but please, ..... not in the pond ....

Sometime ago, I came across a magazine that listed all the things in a garden that were “bad” for dogs. I concluded that I had two options - either buy masses of paving stones, or sell the dogs - I did neither. The obvious dangers that can kill a child are the same dangers that can kill a dog - and puppies even more so.

• Sharp tools - including rakes, aerators, saws, forks and other lethal weapons, shouldn’t be left lying around.
• Weed-killers - fertilizers, potting compost, creosote, petrol, slug pellets, poisons and the sprinklers, brushes and watering-cans used, should be kept out of reach.
• Beware of berries, seed pods and bulbs. Allowing your puppy to dig up dad’s daffodils, can be very unhealthy ( in more ways than one!) see
• Ponds - all too often the silent killer as far as puppies are concerned! They’re usually designed with a big lip or overhang around the edge. A labrador’s love of water, combined with the fascination of seeing nice pink  fish swimming, can often prove too much and in it goes! Sadly, because of the overhang, a puppy can find it impossible to get out again. If the water is too deep for it to be able to stand - it will quickly become exhausted - and drown! Provide secure fencing all around the pond until the puppy is at least a year old and a “proven” swimmer - and build “easy” steps for it to climb out - I beg of you!
• Swimming Pools - are even worse than ponds. Deep water and high sides, with nothing but a vertical ladder up which to escape, spell disaster for any dog.
• Snakes and stings - a problem during the warmer weather - see
• “Ticks”- can be caught from fox, deer, sheep and hedgehogs - and  need to be treated by a Vet. Don’t try it yourself!

Just in passing ...“Why do dogs eat grass... nettles...  and weeds?”
Well - they may be “weeds” to you and me - but - to your dog, they’re a valuable scource of vitamins / minerals that form part of their natural diet.
Unfortunately, they can only digest the very youngest and softest parts. The rest will come up again - don’t worry - its perfectly natural - unless it happens on the carpet!