How to stop my labrador "CYRUS', digging holes at my garden?

Answer 1

One thing that is bad about garden digging is that your dog is instantly rewarded for doing it. If he digs in there and finds something good to eat, it's a reward for him. The first thing you should do is find a way to keep your dog away from your garden and give him something that HE THINKS is better to do. If your dog loves to dig, you could try giving him a different "acceptable" place to dig. You could buy a small sandbox for him, and hide some of his favorite toys in the sand or dirt or whatever you put in the box. You could also put some food like dog biscuits or a pig ear or something your dog likes to chew on (I would be cautious to put wet food like hot dogs in there because the sand may stick to it and cause your lab to get a tummy ache). You could train your dog that only good things happen when it is digging in the box and not in your garden. The goal is to make your dog think that his sandbox is better than your garden, and he will go dig in it instead of your veggies! If you do decide to build or buy a sandbox (baby pools work great) don't forget to cover it up when your dog isn't using it. Neighborhood animals (especially cats) will defecate and dig in sandboxes and can deposite parasites such as hookworms or other diseases in the feces. If your dog eats that, he could get sick too. I would give it a try and see if it helps, what have you got to lose? Good luck!

Answer 2

Labs dig. They all do. Keeping him busy is a way to keep him from doing it, however if you aren't there every minute that he's outside it won't resolve the problem. I've tried a few things with my golden that seemed to work. First if I saw him digging i would tell him no and move him to another part of the yard. second, i got a spray from the pet store that is completely organic so it won't hurt the plants or the dog, and sprayed it around my garden. and last, dont automatically fill in the holes that are dug as this seems to spur them on to dig them again. instead fill them with a large rock or stone until the dog is a little older. these all worked for me. good luck.

Answer 3

its a pain & some people think its mean, but what we did was we purchased a shock collar, and watched from inside (where he couldnt see us) the whole time he was outside (yellow lab/golden mutt), and whenever he began to dig-and only when he was digging-we would immediately give him a corrective jolt. it takes a while and its a pain to do, but eventually your dog will come to associate digging with electrical shock (sounds mean, but it saves the dog a lot of emotional stress caused by constantly being yelled at and/or disciplined for something that he doesnt realize is wrong). Make sure your dog does not see you monitoring him when you are doing this, because if your dog is as smart as mine was, he will learn to just wait until you arent looking! hope this helped

Answer 4

might as well ask Cyrus to stop breathing. best thing to do is give Cyrus a spot in the yard where it is okay for him to dig. Make sure he knows it is the ONLY place where he can indulge himself to his heart's content. He will use it to cool himself by digging down to where it's not as warm, and also he will use it to bury his treasured belongings such as bones and toys to hide them from other animals and even you. Labs, like many dogs, nest a bit, and many other types of animals also hide their favorite things from other animals. Squirrels aren't the only ones! You could line the area with rocks or something so it's clear where the dividing line is. Then chastise him if he goes outside of there, but allow him always lots of time to nose around and dig there, even tie him there if it's close to the house. labs are so social, they suffer if they aren't with you, and will pine, whine and get off their leashes or stakes if kept away from the house or alone or away from your doings, just to rejoin you. He will think you are punishing him if you leave him alone out there. So get a newspaper or do some gardening close by him while he is indulging his passion for nosing around and sniffing and digging and settling down in it. My lab, Delilah, made a deep nest in the dirt to have her eleven pups in.

Answer 5

Well I have to ask, have you put anything into the soil????
I had this problem too until I finally asked at my garden center what to get to stop this. The lady at the garden shop asked me what I have already done to the soil, so it was the usual stuff like lime and fertilizer and bone meal to help the plants to re-bloom. She looked at me and said , that's why he is digging in the garden, it's the bone meal!!! It's ground up bones that I had added to my garden to add calcium.

If you've done that then that's why he is digging in the garden.

Answer 6

If you put chicken wire under the area he typically digs and cover back with dirt when he decides to start to dig he will hit the wire. Dog's typically don't like the feel. That MIGHT stop him. One thing for sure, do provide plenty of exercise and don't dig in front of him.

Answer 7

The most effective method I have used is to place some of your Lab's own feces in the hole. Repeat this as often as necessary until he gets it. Having been a breeder & trainer of Lab's for over 20 yrs I can tell you they are notorious for digging as well as chewing everything in sight. I had 1 named Spade that ate the rubber tires off my lawnmower!!

Answer 8

here's what my mother in law did: of course, put the dog in the house so he can't see you, first. go out to his favorite dig spot and dig a hole. dig more than one if he likes a large area, or digs in more than one spot. blow up a balloon and bury it in the hole. the next time he starts digging, he'll pop the balloon! if you bury more than one, it'll happen again, reinforcing the negative effect from his hobby. he'll stop.

Answer 9

Here are two things I did that worked -- bury your dog's feces in the places where he digs & he won't dig there again; sprinkle pepper (black or cayenne) in the areas where he digs. The pepper will be irritating & make him back off. Hope this helps!

Answer 10

Two resolutions here.....when you catch him in the act , firmly say NO DIG or the other is to fill the hole he has dug with water and stick his nose in it and say, NO DIG, guaranteed to work....good luck