Anything (legal!) to keep dogs from shitting in my front garden?

[Aridane]

Have a small patch of garden at the Front of my house (largely gravel over weed suppressing membrane, with some well established drought Friendly plants).

Recently planted a few more plants - but fuck me, it’s like an open invitation for dogs to shit (and damagemy plants).

Can anyone recommend a product to help shitting dogs?

Thanks!

Sorry - to help PREVENT shitting dogs 😀

Fence?

Are you sure it’s dogs and not cats? I mean it sounds like a giant litter tray!

As dogs don't usually roam about on their own the owners must be standing right there. Maybe a small notice? But agree with @Greentulips it might be cats (or foxes).

There's a product called Off that you can buy from pet stores. You scatter green gel pellets across where they have pooped before and the smell deters them from doing it again in the same place. This is assuming the problem is definitely dogs - it won't work for cats or other animals.

I didn’t think it was cat poo - but then I am not the shit expert

I have made it sound like quite the litter tray. Probably more accurate to say that it’s covered with large gravel / small stones rather than fine litter tray style consistency

I don’t want to become a poo troll - but is there a ready way to distinguish between dog poo and cat poo?

Cats usually try and bury theirs afterwards, I think? Not sure about foxes though, if there are any distinguishing features

Fox shit stinks!!!!!

Not sure whether there was any effort to bury afterwards - does digging up x2 sempervivum count as ‘burying’?

If it is cats, what might also repel cats?

Fence. If it stops, it's people's dogs, if it doesn't it's cats.

Sprinkle pepper?

put up a small polite sign - it works most of the time on a similar set up here. As dogs can't read it tells you all you need to know about many dog owners.

the sign says 'please clean up after your dog, thank you'. The other one that has worked is 'please take dog waste home, not pleasant to clean off mower'. Which is entirely accurate. Every dog owner signs up for 15 years of carrying round bags of shit, like it or not. If they don't have a bag I expect them to use their pockets.

Cat shit is usually smaller and ‘thinner’ IME. I would never let my dog shit in someone’s garden so either the owners are astonishingly negligent or it’s something else. I believe cats dislike lavender.

Put up a fence.

Or follow dog owners that let their dog do their business in your front garden to their home and shit in their front garden.

does digging up x2 sempervivum count as ‘burying’? Quite possibly. Cats, in my experience, scrape out a hole about 6 inches across, turn with their back to the hole and deposit a crap just outside the edge of it, then scrape up soil about 8 inches away into a heap, repeatedly turning round to sniff at the poo wondering why it isn't being buried by the soil they're digging up nowhere near it.

Sprinkle some glitter on your garden. If it's a dog they will take it home and it will be alll over their carpets!!

You can try hidden cameras but certainly put up sign saying do not allow your dog to defecate on my property

Well this is deeply unpleasant! The problem is they like to go where other dogs have been. So this will take ongoing management unless you put a fence up.
Not sure a notice will cut it - who lets their dog poo on someone's front garden AND doesn't pick it up! (I have a dog)? Not someone who reads notices I bet.
A small fence is the answer but if that's not an option I just googled dog repellent and there's loads of options. Neudorff (good with slugs!) do one for about £7. They hate citrus apparently (who knew?) so I think one of the ones that make your garden smell nice to you but disgusting to dogs is the answer. I didn't look but you might be able to spray lemon essential oil mixed with something around.
I did look at plants and there was nothing concrete.
But first you'll need a wash to remove the smell totally from the whole garden and pavement at the front. Then you'll need to treat the whole area frequently, then gradually less often as it drops off the doggy radar.
There are sonic repellants too but they are not specified/area specific enough. Worth a try though?
If it was me I'd put up a fence and reclaim the area personally. There's bound to be ways to get a not expensive and not difficult fence put up.

No male either (let alone a shameless one) - though I hear their morning piss is the only (legal) thing that deters foxes.

Embarrassed to say that this morning went out to take a poo picture and it has disappeared

Not quite sure what to make of that (other than to be grateful)