Puppy Gardening

[Ruffwood]

Hi Yall, I really could use a hand here. My puppy " Snuggles" has taken the back yard apart. She is not bored, I take her to the beach and park everyday ( even in the rain ) and she swims every day and is very active, in fact I would say she is the fittest, leanest Rottie we have ever had but I just can't seem to get her out of digging.

To be honest, my husband reckons it all started when I fertilised the lawn area ( that used to be!!) with blood and bone...without thinking...

Am I overfeeding her? every time I give her a bone or something that requires a bit of attention, she looks for somewhere to hide it for 'later' A neighbour suggested not to give her any bones at all any suggestions would be most welcome

I have taken to standing 'guard' when I feed her so she won't take the food ( either chicken wings or lamb leg ends for example) and bury it.

[oakway]

Sounds like a rather normal healthy dog to me.

She digs because she enjoys it. It's fun to her,

and who is going top her if she does it, if you are

away working. So it's good fun, and nobody tells

her, it's not the thing to do. I would suggest that

when you are home and see this behavior, severely

reprimand her for digging. Dogs work on two things,

what's pleasing and what's displeasing. If you can, try

and make the dog blame itself all the better. If you

catch the dog digging maybe you could purchase a cap

gun and fire it. (I use this method because my dogs

don't like loud noises) Lets put it this way, they don't go

down to that corner and bark at the cows any more.

All they know is, if they try to, that loud nose will

come and get them.

[Poodle wrangler]

Yep, blame yourself, not the dog if you've put blood and bone all over the place .

Some people get those "clam shell" pools (designed for kids) and fill half with sand, then hide treats in there for dog to find. Dog can still dig, but does no harm to garden is the theory. Dog will love water in the other half when it's hot weather.

Bones are great for dog's teeth and pups love to chew. Can you confine her to a smaller area when she has a bone (if you don't want it buried)? You could try giving the wings etc. first, so they're gobbled up, then give other food (?kibble).

Are you overfeeding? Be guided by pup's weight- you should be able to see a "waist" (narrowing b4 hips), feel the ribs easily, but not see the backbones sticking out. It's better for growing bones for pups to stay lean.

Park and beach every day? On or off-leash? Most breeders advise not to overexercise a large breed, either.

[The Spotted Devil]

Not sure how old your puppy is, but I would suggest (in addition to what's already been mentioned) that it is all very well to exercise the body (and I would be very careful about over-exercising) but you need to exercise your puppy's brain a lot more.....training classes, clicker work, hunting for toys, scatter feeding/using a treat ball are all things that have worked wonders for my boy. Try hiding the chicken wings inside sealed boxes (as many as you like inside each other - lose any staples and seal with tape) so puppy has to rip the boxes up to get to the food. With a very "busy" pup, even a short walk to the local shopping strip to practice some obedience work or learning to sit nicely at a cafe can tire them out mentally and much more quickly than a long walk. The difficult thing is the act of digging itself is so rewarding that if you only catch the dog in the act when you are home, the inconsistent reward schedule can make the behaviour even stronger. I never leave my pup in the back yard alone....he would probably do some serious damage if left to his own devices Perhaps you could consider a dog run with a clam shell full of sand plus lots of toys - it will save not only your garden but your sanity too. Good luck!