"Linda H" wrote in message
u...

Our neighbour's dog (a bounding aged boxer) keeps finding new wombat holes
under the back fence and comes over daily the minute his family heads out
to work. They've kept fixing the holes but we all realise he's very
lonely as his friend, their other Boxer, died recently.

He really is a lovely, happy dog even tho' he's typically lively (he
annoys the crap out of our dogs) and we don't want to necessarily prevent
him from coming over; we could, by running chicken/pig wire/mesh along our
fences (they're strand wire farm-type fences) and we're going to have to
do that eventually because of our own little (house) dog but doing that to
small acreage is expensive.

Meanwhile, the bugger's taken a liking to anything like a succulent. They
end up all over the ground like confetti so at least he's not swallowing
them. I have a collection in pots and I was upset when I caught him one
day taking to one of my much-loved Agave Attenuata's. I've put my other
big Agave's up high where he can't get them but I need to put them down
low soon to where I'm building protection from the looming frosts/snow.

He doesn't seem to 'eat' them - just playfully toss & tear them to shreds.
Is there something I could safely spray on or near them to deter him? I
know I have some nasty tasting stuff I got from the vet when our little
dog had an operation to deter her licking stitches but that will probably
kill my plants I reckon.

Any hints?

idea #1 is that the dog be more usefully engaged either when he comes over,
or at his house. you've sort of spelled out the problems with this... i
think the onus is on his people to help him, not on you, but you clearly
like him & the only real problem is the succulents & the people aren't
helping! have you ever tried greeting him when he comes, and playing a game
with him for a while so he doesn't resort to pulling up the plants? will
your dogs greet and play with him?

idea #2 - have you tried/were you able to correct him? as in, catch him
literally in the act & rouse at him & thus dissuade him? (this idea is very
vague - my dog continues to do certain things he's not allowed - he just
makes sure he doesn't get caught. other things, he simply will not do
because they are verboten, but i can't grasp how he decides what to continue
with, & what to give up on :-) still, if you can dissuade him from ever
doing it again, problem solved. it will be difficult because by this point
he thinks it's ok for him to do.

idea #3 - buy some of the foul tasting stuff & put it on one plant to check
if it's toxic to the plant or not. if not, put it on all of them!! this will
take a while though, you need time for the stuff to have an effect if it's
going to. (a week? two? longer?) perhaps an online search might reveal which
repellants are plant-safe?

idea #4 - barriers & other physical means. you won't get the garden you want
this way, but you'll have all your plants intact for the remaining life of
the dog.

idea #5 - boxer is kept at his house via (you) fixing the fence. this
doesn't sound like an easy option, but since you eventually want to do it
anyway, there you are. it would solve the problem.

idea #6 - grit your teeth until the dog dies of old age.

i really think you & the neighbours need to work together about it, so each
of you can do what you can. poor old dog clearly needs more company & more
to do. if the neighbours can do their part, there might not be a problem at
all. what is their feeling about it? are they nice and willing to help you
with this? they might even have a better idea. :-)
kylie