Growing hops with dog

[Schecter]

SWMBO and I just purchased our first home with a beautiful grape trellis in our backyard. Obviously this was going to become a hop trellis.
After planting my rhizomes and caring for them for a week, I receive a text message from my better half while I'm at work. It's simply a picture of a beautiful 14 wk old St. Bernard puppy, with a caption "meet your daughter".

Fantastic. I now own a dog that (according to her vet) will exceed 200lbs. Scratching my hopes of planting hops directly in the ground around the base of my hop trellis, I'm looking for help.

Anyone have a fool proof idea on how to plant my hops outside so that my mammoth won't eat them? Can't half ass this one either, not a fan of dead dogs.

I was thinking of planting in a raised pot high enough so Beethoven can't reach them, but will they require more room for an extensive root system?

Help.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, generally hops aren't delicious to a dog. But some dogs might eat a pellet or flower that is dropped out of sheer habit.

But we all know that some dogs love to dig and chew. Especially puppies.

I'd say take the normal precautions, like maybe a small fence. I think once the dog gets old enough to climb a small fence it should be smart enough to know not to dig or chew...

 

[Gridlocked]

My dogs have access to my plants and they leave them alone. If they start walking in the bed, I add a few pieces of crap to the front of the boxes and that helps keep them out. You could use some 2x2's pounded into the ground and some chicken wire.

 

[cram]

Good advice from Homercidal--and congrats on the house, hops, and dog! I keep my tortoises and dogs out of the hops by planting them in raised planters, big pots, or fence them in. For the fence, I sunk pieces of galvanized fence post, bolted 2X4's across toward the top, then cut cedar fence planks down (to suit the size of your pets), and dog eared them to build a little fence. The dog-eared top and the relatively narrow width of the bed (it backs up to a regular-sized fence) discourages my dogs from jumping into it since they can't see their landing. It looks nice, too. I can post a picture if you can't visualize it.

IMHO, the "hops kill dogs", thing in overstated. My dogs don't touch hop cones, even if they drop on the ground during harvest. They will nibble on the new shoots and leaves, though, without any ill effects to them (except annoying me).

Even in a raised bed, though, some dogs (puppies in particular) will dig. My advice is don't let the dog watch you work the garden and/or plant, if possible--I swear they seem to want to "help" by digging themselves later...

 

[Schecter]

Thanks for all the replies.
Cram, I would love a picture if you wouldn't mind. I'm not afraid of adding some sort of fence to keep the dog (and hops, more importantly ) safe.
I know most people don't think that the dog will eat anything of the hops, but this dog is curious about everything already and eats EVERYTHING.
...it also doesn't help that SWMBO knows hops are bad for dogs and is currently pissed I haven't surrendered them.

 

[ThreeDogsNE]

+1 on fencing them in. This year my dogs have cost me a couple of hops plants. They have enjoyed playing chase in the back yard, which has unfortunately meant that they trampled a couple of third year plants to death with repeated running through the lines and over the shoots. A younger dog also dug out a plant I bought to replace one of the ones I had lost. I ended up putting up steel fence posts and some chickenwire I had laying around (from a former compost pile). Now that that is up, and the plants are protected, they are flourishing. The dug up plant which I had written off is also now coming up. I already bought a replacement for it, so with the spare I bought to hedge my bets against the dogs I now have 4 Perles! I hope they taste good! I'll just bury a low branch to replace the Centennial I lost.

I plan to put up a permanent wood picket fence this fall. Cedar 4' pickets can be had for $1 -1.50 on sale from the big box stores. At 2 per foot, that's not too bad. The rails and posts should not be too costly. It will look much more respectable than my chicken wire quick fix. It will also improve my attitude towards the dogs, and save me from having to change my screen name.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

My dog run is right next to my hop trellis. She never pays any attention to them. But she is nowhere near a puppy, either. There is a small cheap plastic fence around it, but it is meant more for rabbits than the dog.

 

[tchuklobrau]

With a dog the size you have, now is the perfect time to train. Tech the lil darlin that the hops are a no no. Lol obedience is huge on a dog that size, lest they take you for a walk later in life rather than the other way around.

 

[wilfonzo]

My dog just broke two of my bines by accident, I was not impressed. Other than that he has paid no attention to them.

 

[cram]

Here are some pics to give you some ideas. It's not the cheapest route using cedar and galvanized posts, perhaps, but it should last a long time since no wood is in contact with soil and I think it looks okay. The narrow width of the bed discourages the dogs from jumping in, imo.

 

[cram]

Here are some of the upside down wine barrels that act as raised beds. I love this option for harvesting rhizomes--you just lift them off and go at it. I used to have a good line on cheap barrels but there's quite a few wineries nearby...

The posts are used well pipe, 20' lengths. CL score for $6/piece. :rockin:

 

[jonos7]

Id put up a one or two strand Electric fence real easy, and semi cheap easy to put up take down or move.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

I've had a dog for about 5 years now and my Cascade is within spitting distance of the dog's leash. She also runs the yard now and then and has left the plant completely alone. I did have a rhizome of Chinook that she got at when it was coming up. She started chewing on it, playing with it like it was her bone. Needless to say the Chinook didn't make it, but she didn't get sick at all.

 

[cram]

Finally, the tortoise side of the yard (they're strong brutes) with cinder block base. There are first-year rhizomes. Note all the compost volunteers--dill, tomatoes, squash, cilantro, etc.--coming up. Might choose a few to use as companions...

 

[cram]

The absolute most dog-proof option is the front of the house. Here's to cool neighbors and no HOA!

 

[Schecter]

Wow cram, you win. Thanks so much for the pictures, quite inspiring! The bed I'm currently using for the hops is small, maybe 6'x3' at most, so the cost of fencing it in wouldn't be too astounding. Also reminded me I need to get my twine up, my Fuggles just sprouted