Wont Stop Barking And Digging

[bret]

Hi all

been a while since i have posted, been really busy. Maiya and her sister are about 8 months old now and they are starting to use their voices a lot more.

more so at night. They will bark at anything, the tree moving, the wind blowing you name it they bark at it. My g/f tied them up last night next to their bed, and that seemed to work, apparently there wasn't a peep out of them. But i don't want to have to tie them up every night just so we don't disturb the neighbours.

talking about neighbours, they are also in touch with their grave robbing side. They have successfully dug at leas 6 holes in the fence on the left. we have borded it up now and put rocks there so they don't get under, but i am wondering how we can stop them from digging under the fence?

is it a sign that they might be a little bored, not getting enough stimulation etc?

any help would be great.

Bret

[Nekhbet]

maybe crate train them so they can sleep inside at night. Safer then tethering, I would NEVER tether a pup where you cant see it. You will wake up to a strangled animal.

Play with them more, give them a good work out. A tired dog is a quiet dog :rolleyes:

Definately get them more toys, a sand pit with food buried in it, big bones to chew on and dont give them breakfast. They are a breed made to work adn if you dont give them something to do they will make thier own fun. Maybe a strip of electric fence near the bottom of your fence will deter them from digging, but start putting poo in their holes and around where they dig. Few dogs will dig through their own waste.

[bret]

maybe crate train them so they can sleep inside at night.

I keep reading about crate training, i have a question though, if she is in the crate for the night, what happens if she has to go to the toilet during hte middle of the night? also, can i get some info on the best way to start crate training her?

Definately get them more toys, a sand pit with food buried in it, big bones to chew on and dont give them breakfast.

funny you say that, i took your advice, after we moved the movie set we were building, the grass all turned to dirt, which is where they dig. I went out and bought them a clam shell bath/sandpit, but it is a xmas pressie, they have to open it up on xmas day :rolleyes:

i am trying to hide her puppy kong when we go out so she is looking for something, tyring to stimulate her mind, yesterday though, i think she gave up, she knew where it was, but didn't try to work out how to get it. I made it a little simpler and she finally got it, so i will keep doing that. I also want to get a puzzle ball, that she has to work out how to get the food out of. any other suggestions on toys that would be good for her? the ones she has now she has destroyed. bones are great, she loves those and will chomp for quite a while.

but start putting poo in their holes and around where they dig. Few dogs will dig through their own waste.

this idea i like, i have plenty of poop to put in the dirt around it.

cheers for your help

bret :rolleyes:

[♪♫LMBC♫♪]

Border collies are really just fluffy balls of endless energy. You need to try to remove as much of this energy as possible during the day. At 8 months old, I assume they are fully vaccinated? This means that thy can now enjoy the pleasures of exercise outside their home. Lets face it, the same old sights and smells every day can get kind of boring.

If you havent already, start leash training them so that they can go outside for walkies, and try to take them whenever you can. My border will happily do two long walks a day (He comes with me in the morning, and with mum and dad after work) and he's still full of go after all that. This is a plus for you too, as it gives you the oppurtunity to exercise too.

Try teaching them to fetch. Get a few cheap tennis balls and keep them specially for this purpose so they don;t get destroyed to quickly. You can also get one of those ball throwing thingys...does anyone know what they call them? You use it to pick up and throw the ball so you don't have to touch it when its all slobery.

If your yard isn't big enough for fetch, try a leash free dog park or beach, but before you take your pups to one of these, it is essential that they will come when they are called, and you should be constantly supervising.

As for the crate training;

each dog should have her own crate. A crate is a special place for the dog to go to play by herself, and sleep an privacy. There are many different kinds but my personal preference is a wire crate which can be folded up for travel purposes. The crate should be big enough so that they can turn around, sit, stand and lie down comfotably. Keep in mind what the adult sze will be when puchasing a crate.

When setting up the crate, choose an area of th ehouse where pup can be with the family, but make sure its not going to be in the way. It shoudl be lined with comfortable bedding and contain fresh water and a few toys.

Once you have the crate, get the puppy familiar with it by letting them look and sniff at it, and if they seem reluctant to go inside, try bribing them with toys or treats. Once pup is happy and comfortable going inside the crate, start confining her for short periods. Start out doing this while you are still in the room. Eventually you can extend the time you leave her there to include periods alone without anyone around. Once they are happy being in the crate, they should be able to spend the night inside without too much fuss.

If she needs to go to the toilet, she probably won't want to do it in the crate, as dogs are generally clean and don;'t like to go to the toilet in the same place they eat or sleep. If she really needs to go and she can't hold it, she will porbably let you know, If she has been sleeping overnight in the crate without whining, then any noise could be an indication that she needs to go out. Let her out of the crate, take her outside, adn once she's done, put her straight back in the crate. This way, she will learn that whinging in the night isn;t going to result in her being let out to play, only to go pee.

Edited December 23, 2006 by pitty_lover

[Nekhbet]

with the crates, dont lock them up too close to meal times and limit water (unless its really hot) a pup at that age should be able to hang on for about 6hrs. Give them one last chance before lock up and leave them in there.

If you have been letting them dig the lawn they cant differentiate between good patch of dirt and digging under the fence. To dogs its all the same, they dont think as complicated as we do. Put something like sand in the clam shell so they definately know its a good place, it will feel and smell different. Kongs are great, one each shoudl keep them excited. Keep up with the bones, the pups are nearly old enough to start going on longer walks. Remember give her an incentive to look for the kong. Cram with kibble and some mince then give her a half breakfast. Spread some kibble around the hidden kong so she has to look for it and then spend time extracting the rest of her food. If she's eaten a big meal she'll just want to lie down then zoomie about for a while ;) I bought my two some big rope toys too, they can play tug of war with each other. I also tied one tug toy to the roof of their pen so it swings about. I know Aussie Dog has a ball with a little metal ball inside so it rattles but its really indestructable.

Edited December 24, 2006 by Nekhbet

[indi_dog]

Sounds just like my BC Indi ;) She's just a bit over a year now.

RAAA!

She LOVES to bark, and she gets into everything. I find taking her for two walks a day, for at least an hour, helps settle her down. Plus lots of toys (like treat balls, and bottles hanging from the tree that she can kick about) really help too.

Those bungee toys that you hang from the tree made by Aussie Dog Toys are fantastic too!

[wheres my rock]

exercise and training

a tire puppy is a happy puppy bcs need lots of mental stimulation toys are great but learning to work for you is much better we find ten minutes of training is like a walk around the block teach them some tricks agiity anything to make them use their brain and work with you

[bret]

Thanks everyone, your reply's have been very helpful

I also have a laundry which is just on the back door. I was thinking of utilising this as her "maiya's" sleeping place. I have 2 nights off in a row so i will be able home and monitor how she is going. i have also started her training back up, with the bond building and having fun. we have been playing fetch for a while, but she thinkgs it is funny to drop the ball 5 feet away from me and make me get it. or when she is getting tired she will run to the ball pick it up and drop it there, making me walk at least 100 yards to the ball. i have introduced her to the frisbee. She will catch it when i am 3 feet away and throw it to her, and she will chase it when i throw it farther, she hasn't quite gotten the concept that i would love for her to catch it when i throw it far, but that is just going to come with time.

i am just sourcing cage prices now and sizes, but until then i will try out the laundry.

as for the toys and stuff, i give her a plastic bottle with kibble in it, and a small hole, she loves that game,but in the end the other dog comes along and they both end up just destroying the bottle and i have to start all over again.

sand in the shell hey? i will try that. as for the kong i have one of those too. i freeze it with peanut butter, low fat cream cheese, and kibble, then i hide it. at the moment she is still only on the basic find, i hid it under a bucket, which was under a cardboard box, and had 2 pieces of wood on it. she found it, but gave up because she couldn't work out how to get to it. i guess that will come with time too.

cheers

bret

[poodlefan]

How much exercise and obedience training are these dogs getting? Barking and digging are often classic signs of boredom/lack of stimulation.

You own a breed of dog selectively bred for its intelligence and ability to work all day - how much time are you spending training and walking them?

[bret]

at this stage as much as i can. we do 3 10-15 minute training sessions, and when we go for a walk, we usually go to the park, or to the lake, if we go to the lake, it is across the road, and we play fetch and swim for at leas 30-40 minutes, then walk home, if we go to the park, it is a 10 minute walk there, fetch for 30-40 minutes, sniff around, (don't swim in that lake any more, bull sharks like to eat live things) then we walk home.

i am trying to do much, currently my job isn't allowing me the time, soon though i will be able to work less and play more...

ps, if we go to the beach, we play in the waves for at least 40 min to an hour.

[wheres my rock]

add some trick training fast moving sessions coverine four or five things but move from one to the next quickly and delibrately play games at home like hide and seek. Welcome to the jys of bcs they are generaly very active dogs

[Seita]

In regards to crate training and toileting, I also have an 8mo bc pup and she is perfectly able to hold on all night without needing to go... it may take a bit of training to get your pup up to this but it is do-able. Also on this, if you haven't already, a good command to teach is the 'toilet' command, so that instead of standing outside for ages till the puppy goes you just give the command, she goes and off to bed nice and quick - this will also take a bit of training but I personally think its a fantastic thing to have! :D