My Dad has the same problem. Dogs don't work at his place. He's got two large dogs that will chase them off, but they sneak in at night when no one is looking. He buys a spray at Home Depot, and it works wonders, but I don't know what it's called. He does have to respray when it rains. He doesn't have a lot of plants that the deer eat, so it's not a big problem for him, but it's enough of a problem that he always sprays the stuff he wants to enjoy that doesn't bloom for long.
He's tried the soap idea, and that never worked. He said they just used it to freshen up with after eating his flowers.
I'm in serious need of helpful info too, as I'm getting ready to move into deer territory, and we didn't get fences put up yet. I'm going to try a tasty bale of alfalfa tossed down the hill, and see if that keeps them away for a while.
