Digging

[Ami]

Any suggestions on how to stop digging? I have, or had, a flower bed on the side of my house to which I cannot keep my dog out of. I have tried hot peppers, ground pepper, moth balls, and sour apple spray. Nothing works, he has demolished every plant and decoration I have put out!

[KOPsarah]

Hi Ami and thanks for your post,
Digging can be frustrating and difficult to deal with, however the ideas below should help you curb this behavior.

If you catch him being destructive

Three steps to take immediately:
-Alarm your dog with a squirt from a water pistol or by shaking a pebble filled can
-At the same time say a loud “No!” or “Bad” or utter a sharp growling sound like “Aaahhh.” Be stern and sincere every time so that the dog associates the harsh word with stopping the behavior
-Redirect your dog with a command. ‘Sit and stay’ is a very good choice. Praise your dog as soon as it responds correctly.

Some dogs however can be difficult to alarm. In this case the time-out method is best. Set up a time out spot such as a crate, kennel or quiet room. As soon as he is destructive calmly and silently remove him to the time-out spot for a 3-minute time out. To make the situation positive again when the 3 minutes is up let your dog come back out and ask him to sit, when she responds correctly praise.

Preventing destructive behaviours
First of all it is important that you remove anything from your yard that your dog could poison or injure itself with if it chews or gets into them. Then you can help prevent further damage by making things feel, taste or smell nasty. As you have already tried several smell and taste deterrents making the surface feel strange is probably the next one to try. Dogs generally don't like the feel of metals or rock surfaces. You can try putting mesh or metal over your gardens. You could lay it directly on top with gaps for plants to pop through or you can bury it just under the surface. Stones which are too large to swallow are also excellent for use in gardens and especially if they are heavy, may be enough to keep your dog out of your garden.


If your dog really enjoys digging you could also consider providing a small childrens sandpit as an alternative place to dig. You could bury favorite toys in the sandpit and praise your dog every time it digs or plays in it.

Keep your dog challenged
Keeping your dog mentally and physically challenged will greatly reduce behavior problems in dogs of all ages but especially in the high energy teens months. There are a number of ways to keep your dog challenged.

Regular daily obedience training is a good routine - just five minutes a day spent rehashing familiar commands with your dog is an extremely effective way of reinforcing your authority and dominance while also keeping your dog mentally challenged. Be sure to use praise and/or treat immediately whenever your dog does something right.

Regular exercise is also very effective at improving your dog’s behavior and it can be both mentally and physically challenging. Quite walks, while not particularly physically challenging keep your dog mentally stimulated especially if you vary the walking environment to include new and interesting places. Free running your dog at the park or jogging with your healthy dog on lead can provide a great energy burning opportunity. Alternatively you can train many dogs to run on treadmills which is especially useful if you have reduced mobility or limited time and have a high energy dog.

Finally toys are also an important source of mental stimulation for dogs and are very useful for keeping dogs entertained when owners are out. Try to build up a collection and rotate them so your dog does not get bored. Toys which can be stuffed with food and require the dog to work the food out slowly are especially valuable.

I hope these ideas help, let me know how you get on.

[RustyGallagher]

What is Rusty's behavior saying to us? He seems a little anxious when he does it. I am wondering what we could do to encourage him to stop. I'll try the steps you suggested above when it happens. So far, no holes in rug or any destructive behavior, just annoying.

Any insights & what would you suggest?

Best for now,
Mary Gallagher

visty Rusty's Blog:
Rusty's Blog

[KOPsarah]

Hi Mary,
Dogs tend to dig before lying down in order to make their bed more comfortable, for example when lying in a bean bag or basket with blankets dogs will often circle a few times and dig around a bit to make all the bedding into a comfy nest. Does your dog have some blankets somewhere to lie on? Offering him blankets and/or a basket should encourage him to dig in this instead of in your carpet.

regards,