Fido and your garden can be friendly with some precaution

I plan to adopt two small dogs and would like some advice on how to garden in my fenced backyard where they will be able to run about.

— Kelly Anderson, Park Ridge

First, do not leave your dog unsupervised in the yard, since many unacceptable behaviors can come about because of a dog’s boredom. Dogs are pack animals and prefer to be with other dogs or their people, plus they like to be entertained by your interactions with them. It is also safer for them when you remain outside with them. For example, coyotes are present in many areas in the Chicago region and have been known to attack dogs. You can also stop your dogs from problem behaviors like digging or chewing on shrubs if you are monitoring them while outside.

Dogs tend to be curious and energetic, so you may need to fence off areas of your yard — such as the vegetable garden — that have particular value to you. I have a dachshund that eats peas and strawberries out of the garden but does little harm to the garden because of her small size. If all else fails, consider installing your favorite plants in containers. If your dogs have already created paths through the garden or along the fence line, it is probably best to just maintain these routes as paths using mulch. My dog has created a path along the fence where he runs and barks at the neighbor’s dogs.

Do not use cocoa bean mulch that is sold at garden centers and businesses that sell gardening supplies. It has a fine texture and sweet chocolate smell that can be appealing to some dogs. The mulch is made from the shells of cocoa beans and is a byproduct of the production of chocolate. The shells contain two chemical compounds called methylxanthines that are also found in chocolate — theobromine and caffeine. Both of these ingredients are toxic to dogs. Cocoa mulch is significantly more toxic than milk chocolate or even baker’s chocolate because it has a lot more theobromine in it. Theobromine is the toxic compound in most chocolates that is responsible for the clinical signs seen in pets after ingestion.

You should also be cautious about using chemicals in the backyard. It is best to minimize pesticide applications in areas that the dogs use. If you need to make an application, keep your dogs out of the area while applying any chemical products and away from the treated areas for as long as recommended, which is usually until the area is dry or for 24 hours. I would not use any baits such as slug bait around hostas that the dogs might be attracted to and eat. Organic fertilizers made out of bone meal, blood meal or fish emulsion can smell like dinner to your dogs. I have had good luck using synthetic granular fertilizers in my garden — my dogs ignore them. Keep fertilizer bags away from your dogs and watch them to make sure they are not eating fertilizer that is applied. Call your veterinarian or emergency animal clinic immediately if you think your dog has eaten something poisonous. You can also call the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. Gardening with dogs is generally not a big deal other than being a little more challenging at times. The biggest dog problems that I have seen in gardens are in gardens with big dogs that run through beds damaging plants, chewing on shrubs, and digging holes.

For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.