Pine cones [i]may[i] help keep dogs from your garden areas - most of the pine cones have dropped by now and all of Ami's trolleys and tethers are attached to pines. What I've noticed is he won't walk in the areas where there are more than 1-2 cones on the ground, he'l actually detour around them.

Several years ago when I had trouble with feral cats pooping in my borders and spraying the entry ways, I spread a single layer of pine cones like a mulch, very tightly together. No more cats (not a problem, now - they took one look at the "wolf" in the backyard and moved to new territory  

Loki likes to play with pine cones, so this won't work with my garden lol.

Mishka chews them up, so definitely won't work.   

Oh well, just a thought. I wonder if mine are just stickier with sap and that's why he avoids them?

The only part of yard Loki digs up is under the pine tree. Took awhile, but realized he was digging for pine cones. He loves to chew them.

The neighbors have a huge pine tree that houses a colony of squirrels so all the cones that drop in our yard are game for Mishka. The ones that are fresh - new growth - will be eaten. Dogs. They are so strange.

Gabby also love to chew up pine cones. Even the ones that are loaded with sap. Its a pain too since she uses her paws when chewing them and gets sap all over her legs which is a pain to get out.