Monty Don issues warnings to dog owners with gardens

If you have your back door open often and have dogs running in and out all the time, you might want to make sure your garden is completely safe for your pet.

Gardening expert Monty Don has shared a few tips about how to make a pet-friendly space in your garden.

There are a few things he shared that you should avoid having in your garden to make it more suitable for them.

How can I make my garden safe for dogs?

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine shared a clip on YouTube where Monty Don shared he always has dogs alongside him in the garden.

He said there are a few things people with pets should be aware of, including plants to avoid to keep dogs safe.

He said: “As regards dangerous plants, that isn’t something I worry about too much because, in my experience, and I’ve had lots of dogs, dogs don’t go looking to munch on poisonous things any more than you and I do.

“The one plant I would keep an eye on with a puppy is yew, Taxus.

“If you see a puppy chewing some yew, and that’s often happened to me, don’t panic.

“Just take it out of its mouth.

“The chances are the worst that will happen is it might make it sick but, if it eats a lot, well then it can do more damage.

“So keep an eye out for that, but don’t worry too much about the horror stories that you read online or people tell you.”

While many people think it is a good idea to throw sticks around the garden for dogs to play fetch with and tire them out, they can be very dangerous and should be removed from your garden.

Sticks can cause serious injuries to dogs as well as painful splinters and cuts.

If a dog ingests some of the wood, it can block their airway or cause obstructions in their stomachs and intestines.

Monty Don said: “The one thing though that I don’t do anymore at all is don’t throw sticks for dogs.

“Dogs love it, and nine times of out 10 there’s no harm whatsoever, but I had a dog I threw a stick for, it went and got it, and the stick pierced the back of its mouth and came out through its neck.

“Luckily it survived, but that was not good.”

Does your dog love spending time in the garden? Let us know in the comments.