Digging

[Border Lover]

Hi guys,

My Border Collie pup is 4 1/2 months old. He has a fetish with digging. I have tried a lot of tips, but nothing seems to work. I exercise him with hour walks twice a day, he has heaps and heaps of toys, a digging pit that I bury things in, but he doenst like it. I put bricks in the holes where he digs, but he pushes them aside, he seems to like it better with a brick. (hehe) I tried faeces in the holes and citronella. He digs all the time, whether I'm home or not. I catch him in the act often and dicipline him, he seems to know he is doing the wrong thing, I lock him up for time out for a while, but as soon as I let him out he's back to digging. I train him often, with everything else he is very well behaved. With any thing else, if I discipline him he stops straight away. There are some dogs next door, and often the holes are along the fence line, maybe he is trying to get to them???? But I cant really keep him away from that side of the fence. Does anyone have ANY other suggestions. PLEASE HELP, my garden needs me.

Thanks guys

[Nekhbet]

whoah 2 hourlong walks a day is too much exercise for a puppy that young. Half an hour at a time at the absolute max!

You sound like you are giving him enough time and toys. He has found that digging is a very self satisfying and rewarding past time. Where do you lock him up? If there are sections of garden that you really value then fence them with chicken wire and star pickets, bend the bottom of the fence 90 degrees out toward where he will be and bury it with bricks on top. He can try and dig but will hit wire. Leave him with no option but to play with what he has. Also have you tried treat balls? Things like Kongs and leaving him beg meaty bones but cutting down his breakfast so he spends more time picking food from the toys.

[Border Lover]

Thanks for that. I have tried fencing the areas off with trellace, but he just manages to pull it over or push through it. I will definitely try the chicken wire, even if I put it in the bottom of the holes it might work. I have tried a kong, but he isnt interested. I will try and not give him breakfast and then see if the kong occupies him.

So how much exercise is too much??? He doesnt tire, and after an hour walk, he goes straight in the yard and runs around for ages! I dont want to over do it, would it be damaging his joints or anything?

[Kelpie-i]

Hi Border Lover, it's about exercising the brain more than the braun. Providing your pup with stimulating activities such as fetch games, obedience etc is more important at this stage rather than an hour long walk. I agree with Nekhbet, an hour is way too long for such a young pup.

Is she digging in the same spot or is it anywhere? Is it near trees/plants or has she seen you plant these things recently??

[Border Lover]

Ok thanks

I train him daily for about 10minutes, and he starts an obedience course in February. He has been to puppy school for the socialisation. I was told by my vet not to play fetch games because they are really bad as they are growing. He said ball chasing etc can damage their bones and is a common cause of cruciate ruptures in dogs?

He digs in a few different spots in the garden, but never in the lawn. There is one area he persists with which is near the fence, and I wonder if he is trying to get to the dogs on the other side? He cant see them through the fence, but they bark a lot and he can hear them.

I also take him to a dog park, but dont want to let him off the lead yet to run, as I'm scared he wont come back. I am working on the "Come", but am a bit worried. Do you think I should let him off to run??

[Nekhbet]

buy yourself a horse lunge lead from a saddlery, they're strong and cheap! Attach it to a FLAT COLLAR never to a check chain or martingale and let him roam around on that. If there is trouble or he ignores you you can reel him in.

you can play light fetch, dont make him tear around like a lunatic (easier said then donw I know) but start teaching him tricks too. The dog doesnt have to run around to get stimulation his brain needs the exercise! Teach him to roll over, shake hands, bark on command, weave inbetween your legs etc etc. Border Collies need a lot of mental stimulation.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

We have separate issues here. Firstly, you have a working breed, and a very intelligent breed at that. So, you need to take that into account when managing his behaviours. Secondly, you have a pup that has a very good reward for something that you would rather stop: digging is the dog's reward here. It's satisfying for many dogs to feel the dirt under their paws and to dig a nice hole for whatever purpose...but this dog is digging adjacent to where other dogs are kept, so that's a clue...he perhaps wants their company.

So, how to manage? Some suggestions in no particular order, for the working element of this dog's background:

1. Brain work - that is, obedience training, tricks, completing complex puzzles, working for his food. Obedience sessions of 10 minutes each, three to four times per day, will tire his brain somewhat, leading to a calmer dog overall. Tricks are fun for both of you. Complex puzzles including Buster Cubes and Kongs...you need to ensure the dog is not getting a separate breakfast before you give him a food puzzle to solve. Complex puzzles can also include tunnels to get through, sandpits to find objects within, see-saw to climb over, and food trails to find and finish (tracking). Working for his food includes use of food treat toys where he has to complete a game to receive food, and also making this more difficult by suspending the food toy above his head - - - just slightly out of reach, so he has to WORK long and hard for the food. It also means that you train him using part of his meal...and you can freeze chicken parts into a Kong so that he has to work hard for it. ***When using food as part of his training and stimulation, it's important to reduce his daily rations of whatever you are feeding him. Also ensure he's got an empty (willing) stomach before deploying any of the food inducements/activities.

2. Manage the environment. This dog is obviously getting a pay-off for digging. He's also digging adjacent to other dogs. So, you need to remove him from the other dogs' area. Fence off that section of your yard. Use a close-mesh wire mesh with a heavy gauge so that he can't chew through it. When fencing off, ensure the wire mesh extends from the bottom of the fence inwards to a depth of at least 2-3 feet, and anchor the mesh into the ground - this means he can't dig up to or under the secondary fence. Make his digging spot more interesting and inviting. Change what you bury there from day to day...include some very stinky (high value) items such as cabanossi or raw liver...this will get his attention and reward him for digging in the preferred place. IF you catch him digging elsewhere, a verbal reprimand is obviously not enough. Get yourself one of those big water guns that kids love and give him a good squirt if you can catch him digging where he shouldn't be digging. Do this along with a verbal reprimand such as "No dig!"...this should work, and combining that with redirecting him to his digging spoit immediately and saying, "Dig here!" will reinforce his acceptable places to dig.

3. Find appropriate doggie playmates and have regular play dates. If the neighbour's dogs are sociable and you are all agreeable, arrange for your pup and their dogs to have play sessions on neutral ground. At the very least, introduce your pup to the dogs so that he's acquainted with them. It could be he's simply curious to meet them and once this has been done, his interest may wane.

I hope these ideas are of help. Congrats on choosing a great breed, and please keep us posted. And pics would be nice!

[daz]

Hi guys,

My Border Collie pup is 4 1/2 months old. He has a fetish with digging. I have tried a lot of tips, but nothing seems to work. I exercise him with hour walks twice a day, he has heaps and heaps of toys, a digging pit that I bury things in, but he doenst like it. I put bricks in the holes where he digs, but he pushes them aside, he seems to like it better with a brick. (hehe) I tried faeces in the holes and citronella. He digs all the time, whether I'm home or not. I catch him in the act often and dicipline him, he seems to know he is doing the wrong thing, I lock him up for time out for a while, but as soon as I let him out he's back to digging. I train him often, with everything else he is very well behaved. With any thing else, if I discipline him he stops straight away. There are some dogs next door, and often the holes are along the fence line, maybe he is trying to get to them???? But I cant really keep him away from that side of the fence. Does anyone have ANY other suggestions. PLEASE HELP, my garden needs me.

Thanks guys

Try burying a fully blown up balloon in the hole where he digs. If it bursts when he digs, it should scare the hell out of him and the habbit.

If that does not work, place some rigid mesh over the area and peg it down firmly until he gives up digging in that area.

[Border Lover]

Thanks every one for your advice. I'm going to get stuck in this weekend and dig some mesh into the area he digs.

With his digging pit that I have made, should I have sand or dirt in it?? I have sand in it, and no matter what I put in it, he's not interested. Should I fill it with dirt or is this too similar to the garden?

I have started not giving him breakfast and giving him a kong instead, I guess it is occupying him for a little while!

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Sand is preferable b/c dirt will confuse the dog - he needs to see a clear difference between the two areas.

You need really high value things in the sandpit. That's why I suggested cabanossi or raw liver. And he needs to be hungry! A pup will only work for food if he's really hungry IMO. Once he's hooked on his kong, and that probably won't take long, you can work at burying it in the sandpit...he'll dig it up in no time!

I think you probably need to look at addressing his access to the fence too. See how it goes for now...but you may need to build a secondary fence at some point.