Gardening with dogs, some safety tips from the Dogs Trust

• Make sure that your fence and gate is high enough and secure enough. Most dogs will not be able to scale a 6 ft fence, but this can depend on breed and how determined your dog is to escape.
• Make sure there are no broken/unsafe parts to your fence/other garden furniture, such as no protruding sharp edges and no nails sticking out.
• Store chemicals and sharp tools safely, out of reach or locked in the shed, garage or outbuilding. Garden chemicals such as pesticides and fertilisers will make him very ill if eaten. Oils, paints and antifreeze are also very harmful. Pets are very attracted to antifreeze in particular and will lick it up if you forget to mop up any spills.
• Most slug pellets are poisonous to pets and could kill. Use pet friendly alternatives such as beer traps or try to encourage frogs into your garden to eat them. Ant killer gels and powders and rat poisons should only be used where your dog cannot get to them.
• Cocoa husks or mulch used in borders and around plants to discourage weeds is very attractive to dogs, who will eat it in large quantities. However, this contains theobromine (the same dangerous chemical found in chocolate), is very poisonous and can be fatal. Use an alternative such as bark chippings or gravel.
• Keep all rubbish/recycling bins securely closed.
• Make sure that ponds or pools are covered so that a young dog or puppy cannot fall in and drown.
• Be careful not to leave gates open.
• There are several poisonous plants that could affect your dog if he is partial to eating greenery. Here is just a selection of those to be wary about. Remove them if possible or restrict access to them: Azalea, Buttercup, Castor bean, Daffodil bulbs, dumb cane, false hellebore, foxglove, holly berries, Laburnum, Lily of the valley, Lobelia, Mistletoe berries, Moonseed, Narcissus, Oleander, Philodendron, Rhododendron, Rhubarb leaves, wild cherry tree, Wisteria, Yew.
• To download a more extensive list of poisonous plants and substances found in the home please click HERE