Until yesterday, the dogs had full run of the back yard. We decided to fence them off half of the back yard so that we could add a swingset and a basketball goal for our kids in the other part of the back yard.
Well, today we put the dogs in their new pen, although its really not a pen.......its about a quarter of an acre for 2 dogs and a goat. Ivan and Hector are doing well, but Piper is not liking it.
Piper made his new home underneath the shed in our backyard when we first put him back there. The shed is not included in their fence so he can't get to it. he is going nuts now trying to get out of the fence and under the shed. He has successfully done it once already. He is digging under the fence already.
We put him on a collar and a 30 ft chain for the time being, until we can figure out what to do. I really hate seeing him chained. I'm not big on chaining dogs, but we can't have him digging under this fence. If he gets out now, due to the rest of the fence being torn down from the back yard, he has access to the road.....and it is a busy road.
Is there any way to teach a dog not to dig? I feel like he is doing this because he finds security underneath the shed, but that is just no longer an option for him.
Any help would be appreciated. He is doing great on the chain (much to our suprise), but I just hate seeing him on it. I don't want him to take a step backwards by taking his 'security' away (the shed), if thats what it is thats making him want back under it so badly.
You guys have helped me so much with Piper since we first got him. Thats why I always coem back for advice when there is a problem.
I heard if you put their poop in the hole the already dug and cover it back up that they wont dig there agian. Dont know if that would work. Goodluck, im having the same problem but i have too many holes to put poop in...lol.
That is a normal instinct with dogs[ to burrow]. I would say you can't change it. Give him a dogloo or something in the new area to dig under. Wasn't he chained in a yard when you got him? If he digs under a chain link fence, he will ruin the fence. Cement dog runs are used to conquer that problem.Mine dig all the time. I am on shovel patrol almost daily.
my sister just went through the same thing ! lol she has two boxers. her male doesnt dig at all but the female digs under their fence all the time. luckily they have property but they are not far from a main road and were worried she would get out and get hit. the male was following her out through the holes she dug. they had something installed .its a wire that runs under the fence and the dogs wear collars that causes them to get zapped (doesnt hurt them ) when they touch it. dixie got zapped a few times in the begiining and learned real quick. she hasnt gotten out since and has quit even trying to. it broke her and she was a persistant digger before that lol
Bummer Ansy..I'm at a loss on this one, though. Too bad you couldnt pen around the shed, heh. I have no clue how to get a dog to stop digging. These two turkey heads of mine roto-till my future flower bed constantly, which means now it's an ex-future flower bed..what's the point, they'll dig em up. In fact, I guess I don't even know why I'm posting, as I'm obviously no help whatsoever. ha. Good luck!
KM, he has never been on a chain until now. The back yard was fenced and he had free roam of the whole yard. We had him on a leash a few times, but never chained him up outside. We were afraid that he would lose it.
Thanks for the suggestions. I never thought about the poop thing. I'm gonna try that and if that doesn't work, I may look into the thing Dusty was talking about. I just have to be careful because he is not fully rehabilitated yet.
Ansy, go to http://www.veterinarypartner.com and type in "digging" in the search box. Something there might help. If not, you can email Kathy Diamond Davis from there and she will email you back personally and maybe have some advice for you. I think it's one of the best sites around when initially looking for advice.
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"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."
-- Robert A. Heinlein
Good idea, Ansy. The poop thing works. Just, I am w/sydney, and it would be too much poop[I want it gone, health issues,etc.] I like the electric fence thing too. The dog blames itself, has no idea where the shock comes from. I have not used it. I have used both bark and training collars w/ shock features though. Extremely humane. Physically and emotionally sparing of the dog, when it comes to extreme correction.
As most of you know, I recently sprained my ankle in one of the holes dogs love to dig. I have managed to slow down the digging by taking them to the holes and do the whole "NO, we don't dig!" speech. But when I am not around they get a couple past me. We had a problem last year with the digging under the fence. But it was always the same spot so I had Russ move the wood pile there and they haven't done it since. No logic in that, but it stopped them. Now Rocky, who has gained massive muscle mass, can jump the fence with no effort...with bad hip and all. But he just comes around and sits at the front door. He hasn't done it for a week or two....I would lecture him too and he hates it! lol I have no idea what is with these guys but a good talking to and they slink down like they have been beat! lol
I, too, will try the poop in the hole trick. We are also considering the doggy fences so they can safely be out front with us. They rarely leave but they have been known to dart for the street when squirrel is across the road. Scares the crap out of me everytime. If a car happened to be coming I know I couldn't stop them in time. I remember someone else said line the fence with pavers then they can't dig under the fence. We had started that, but never had to finish it. I used the pavers elsewhere.
I guess someone already mentioned this, but can you buy him a dog house for his area and let him dig under that?
Well, hubby tried the poop-n-fence thing today and it has worked so far! It's hard not to laugh about it. I think of the part in Jurassic Park III when they are digging the phone out of the dino poop and the T-Rex comes up and smells his own poop and then walks off, too disgusted to eat them....lol
Hubby is now going to put poop patrol around teh entire fence. He's sitting around waiting for the next 'batch' to arrive so he can run and scoop it into its new home....lol
We do have Piper a new dog house, but he can't dig under it. The shed was sitting on blocks so he was able to get under it easily. The dog house is a little different.
We are going to take all 3 dog houses (Hector uses a dog house too) and line them up beside each other on blocks though....so that they will cover more area by being placed beside each other and allow Piper to crawl under them if he wishes. That may be dangerous to Ivan and Hector though........so we'll have to make sure its sturdy.....and possible build them some steps....lol
Thanks SO much for the suggestions! You guys are great!
it seems what works for some ,doesnt work for others. i think its just a little trial and error until you find what works for you. my sisters female boxer still digs holes in their lawn. she said the other day she got blabbing on the phone for a few hours and forgot to check on her. when she went outside she said she saw red .she had dug a hole as big as herself. she said she was tempted to go push her in it and bury her ! lol . i told her she should have put her in the spot they were having their pond put in and let her go at it and they could have saved theirselves some of the work lol
