I love the red and green color combination of the holiday season. And as much as I enjoy a pretty pointsettia, the plant is well known for being a poison to dogs. I love my dogs much more than to take a chance on having a poisonous plant around, so I went a different route this year.
I bought a red hibiscus plant. Not only is the plant safe for dogs to eat, people can eat them too, and they do. Do a search for “hibiscus candy,” and see all the options that surface. So I set up my plant on the deck and walked away.
When I returned, I found that my dogs missed the daily blooming hibiscus from summertime as much as I do. They already started snacking off it!
I even tried to stop my Border Collie from munching on the plant with a firm “no!” but in her usual disregard, she took a post-no nip at the plant as she passed by. I knew the hibiscus wouldn’t be safe if I didn’t intervene.
I then decided the only way to enjoy any sort of red and green plant combination this year would be to use a barrier between the plant and the hibiscus-loving dogs.
The above, lightweight, ex-pen was convenient, but too short. I imagined as soon as my Dobermann saw the chance she’d pull off a bloom. So I went up a notch, and finally found the perfect barrier.
Doesn’t my dog look dumfounded? As if she’s saying, “You won this round!” I think I did, too. Sometimes training isn’t appropriate to solve a conflict between dog and owner. Sometimes we have to use management instead of dog training, and this barrier is the management that got the job done quickly, so I can enjoy the red blooms this holiday season, and at the end of the day, I can share the closing blooms with my dogs for snackies. Win-win!
Helen Verte Schwarzmann
Contact me
Certified in Training and Counseling
Certified Pet Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed
Certified Trick Dog Instructor
AKC STAR Puppy, CGC, and Trick Dog Trainer and Evaluator
Your Board-and-Train Dog Trainer for south and southwest Florida, Southwest Ranches, Plantation, Fort Lauderdale, Weston, Broward, Naples, Collier, Fort Myers, Lee county
