Hot Diggety Dog

[PitbullMidwest]

Here's the scoop. We have a two year old golden lab/chinese pug mix who has recently taken to digging craters in the yard. He is on a 20' chain that slides on a 30' zip line so he has plenty of room to move around, has shelter and shade all day but for what ever reason feels the need to dig holes to lay in.

How do you break a dog of digging?

 

[bgott]

I hear a .30-30 does a good job... or you can try spraying household ammonia in the holes as he digs them. You have to stay with it, everytime he starts a hole, spray it. I have a Rott that loves to dig holes, the people that had her before me kept her on a chain with no shelter so she got in the habit of digging a home. I've heard that dogs will dig holes because they hear things tunnelling. I also think they dig to get to the cool dirt below the surface. They might also dig out of boredom. He might have watched you running around digging holes with your FEL and thought if you could do it he could too!

 

[gobbler]

We've got a Fox Terrier that is a amazing digging machine. He can dig a hole faster than any dog I've ever seen. It seems he hears things in the turf/soil. He cocks his head and seems to be listening, then goes to town. If we see this behavior, we've stopped him. It has helped over time, but you've got to be persistent. I asked the vet about this and he said that digging is what dogs do. DUH !!!.

If you get really frustrated I guess you could give <A target="_blank" HREF=http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/petpsychic/petpsychic.html/>this lady</A> a call . /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[PitbullMidwest]

<font color=blue>If you get really frustrated I guess you could give this lady a call . </font color=blue>

I'm surprised she hasn't called me, after all she knows I'm having problems.

bgott, I've heard of pouring bleach or ammonia were he is digging but am concerned about the dog, sense of smell is pretty important to a lab mix. An old farmer also suggested cayan pepper, gets worked into their paws and makes digging very unpleasant. But again I fear it might get into his nose.

 

[Ozarker]

My neighbor has a Terrier that is a Mole killing machine. The first time he saw the dog digging in my yard he ran over to stop the dog and apologize. I told him that he shouldn't stop that dog from doing his job and that it can dig up and kill all the moles he wants in my yard. I'll fill the holes.

I no longer have a mole problem.

 

[patrickg]

Get a breed that isn't a natural digger. Alternatively, spend a great portion of your life trying to train an instinct out of a dog. The 30-30 is effective but maybe too drastic for you. Amputate the front paws maybe?

Seriously, would declawing stop or at least slow them down a bunch?

Patrick

 

[gobbler]

Well, the little Fox Terrier we have has killed his share of moles also, but's it the digging up around the house and patio that we try to discourage. One benefit of the holes he has dug, it's precisely where we wanted to plant a tree or shrub. Just a little shovel work and viola, the perfect tree hole.

 

[Dozernut]

Get some chicken wire fence and lay it flat on the area the dog is digging in, preferably covered with dirt. The dog will not try to dig in the area with the wire fence and grass will grow through the fence. The fence will eventually break down and decompose.

 

[RobertN]

Put thier poop in the holes. They tend to not like to dig around thier own poop, plus you need to get rid of it anyways. It worked since we tried it, on the last four dogs, two of wich are with us still.

 

[PitbullMidwest]

Patrick,
The 30-30 is a bit too drastic, the dog was given to my 8 year old as a pup and he will not give him up. In general this dog is worthless.

He is afraid of everything and spends most of his day (when not digging) hiding from butterflies and other threats. He has never been beaten yet cowers at EVERYTHING. I've taken to calling him "Welfare" since he does not earn his keep, he destroys the housing that is provided and refuses to work - deterring strangers who happen onto the property (or at least acknowledge their presence). Fortunately our GSD takes up the slack on the home protection front.

The digging is just the latest frustration with this mutt.