective dog deterrents.
A third option is a ground barrier made from something that dogs won’t like walking on such as a line of sharp gravel. While this won’t be as effective as a fence, it also won’t be as intrusive. It also requires a lot less effort to install and maintain than a living fence.
Solving Your Dog Poop in Yard Problem
With this guide to help you, your dog poop in yard problem will soon be a thing of the past.
While all these methods come with pros and cons, our advice is to try them out to see which is the most effective for your particular yard and the annoying dogs that like to poop in it.
For more great lifestyle advice, be sure to check out our other blog posts!
