imported my own garden pest!

[rainbowgardener]

I've been being amazed at how little this garden has been bothered by critters. I bought deer netting and posts to protect the corn, on the assumption that squirrels and birds would be gobbling it up, and never used the netting. Nothing bothered the corn even though we do have plenty of squirrels and birds. I left my compost bin three sided and open, even though when I lived in Cincinnati I always said compost bins have to be four sided with a lid/ cover or critters (especially raccoons) get in an pull all the kitchen scraps out.

I did have a bunny eating the seedlings from the circle garden, but once I put the rabbit fence up, bunny never ventured farther into the yard to get the unfenced lettuces.

So a little more than a week ago we brought home our second dog. Since then dog has pulled about ten tomatoes off the vine. Doesn't eat the tomatoes, but carries them around and sometimes rolls on them. It ate an ear of corn while it was on the stalk. It got into the compost bin and pulled corn cobs out to carry around. (And this is just outdoors. Indoors it has pretty well destroyed a sofa and some pillows.) ... Gardening isn't hard enough, I had to bring home a new pest critter and keep it in the yard!? Dog number one never did any of that!

[Lindsaylew82]

Haha! That little booger!

Well, you can't just toss him out now...

[applestar]

Heh I think he is challenging your professional skills as a therapist.

[rainbowgardener]

Sigh... Destructo has chewed on some of the developing squash. And yesterday morning I planted some potatoes. (Wrong time for it I know, but it's an experiment.). Anyway I came out in the late afternoon and she had dug them all up! Didn't even chew on them, just unburied them all and dug deep holes. I had watered them in with compost tea. Could that have been what attracted her?

Anyway, since they weren't chewed, I buried them again and then made a loose brush pile over them. Potatoes shouldn't have much trouble sprouting, but so far she hasn't bothered them....

[applestar]

Wow she is a rascal! This is really too bad as it must be very frustrating for you and you will need to make provisions to protect your garden more than you would have needed to otherwise.

Have you thought about how to go about training her out of all this? Do you have her history?

Is seems like simplest solution would be to fence off a play area for this dog Or maybe train her to stay in a large comfortable crate -- like a playpen for babies -- while you are working, and keep her on-leash when in other areas when you can give her full attention -- until she learns what's what....