Basic Garden Safety
Toxic plants should be removed from areas that dogs have access to, and replaced with safer alternatives
Beware of overhanging plants from neighboring gardens or street planting that may drop toxic fruit, seeds or nuts into your garden.
Avoid prickly plants with sharp thorns. These may cause serious eye injuries.
Keep garden sheds, garages and greenhouses securely locked, and chemicals and garden tools stored away safely.
Ensure any weed-killers, plant feeds or other treatments you use in the garden are safe for pets.
Avoid the use of slug pellets and insecticides that may harm your dog.
If you have a pond, make sure it is safe for your dog. Pond water may contain chemicals and bacteria that may harm your dog if they drink it.
If you have a pool, make sure to keep your dog safe from drowning. Many dogs drown in back-yard pools every year.
Even if your pool is fenced off, it is wise to install a pool escape ramp to ensure your dog is as safe as possible.
Make sure your dog knows how to escape from your pool - teach it how to and run through the exercise regularly to be sure it remembers.
Make sure your garden is secure. This means ensuring that your dog cannot get out, as well as doing your best to make sure that other animals or intruders find it difficult to get into your garden.
Take a look at our pages on fencing and boundaries for more information and ideas.
Gates should always be kept shut. Make sure all members of the household and visitors are aware of this.
Sign that remind people to "Please shut the gate" are helpful. Self-closing mechanisms are also a good idea.
Put signs on any gates or other entrances into your garden to alert visitors that there may be dogs loose in the garden.
Keep a First Aid Kit
As with all the contents of these page, the above is intended for educational purposes only. This information is not intended as medical advice, and should not replace veterinary consultation or treatment.