I Feel Like Killing My Dog

[Gayle.]

Can I suggest something completely different? Maybe for when you're feeling better which I hope is very soon.

Could you take the dog on the grass and play with her, give her treats and generally have a fabulous time as long as she is NOT digging. As soon as she looks likely to start, remove her and remove the good times.

If you do it often enough, it might work. Might not either but it'll be a lot nicer for her than screaming at her and pushing her on the ground.

I have a dog that lovesxto dig in sand. He just adores it but thank goodness he doesn't care for digging in the garden.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

I'm not sure wthat would happen to my poor dog if I tried that on her, but I sure as hell don't want to find out.

BTW a pack leader- and by this i assume you mean like the alpha in a wolf pack, would not start a full on agressive confrontation to discipline a pack member.

For a dog in the highest social position all that would be needed would be a look or possibly a warning growl.

that is all i need to do to my dog, seriously, i give her the evil eye and she stops what she is doing...and whilst she is "softish" she isnt scared, she is confident but if i used harsh punishments on her i would see myself as abusing her

[poodlefan]

SSM:

Most people I know with dogs have a back yard that looks like a moonscape/dusty tundra/junk yard.

Or in my case, like a crime scene. There are plush toy animals strewn from one end to the other.

[sas]

Please note that I also have a piece of paper that says I am also qualified (Gov. Reg.) to tell you how to train and educate a dog.

One does not get to this level without knowledge how to train.

I use the Kohler method.

By running toward the dog = gesture of attack= by loud noises = dogs dislike loud harsh noises.

These are things that dogs dislike, so we use them to train them not to do certain things by using them.

Dogs dislike manhandling = we use this sense to deter the dog.

One always tries to get the dog to blame themselves not the handler.

Dogs associate one thing with another. So if you can get the dog to blame selves = bad experience from digging such as a zap they believe they caused the

problem by digging and soon learn to stop.

Don't believe me.......I don't care in the least. But I am, telling you the truth.

Other training methods also work.

All roads lead to Rome.

Your piece of paper means nothing to me when you advocate what you do....it's dangerous.

Maybe leave the ego behind and learn something new?

What exactly is your piece of paper and when did you get it?

Edited August 27, 2010 by sas

[Gayle.]

SSM:

Most people I know with dogs have a back yard that looks like a moonscape/dusty tundra/junk yard.

Or in my case, like a crime scene. There are plush toy animals strewn from one end to the other.

Yeah, that'll be my place. Little dead bodies of teddies, flattened ducks, headless rubber chooks all over the yard. But I have to admit for having three active dogs, our garden is surprisingly nice and aside from a few broken plants due to zoomies, they leave things pretty well alone. Puppy loves the fishpond though so my plans to fill it with fish are on hold.

[indigirl]

Regardless of whether it solves the diggin or not, she needs exercise every day. Imagine not getting of your house for 1 week? It would send you mental too.

Unless I can take a toilet with me, leaving the house to go anywhere is not an option. Ive been off work all week with this bloody gastro bug, its really nasty. Don't you think I would have loved to be able to take the dogs for a run everyday? Im climbing the walls here. Telling me I need to exercise her every day and imagine how the dog must feel jsut makes me want to slap you. YOU try being this friggin sick and living in your loo and then see if you could walk your dogs every day.

To others who have made suggestions thank you. She may need more exercise than shes getting. I will up the exercise when Ive recovered and see if it helps.

She spends the day while Im at work in a concreted run which is roughly 5m x 12m plus it includes half the back verandah, my kelpie X and staghound X are also in the run with her. However if she needs to go out at night i just let her out the back and I stand near the back door and watch her. The problem last night was that I felt too crappy to stand and watch her in the freezing cold wind so i went and lay on the couch. I must have dozed off cos i woke up with a start and raced to the back door - and it was too late shed already been digging. I am so tired of throwing so much money at fixing the lawn.

I cant jsut leave her to dig and live with the mess, ive tried that. She kept digging up my water pipes! That meant 24hrs - 48hrs with no water plus several hundred dollars each time to the plumber. She also digs straight down about 3 feet then will start to dig sideways - like a mine shaft. Hence my fear of the hole collapsing on top of her. She was actually underground and almost completely out of sight more than once when I found her. If 3ft of dirt collapsed on her I'm pretty sure it would kill her, can you imagine how much that would weigh?

Strangely enough her sandpit doesnt interest her at all these days? I have to admit dog boots and vicks has never crossed my mind. WHat if she got it i her eyes? that would be my fear.

I guess its possible there may be some anxiety in it, but I cant believe shes digging cos shes anxious about being in the back yard. This is a happy confident dog (unless there is a storm). Not sure how i would test to see if its anxiety related? any ideas? I think digging is like her heroin.. she adores it.. gets some kind of endrorphine rush from it or something.

I used to have weldmesh laid over most of the lawn so she couldn't dig it. But I worried about my iggie's feet on it, they avoided the weldmesh and stayed on the back verandah and on the pavers. The yard is the only place the iggie's can run free as there's no fenced dog park here. Being sighthounds you jsut cant risk letting them off lead. So i removed the weldmesh so they could run around again.

I have seriously considered laying fake lawn but fear she would dig holes in it trying to get to the dirt beneath. The only solution -when I can afford it - that ive come up with is to have a deck built over the larger stretch of lawn. A deck wouldnt heat the place up and the iggies can still run on it. But im a long way off being able to afford that, plus it still leaves me with the problem of the smaller strip of lawn. To give you an idea of size, smaller strip is around 11m x 3m. larger strip is around 16m x 5m.

Anyone have any ideas what i can do with the smaller strip of lawn? It needs to be dig proof, not too hard on the iggie's feet, not terribly ugly, and not something that will heat up too much in summer and be too hot to walk on. We get 40deg+ for weeks at a time here in summer.

Ok i just got back out of bed. i forgot to press the Add Reply button lol. Ok i LOVE the idea of the open concrete pavers.. someone PLEASE show me these I will walk over hot coals to buy some!!

Umm the alpha roll think sounds exactly like the what the dickheads who run the local dog obedience would do. Brute force isnt my thing sorry! I cant imagine how the dog would react. Either be absolutly terrified or think it was the best game ever. If that what it takes to get 'respect' from my dog (will she still respect me in the morning? hehe) then I will stick with disrespect. I appreciate that you think this alpha thing is the way to go. Those who us who aren't obedience gurus and who actually want to teach our dogs to learn - not just get the desired behaviour through fear.. are not into that kind of thing. Ive seen how the local dickhead "Im the Head coach" treats dogs. Two weeks ago a dog he was handling growled at another dog he swung the dog off the ground and held it in the air while it was wearing a check chain!! He swore at the dog and threatened it for maybe 10 seconds .. when the dog finally got its feet back on the ground it was cringing and terrified. Did it growl at another dog? No. But that to me is NOT training. Thats cruel and abusive. This is the head trainer mind you. I spoke up against what he did and omg they went for me. I told them it was abusive.. he got very verbally aggressive to me then LOL. Stupid prick. So I have ZERO faith in anyone who thinks they know how to train a dog just because they are an obedience instructor. Sorry. I have no need to have a power trip over my dog.

I will diligently exercise her o the point of exhaustion but $100 says she will still dig the moment my back is turned. Anyone wanna take a bet?

[poodlefan]

I will diligently exercise her o the point of exhaustion but $100 says she will still dig the moment my back is turned. Anyone wanna take a bet?

Nope but I hope she doesn't.

Ok i just got back out of bed. i forgot to press the Add Reply button lol. Ok i LOVE the idea of the open concrete pavers.. someone PLEASE show me these I will walk over hot coals to buy some!!

Here's !! one kind. They cost about $30 a square metre.

Edited August 27, 2010 by poodlefan

[indigirl]

I will diligently exercise her o the point of exhaustion but $100 says she will still dig the moment my back is turned. Anyone wanna take a bet?

Nope but I hope she doesn't.

Me too bloody cow of a dog lol

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

Regardless of whether it solves the diggin or not, she needs exercise every day. Imagine not getting of your house for 1 week? It would send you mental too.

Unless I can take a toilet with me, leaving the house to go anywhere is not an option. Ive been off work all week with this bloody gastro bug, its really nasty. Don't you think I would have loved to be able to take the dogs for a run everyday? Im climbing the walls here. Telling me I need to exercise her every day and imagine how the dog must feel jsut makes me want to slap you. YOU try being this friggin sick and living in your loo and then see if you could walk your dogs every day.

To others who have made suggestions thank you. She may need more exercise than shes getting. I will up the exercise when Ive recovered and see if it helps.

She spends the day while Im at work in a concreted run which is roughly 5m x 12m plus it includes half the back verandah, my kelpie X and staghound X are also in the run with her. However if she needs to go out at night i just let her out the back and I stand near the back door and watch her. The problem last night was that I felt too crappy to stand and watch her in the freezing cold wind so i went and lay on the couch. I must have dozed off cos i woke up with a start and raced to the back door - and it was too late shed already been digging. I am so tired of throwing so much money at fixing the lawn.

I cant jsut leave her to dig and live with the mess, ive tried that. She kept digging up my water pipes! That meant 24hrs - 48hrs with no water plus several hundred dollars each time to the plumber. She also digs straight down about 3 feet then will start to dig sideways - like a mine shaft. Hence my fear of the hole collapsing on top of her. She was actually underground and almost completely out of sight more than once when I found her. If 3ft of dirt collapsed on her I'm pretty sure it would kill her, can you imagine how much that would weigh?

Strangely enough her sandpit doesnt interest her at all these days? I have to admit dog boots and vicks has never crossed my mind. WHat if she got it i her eyes? that would be my fear.

I guess its possible there may be some anxiety in it, but I cant believe shes digging cos shes anxious about being in the back yard. This is a happy confident dog (unless there is a storm). Not sure how i would test to see if its anxiety related? any ideas? I think digging is like her heroin.. she adores it.. gets some kind of endrorphine rush from it or something.

I used to have weldmesh laid over most of the lawn so she couldn't dig it. But I worried about my iggie's feet on it, they avoided the weldmesh and stayed on the back verandah and on the pavers. The yard is the only place the iggie's can run free as there's no fenced dog park here. Being sighthounds you jsut cant risk letting them off lead. So i removed the weldmesh so they could run around again.

I have seriously considered laying fake lawn but fear she would dig holes in it trying to get to the dirt beneath. The only solution -when I can afford it - that ive come up with is to have a deck built over the larger stretch of lawn. A deck wouldnt heat the place up and the iggies can still run on it. But im a long way off being able to afford that, plus it still leaves me with the problem of the smaller strip of lawn. To give you an idea of size, smaller strip is around 11m x 3m. larger strip is around 16m x 5m.

Anyone have any ideas what i can do with the smaller strip of lawn? It needs to be dig proof, not too hard on the iggie's feet, not terribly ugly, and not something that will heat up too much in summer and be too hot to walk on. We get 40deg+ for weeks at a time here in summer.

Ok i just got back out of bed. i forgot to press the Add Reply button lol. Ok i LOVE the idea of the open concrete pavers.. someone PLEASE show me these I will walk over hot coals to buy some!!

Umm the alpha roll think sounds exactly like the what the dickheads who run the local dog obedience would do. Brute force isnt my thing sorry! I cant imagine how the dog would react. Either be absolutly terrified or think it was the best game ever. If that what it takes to get 'respect' from my dog (will she still respect me in the morning? hehe) then I will stick with disrespect. I appreciate that you think this alpha thing is the way to go. Those who us who aren't obedience gurus and who actually want to teach our dogs to learn - not just get the desired behaviour through fear.. are not into that kind of thing. Ive seen how the local dickhead "Im the Head coach" treats dogs. Two weeks ago a dog he was handling growled at another dog he swung the dog off the ground and held it in the air while it was wearing a check chain!! He swore at the dog and threatened it for maybe 10 seconds .. when the dog finally got its feet back on the ground it was cringing and terrified. Did it growl at another dog? No. But that to me is NOT training. Thats cruel and abusive. This is the head trainer mind you. I spoke up against what he did and omg they went for me. I told them it was abusive.. he got very verbally aggressive to me then LOL. Stupid prick. So I have ZERO faith in anyone who thinks they know how to train a dog just because they are an obedience instructor. Sorry. I have no need to have a power trip over my dog.

I will diligently exercise her o the point of exhaustion but $100 says she will still dig the moment my back is turned. Anyone wanna take a bet?

i am more convinced you have lawn beetles and this is what is driving her nuts...here is some info

AFRICAN BLACK BEETLE

Heteronchus arator

(Click on picture for larger image)

INTRODUCTION

The Black Beetle attacks lawns and are frequently referred to as the Black Lawn Beetle. This beetle was first recorded in Australia during the 1920s and originates from Southern Africa where it is a major pest of the maize plant.

IDENTIFICATION

The adult African Black Beetle is shiny black and 10-13 cm long. The female lays her eggs in spring and take three weeks to hatch. The larvae (grub) grow up to 2.5 cm long and 6 mm wide. They have a white or cream coloured body with a hard brown head. They are often called 'curl grubs' because when they are resting they are C shaped. They have three pairs of legs on the thorax, a prominent brown head with black jaws. The abdomen is swollen; baggy and grey/blue-green, due to the food and soil they have eaten. (See photo above). The larvae, when fully grown, enters a short-lived pupal stage. It is when the beetle is in its larval stage that it does most of its damage, feeding on the roots of the lawn and emerging to the lawn surface and then burrowing down again leaving dirt mounds which cause surface irregularities in the lawn. The larvae are active from mid spring until late autumn, preferring soils that are well drained. Only one generation of African black beetle are produced each year. During the winter months they are very active feeding as they are non reproductive adult beetles. During spring the adults mate, lay eggs and increase in the moving activity of the beetles takes place. These adults die by the end of early summer.

The eggs incubate into grubs during late spring and summer and the adults and young lavae keep together. The beetle larvae feed on organic matter in the soil during the early stages and plant roots as they develop. The larval stage is present from mid spring to late summer and then they change into pupae. A new generation of adults start to emerge from mid summer to early autumn. Adults feed wherever they are but more in summer months as the young adults emergence. Adults may undertake mass flights on warm sultry nights in late summer/autumn. Their light activity also occurs in spring, but numbers of beetles involved is much less.

CONTROL

October can be a critical month for lawns when an infestation of grubs, beetles etc, begin to hatch.

Use Lawn Beetle Blitz or a safe product such as Lawn Grub Killer to control these pests and this product will also kill ants, African Black Beetle, Earwigs, Millipedes, Slaters and many more.

A very easy way of checking if grubs are eating your lawn, is if the dead grass comes away easy as you try and pull it up. This is usually a good indication that something is chewing away below the ground. Additionally, if birds are flocking to your lawn, it is also an indication that something is happening below the lawn turf at the root level.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Jaxx'sBuddy

[Marion 01]

I'm afraid Indigirl that you have one of those dogs who just loves to dig, regardless of whether they are bored or not, mine are the same. I have booby traps all over my yard from about 6 of my dogs and am fearful that one day I am going to break an ankle or such, as they have dug under the clothes line and right the other side of the gate on the side of the house where we park the car, which means when coming home from grocery shopping all loaded up it's nothing to go down a foot into the ground and then up the other side, nothing but nothing stops them digging, and if the holes get filled in again they make sure that it doesn't stay filled in for long. I gave up going crook at them and telling them to stop it a long time ago when I realised that it's going to happen regardless. They know I will still love them no matter what.

Marion01

[indigirl]

Thanks for the tip I will go pull the lawn and see if it comes up easily.

Re: flocking birds - I have 8 dogs I dont think any bird is THAT stupid/brave lol

[poodlefan]

I will diligently exercise her o the point of exhaustion but $100 says she will still dig the moment my back is turned. Anyone wanna take a bet?

Nope but I hope she doesn't.

Me too bloody cow of a dog lol

ooh check my edit to the previous post. I found one sort of grass pavers.

Here's another. I think concrete would be better though. Apparently they are called permeable pavers.

Edited August 27, 2010 by poodlefan

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

Thanks for the tip I will go pull the lawn and see if it comes up easily.

Re: flocking birds - I have 8 dogs I dont think any bird is THAT stupid/brave lol

[indigirl]

Oooh Bodpave may be the answer!! It would have to really lock together tho or she will dig one up hmmmm They seem to just lay side by side.. wonder if anyone makes one that is locked into the ones around it?? This is a dog who ripped thru two layers of dog wire with a loan of compacted road base between the layers of wire and another load of compacted road base over the top. She ripped thru it like it wasnt even there. I dont know how she doesnt damage her paws but she doesnt.

[Ons]

I will diligently exercise her o the point of exhaustion but $100 says she will still dig the moment my back is turned. Anyone wanna take a bet?

Nope but I hope she doesn't.

Me too bloody cow of a dog lol

I think some dogs even if you do get them to the point of exhaustion just like digging.

The only thing that worked for me, and i must admit mine are really not that bad, they just loved digging up trees which I was desperately trying to grow to provide shade for them was to put an electric thunderbolt fence up the garden, don't know if that is practicable for your grass.

and I do hope you feel better, I must admit I did have a bit of a laugh with the image of you trying to walk your dog in the town you live in carrying a toilet

[poodlefan]

I think its a bit like barking, fence jumping etc.

It's self rewarding behaviour. If its getting to the point of obsession, maybe a thyroid panel is in order?? Golden Retrievers can have these issues.

[indigirl]

portaloo on wheels maybe? lol I could sit on it and push with my legs, that way im 'in position and ready for action' so to speak

Gastro is so undignified. ugh.

ETA: She's had her thyroid checked. No problems there. I have to say they must have taken the blood for the thyroid test from deep within. The scab took a week to fully heal. I almost had a seizure at the cost gawd.

Edited August 27, 2010 by indigirl

[Gayle.]

Maybe hire her out to a fencing contractor. You could make good money out of your four-footed, waggy tailed

post hole digger.

[Nekhbet]

she wont get the vicks in her eyes, the smell will stop her putting her face anywhere near it, or deep heat/crib stop. Its just so she doesnt use her teeth to remove them. She sounds like digging is just her thing and stopping her would definately be for her safety

[Aidan]

Maybe hire her out to a fencing contractor. You could make good money out of your four-footed, waggy tailed

post hole digger.

Hehe, you say that in jest, but I actually used to get my Golden to dig up weedy garden beds when he was a pup.

I've just been looking at the massive array of permeable pavers available these days, I was thinking of the old concrete style ones that have been around for years, but this one (Netpave 25) locks together and it says it can be laid over existing lawn which would be a massive advantage:

http://www.strathayr.com.au/html/home/car_parking.htm