Dog Community

Continuous digging

Posted : 11/17/2006 1:30:09 AM

Chani is a year old now and has developed a bad digging habit. We live in a rental house and are worried about our backyard being full of holes! We've tried so many things to stop her - wearing her out, distracting her, chastising her, chastising the hole (!), placing heavy objects over the holes (she simply digs more somewhere else), placing her poop in the holes, etc, etc. She doesn't appear to be trying to bury anything or dig anything up. She's simply making lots of holes.

Any suggestions?

Ruth

Posted : 11/17/2006 4:03:32 AM

I have not tried it myself but one standard piece of advice is to give the dog an approved digging area in your yard, like a doggie sandbox or other designated area. The idea is that you can't train this natural drive away, but you can channel it someplace appropriate. My dog is a digger too and I have definetely thought about it, but not implemented it yet.

Ruth

Posted : 11/17/2006 4:05:28 AM

Also, I am sure you are already keeping an eye on this, but since you know your dog digs, make sure to check around the edges of your yard pretty frequently to make sure she's not close to escaping.

espencer

Posted : 11/17/2006 10:50:59 AM

What kind of excersice she does? how you "wear her out"? are you consistent on "wearing her out"? digging can be a way to release accumulated energy, maybe your dog is high energy by nature and needs more excersice than you thought

Alisia Jezierny

Posted : 11/17/2006 11:52:29 AM

ORIGINAL: acesmom

I have not tried it myself but one standard piece of advice is to give the dog an approved digging area in your yard, like a doggie sandbox or other designated area. The idea is that you can't train this natural drive away, but you can channel it someplace appropriate. My dog is a digger too and I have definetely thought about it, but not implemented it yet.

Yup, that's the way to go! Digging is innate in a lot of dogs and is something that can't really be "broken", especially if there is any terrier in the dog. I've got a Pit, so I pre-dug an approved digging hole before I even brought the dog home :-)

I usually advise against sandboxes, as stray cats like to use them as litter boxes, but since you rent, it's probably the only way to go. The dog won't automatically dig in it's approved spot, but with constant redirection, especially if combined with rewards for digging in the correct spot (try burying some treats or toys for the dog to find) and/or deterrents for digging in the wrong spot (I know a lot of people here don't like deterrants, but I find a squirt bottle works well), you will probably see results in only a couple weeks.

Katran

Posted : 11/17/2006 7:55:50 PM

First of all, I love Chani's name. Not a Dune fan by any chance are you? [

]

Secondly, I've had two diggers and never did get them to quit digging, but I found that they dug mostly in areas of the yard that tended to get the most moisture, such as under a tree or where the runoff from the A/C dripped into the yard. I thought maybe they were just trying to keep cool in the summer, but I noticed that they did it year round.

Have you noticed this with your dog? If so, what I did might help you out. I did what others mentioned, which was to create a "designated" digging spot, which I kept a bit moist. It worked for my dogs (mostly anyway, though they did sometimes dig in other places).

spiritdogs

Posted : 11/18/2006 8:40:21 AM

ORIGINAL: acesmom

I have not tried it myself but one standard piece of advice is to give the dog an approved digging area in your yard, like a doggie sandbox or other designated area. The idea is that you can't train this natural drive away, but you can channel it someplace appropriate. My dog is a digger too and I have definetely thought about it, but not implemented it yet.

This is something I usually do recommend. When she isn't looking, bury some milk bones, then go out and "help" the dog find them. Any time she digs in a non-approved area, redirect her to her digging place. Digging is an almost impossible habit to break, since it's self-rewarding (reduces anxiety, gets them a cool spot to lie down, etc.). So, the idea is to give them what they want, but only in an area where it's safe.

spiritdogs

Posted : 11/18/2006 8:41:46 AM

By the way, I notice she's on a choke - and it doesn't seem to be helping you avoid her pulling. Try an Easy Walk Harness. I think you, and she, will be happier.
www.premierpet.com

Lyndal Daly

Posted : 11/18/2006 10:22:42 AM

ORIGINAL: acesmom

Also, I am sure you are already keeping an eye on this, but since you know your dog digs, make sure to check around the edges of your yard pretty frequently to make sure she's not close to escaping.

Yes, i check that regularly. Our biggest danger around the fenceline is the toddler over the back who tries to climb into our yard. Chani would love that but i'm not sure his parents would approve of him being licked and jumped on. That's a problem for another forum.

Thanks for the advice.

Lyndal Daly

Posted : 11/18/2006 10:35:26 AM

ORIGINAL: alisiaj78
(try burying some treats or toys for the dog to find) and/or deterrents for digging in the wrong spot (I know a lot of people here don't like deterrants, but I find a squirt bottle works well), you will probably see results in only a couple weeks.

I've been using a squirt bottle to deter her from jumping up and scratching the paint on the back door. Would it work for two different behaviors (jumping up and digging)?

Lyndal Daly

Posted : 11/18/2006 10:45:08 AM

ORIGINAL: Katran

First of all, I love Chani's name. Not a Dune fan by any chance are you? []

Secondly, I've had two diggers and never did get them to quit digging, but I found that they dug mostly in areas of the yard that tended to get the most moisture, such as under a tree or where the runoff from the A/C dripped into the yard. I thought maybe they were just trying to keep cool in the summer, but I noticed that they did it year round.

Have you noticed this with your dog? If so, what I did might help you out. I did what others mentioned, which was to create a "designated" digging spot, which I kept a bit moist. It worked for my dogs (mostly anyway, though they did sometimes dig in other places).

Yes, Chani is a little Fremen. Her first puppy photos, before she was named, showed her with bright blue eyes from the camera flash, so the choice of name was obvious to Dune fans [

]

As for where she is digging.... it's where a swimming pool was situated and is the only grass-free area of the yard, but if we stop her digging there she sometimes digs in the lawn and uproots the grass. Maybe we will have to allow her to keep digging in her favorite spot after all.

Thank you to everybody for your advice. The consensus seems to be that she should have a designated spot, so maybe it's the old swimming pool area by default.

Alisia Jezierny

Posted : 11/21/2006 12:02:31 PM

ORIGINAL: lyndal

I've been using a squirt bottle to deter her from jumping up and scratching the paint on the back door. Would it work for two different behaviors (jumping up and digging)?

I find that it works with almost anything I don't want my dog to do. You may be able to solve the digging problem with simple redirection, but my dog is quite stubborn :-)

The squirt bottle gets my dog's attention very quickly and she'll stop whatever she's doing immediately, which makes the redirection easier (if I don't get her to stop digging in the non-approved spot first, she struggles when I try to move her to her approved spot). But, of course, every dog is different, so you'll have to see what works best for you.