I've never had a dog that thought it was a shrub vegetarian. Ie, non-issue.

The key is how much time your puppy will spend outside unsupervised. A dog who simply goes out, does his business and comes back inside, is going to be at very low risk with any vegetation. On the other hand, a dog/puppy who spends the day outside is going to deal with his boredom by chewing, digging and generally putting himself at risk if a shrub is at all toxic. Only you know how you plan to live with your new puppy.

"Only you know how you plan to live with your new puppy."

It is best to teach a new dog not to eat ANYTHING in the yard.

You simply cannot be out there going "Well this one is toxic so don't chew that, that one's OK so have at it." Dogs just don't draw distinctions like that and keeping toxicity levels of each species of plant straight in your head is impossible.

So train.

I have two new dogs, both shelter dogs, both former strays, and neither initially having any respect whatsoever for landscape plants being eaten, trampled, or otherwise destroyed. Once came in October last year and the second in February, and they are both nearly 95% proofed against eating or even stepping on landscape plants.

It just takes supervision and training.

get the bitter apple spray or whatever ... talk to your vet for options ... let him sniff the bottle.. spray a shot in his mouth.. then go spray the plant you want him to avoid ...

trust me.. he will give anything with that scent a wide berth .. lol ..

a lot of things in the yard are toxic ... you really cant remove it all ...so all your left with is.... training the dog ... i trained mine to stay out of the beds ... period ...

have fun with your puppy.. properly training a dog.. is not cruelty ... just a necessity ...

ken

Many toxic plants also have horrible taste and are on the gradient of "toxic" so they are self limiting. Eg. Rhubarb leaves are toxic...go ahead and bite into one. You'd never want to consume enough to cause harm.

To answer your question, ASPCA has an extensive list of plants that they consider toxic and non-toxic for dogs:

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/dogs-plant-list

Here's their non-toxic list with illustrations:

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants?

Not many shrubs are among them. If you like roses, they could be marvelous choices for your situation. I would only suggest to select thornless or nearly thornless varieties. Some of these that are cold hardy and up to ca. 4-5 or so feet tall are Cardinal de Richelieu, Marie Pavie, some albas, and I'm sure there are many more... Roses are my personal favorite (besides lilacs) and if you are interested, you might inquire further on the forums for antique roses and roses.

I have a small backyard. I fear if a flower or a dead leaf was on the ground she would eat it. I will be out with her but I won't be watching her 100%. I will transplant to my front yard but for that area a nice shrub would fit wonderful. I planted this prior to thinking about getting a dog.

Which hydrangeas do you have? Looks like just the Hydrangea arborescens are listed as toxic