Digging

[bonnie22]

Hi there everyone, I need HELP. My wee dog is constantly digging up our garden. We are constantly scolding her but to no avail. Is there a solution to this problem? Can anyone give us any advice or help please. I'll be waiting anxiously for your replies, many many thanks,

Bonnie22

[poodlefan]

How much exercise does your puppy get outside your yard on a daily basis?

How often are you training her?

What breed is she?

[luvsdogs]

Give her a place of her own to dig, with treats & toys buried in the sand. Those plastic kiddy clam shells are quite often used.

[bonnie22]

Thank you for your advice. She is a Malteese x Corgi.

Bonnie22

[LuvMyCav]

When Charlie was a pup I tried a few different methods, the most successful until he eventually grew out of the behaviour, was to put his own poo into each hole as he dug them and cover it back over with dirt. We had a small garden though, so it was easy to maintain this method but if you have a big area, perhaps that wouldn't work so well? There was one area that he liked to dig up best so we laid down some of that plastic mesh and pinned it down with tent pegs.

I also tried a couple of different products that were supposed to deter digging but they didn't work (I've also heard of putting cayene pepper down). Another method was to shake a can of small stones every time he started digging but this meant I had to always watch him when he went outside and I had to remain hidden so that he didn't realise the noise was coming from me - this one worked for a little while.

In addition to this, we went for two walks a day and trained each day. If the digging is caused by boredom you might try giving pup some boredom buster type toys and I'd also think about the sandpit idea mentioned earlier.

Good luck with it, I hope the digging doesn't last for too long.

Edited August 30, 2010 by LuvMyCav

[bonnie22]

Thanks again, Bonnie22

[koalathebear]

I haven't gone through all the posts yet but if you do a search for digging, you get quite a few hits. See here. Hopefully something in there will be helpful for your situation

My puppy's deterred by dropping poop in the holes where we don't want him digging and he now mostly concentrates his digging to one section of the yard where digging is permitted. It's amazing how deep some of the holes can be!! Good luck!