How in thee world does a person keep their dogs from digging around the house and flower gardens?

Question

Ive used black pepper,ive hidden to try and catch them and of course they dont do it till the minute im gone.If i do ,on a rare occation;ill yell and chase them off.They know imediently they are in for it and sounter off.One is a great Dane almost 2yrs and the other is a black Lab about 3-4mths old.Im ready to turn them into fertilizer! HELP!

We live on ten akers.they run and play all day either wiyh us,eachother,or the horse.I know its probly becouse there isnt any shadeclose to the house, so they want to cool off,even though they usually go to the pond for that too.I just want them to stop.Oh ill nver really get rid of them i love em!

Answer 1

They're digging because they're bored and frustrated. But certain breeds are more destructive than others. Do you know that your Lab has a reputation for tearing stuff up until they're about 2 years old or so? I've heard of Lab pups chewing the siding off of houses! So good luck to you! :)
But keep them exercised a lot. Spend their energy, then they won't get into as much trouble.

Answer 2

Most dogs are natural diggers - some breeds more than others. Punishing them for digging is useless and cruel. Without guidance, a bored and lonely dog is going to find something to do - usually something you don't like. They love the smell of freshly turned earth - they don't understand that you treasure those flowers!

Make sure they're getting plenty of exercise and training and play time with a human. Try making an area with a sandbox and encourage them to dig there. Or find another fun thing to distract them. Get a tetherball game and hang the ball at a low enough height that they can grab it. (NOTE: this can sometimes lead to a lot of barking and really piss off your neighbors!) For my terriers, I installed an overhead wire across my yard, attached a pulley and ran a second wire down toward the ground with a fuzzy dog toy at the end of it. They love zipping it back and forth and playing tug-of-war with it. You can also teach them to play flyball - a competitive dog sport where the dog is trained to launch his own ball from a box with a spring inside.

http://www.abtc.org/flyball.htm

There are many devices they sell at the garden centers for discouraging deer and wild animals - it has a motion detector that turns on your sprinkler and chases them away. Of course, that won't work if your dogs love the sprinkler! This is one of them:

http://www.critterridders.com/scarecrow.htm

And someone else suggested this to another person with the same problem - get doggie boots! I thought it was BRILLIANT! As long as they don't chew them off...

Answer 3

I fought with this problem for about 13 years. I finally figured out, dogs will be dogs and really, they have that right. I learned however, that dogs dig these massive caves when they are hot. Provide them a cooler environment by installing a myst system. Also, if you feed them table food, dogs use the undergrounds for the same reason we use refrigerators. Too keep food from spoiling. Dont turn the poor pooches into fertilizer. They are at their peek of discovery and like humans use their sense of taste to learn about the world when they are babies, so do dogs but they use their sense of smell and put those paws into action. One thing I regret, believe it or not, is that I too trained my dog to not dig holes. He learned that he would get time out right before walking. Id take him to the hole, make him sit in front of it, sat there with him and in a loud serious voice I'd say to my dog while pointing at the hole "bad dog! Dont do that" he learned. But the bigger lesson was for me after he passed away this past December, he was just being a dog, and how unfair of me to have wanted him to behave more like a human, if only he could come back, I know I'd be more tolernat of it. Perhaps I would cover the holes with a shove, even if it ment seeing them there the next morning. Too bad I can do either. So please, take it easy on them, dogs will literally give their lives for us.Thats how much they love you, so do you love them too?

Answer 4

When doggies are young, they will dig and dig and dig. The best way(but very time consuming) is to watch them and when you first see them digging, yell at them and spray them with wter.. After a few times, they will learn... for sure.

The first thing you need to consider is why your new canines are making a mockery of your lawn? Dogs dig for a variety of reasons. Are they bored? Are they acting out an instinct to dig out prey? Are they feeling confined or not getting enough exercise? Are they seeking out cool places to lie down? Any measures you take are likely to be unsuccessful for long unless you establish the reason driving their behavior. They'll simply channel the digging energy into something else, like chewing-or worse. If you have the space, why not designate an area in the garden just for them to dig up? Dig up a small area and fill it with sand instead of dirt. Locate it as far away from the house as possible and their paws will have plenty of time to unload the sand in your grass before reaching the door to come inside. Reward them for using it by burying their favorite toys and food treats in it.

For areas around flowers, you can lay down chicken wire and clip openings around plants. Cover the wire slightly with soil to hide it. If they have spots they seem to favor over and over, try this recipe:

2 cloves of garlic
2 small onions
1 jalapeno pepper
1 tbsp. of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. of chili powder
1 qt. Of warm water
Mince the garlic, onions and jalapenos and combine them with the other ingredients. Let everything marinate in a container overnight, then sprinkle it over problems areas.

Answer 5

If you go to a pet store, (petsco or petsmart preferably) you can look for a formula and it keeps dogs off: Furniture, Lawns, and such and whatever. It's a scent, that isn't too horrid, and it also stops them from going pee there too..Just spread it around the area, and try it. If it doesn't work. Call the company.

Answer 6

All you need is a spray bottle filled with white vinegar. They learn quickly that digging holes equals burning eyes and noses...they will stop. This wont hurt them in the long r short term and they will learn fast. Best wishes

Answer 7

I have trained my dogs with an invisible fence. They wear a receiver collar which gives them a warning beep, if they go any further then they receive a mild shock. It's worked wonders and I no longer have the digging problem.

Answer 8

Most people refuse to properly exercise their dogs. Walk them a mile a day and see the difference.

Answer 9

A hound pup will destroy what he can attain. Mine has a stack of footwear she has eaten. maximum suitable way is to place a fence around the flowers. electric powered fence is maximum suitable, yet fowl twine would desire to artwork. do no longer assume issues that scent undesirable as i in my opinion think of they be responsive to a thank you to hold their breath.

Answer 10

Dogs are dogs. Either love it or sell it. And tell it to stop barking at 2:00 AM.