I have two 8-month old lab pups. I recently let them out of their cement floor pen so they could get exercise and play in my back yard. Now, it's starting to look like a mine field with holes everywhere. Any reasonable suggestions on how to keep them from digging?
2006-07-11 01:15:04 · 12 answers · asked by michaelyoung_airforce 6 in Pets ➔ Dogs
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 your lawn and don't want a broken ankle trying to cut it!
Make sure they're getting plenty of exercise and training and play time with a human - at least a thirty minute run every day. 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...
2006-07-11 07:15:38 · answer #1 · answered by Danger, Will Robinson! 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Read this website.
How To Stop Your Dog From Digging Holes
In Your Garden!
Copyright 2000 by By Adam G. Katz
2006-07-11 08:20:34 · answer #2 · answered by redunicorn 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are bored...get them some new toys, and alternate them frequently. Limit their time out of the pen, and when they are out, PLAY WITH them. When u are done playing, put them back in...its play time. Not dig time. If you lack the time (which is a shame if you have 2 puppies) but it happens, get a buster cube or something that will deposit small treats as they roll it and toss it. Just be cautious about how many treats they get daily...you may have to cut back on their food, labs have a tendency to get heavy...
2006-07-11 08:20:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some dogs are diggers. End of story. However you can give them a designated part of the yard to dig there hearts out and train them to dig there and leave the rest of the yard alone. They will have to be supervised at first. Pick the spot, show them they can dig there. (get down and dig with them, they'll love it) praise them for digging there. If they go to another area tell them "no" and redirect them to the chosen spot. You have to be diligent and persistent. They will get it.
2006-07-11 08:39:49 · answer #4 · answered by Stick to Pet Rocks 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Burry the dog poop in the holes.
Most dog will not dig in their own waste.
It will not stop digging but will stop each hole and give you a great reason to pick up the yard.
They go through stages where they dig like crazy. At 8 months they are busy puppies and are going to do all sorts of stuff.
Digging couldend up being one of the more minor things.
Try the dog poop in the hole it worked well for me with my dobermans and weimaraners.
2006-07-11 08:52:53 · answer #5 · answered by tlctreecare 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
chicken wire is good, especially if they are digging under a fence. big dogs outside will dig holes to lay in to keep cool..it might be best to leave two or three, and then fill the others up. the burying dog poop is a good way to make them stop, but, again, i'd leave a few they can lay down in.
2006-07-11 09:55:53 · answer #6 · answered by jrgaskin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One way is to bury there poop. However, that is kind of gross. So what I would do, is put cayene pepper in the dirt, and bury some too. They will NOT like to sniff that. But it won't hurt them either.
2006-07-11 08:40:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put down some chicken wire and fasten it with stakes or rocks. Then hope that they lose the habit so you can remove it later on.
2006-07-11 08:18:58 · answer #8 · answered by R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes. pick up their poop and lay it in the holes they dug and put some dirt back over it. guarantee they will get sick of finding poop every time they dig! good luck
2006-07-11 08:24:59 · answer #9 · answered by christine v 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You got problems. No solution. Get a truckload of dirt and a wheelbarrow and shovel and rake and grass seed.
2006-07-11 08:18:12 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋