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Rob
02-16-2008, 01:31 PM
Well the snow is pretty much gone in our yard, and our lab pup has discovered the grass and dirt. She has started digging a couple small holes. Anybody have suggestions for preventing this? Thanks Rob

Dirty
02-16-2008, 02:19 PM
Put her dog crap in the holes and she won't dig in them anymore. Or you could get a shock collar and wait for her to start digging and zap her from in the house. Then wait again and when she starts digging zap her again. Sit down with a case of beer and do this until she realizes that digging is associated with being zapped.

hillclimber
02-16-2008, 02:23 PM
put some tabasco sauce and pepper in there so when she smells it she gets pepper in her nose. and apparently they don't like the smell of tabasco sauce. worked for our dog

tomahawk
02-16-2008, 03:05 PM
Put her dog crap in the holes and she won't dig in them anymore.

This worked for my lab when he was young as well. I think a lot of the digging is based on boredom, so try and keep them busy or entertained if that's possible. Otherwise it may end up looking like a gopher field in the back yard.

newhunterette
02-16-2008, 03:24 PM
we used cayenne pepper and water in the holes - when Hunter decided to dig she would smell the pepper and sneeze - took her about 3 days and she stopped digging - plus the pepper would get on her paws and when she licked them - HOT HOT HOT a reminder of digging

LOC
02-16-2008, 04:18 PM
cayenne, wasabi, pepper, tobasco - my dog loved all them "seasoned" :)

The poop trick worked for our old lab that dug, the training collars work well too.

horshur
02-16-2008, 06:15 PM
let the dog dig....

OOBuck
02-16-2008, 06:18 PM
Put her dog crap in the holes and she won't dig in them anymore. Or you could get a shock collar and wait for her to start digging and zap her from in the house. Then wait again and when she starts digging zap her again. Sit down with a case of beer and do this until she realizes that digging is associated with being zapped.


Dittoooo... Fill her holes with her own $hit.. It will cure her of it. I tried everything and thats the only thing that worked and gave me a place to put it for a while...

betteroffishing
02-16-2008, 06:47 PM
my neighbor heped me with the same problem years ago. i set a very large rat trap in the hole and covered it with loose leaves, she went to dig and the trap jumped out at her. she got cured and we got entertained.

diggerpax
02-16-2008, 07:30 PM
Stopping digging can be tough, and lots of great methods have been given. I'll throw in more exercise or more toys to keep her occupied if the others fail. Make sure the toys aren't something she can swallow or tear up and swallow- puppies with stuck toys can get very expensive.

thatskindafunny
02-16-2008, 08:43 PM
I find this allkindafunny the responses. I have 4 golden retrievers and have had goldens for 30 years. Ok, there's a hole so I fill it with poop poop de doop. Ok their response is let's dig a hole elsewhere. Wow the cedar siding taste good. Ok lets make up a love potion of tabassco sauce and canine pepper. Response is not bad. Could you add a little parsley. I can not leave anything outside. If you do it will be eaten. Glasses, tape measure, bbq lighter, beer cans, dish washer, cord off the chop saw, deck chairs, the cedar trees look like there's been a herd of deer in the yard, oh did I mention they eat pooh, goes on and on, hmmm the lawn mower is out there, maybe I should check that out, probably just the pull cord handle will be gone. So as someone else said in this thread the only prevention is lots of excersise. A borde dog is not a happy dog. I'm away lots, but when I can I give the dogs excersise. Oh and by the way, 4 golden retrievers is 1760 pounds of pooh a year to scoop. My wife has always said I have way too much time on my hand. And that is notkindafunnyatall

Spokerider
02-17-2008, 04:29 AM
Exercise and fun diversionary tactics......

Will
02-17-2008, 09:45 AM
let the dog dig....
I agree....certain breeds and or individual dogs will dig....get em more chew toys to pass the time.

Our 4 month old Aussie digs abit but is already losing interest in it........eventually they will stop or it will become minimal.

I keep both of them in their own "dog yard" so the Kids area stays level and poop free for the most part anyways.
Don't lose too much sleep over it.......part of the joys of Dog ownership;)

Tikka7mm
02-17-2008, 09:56 AM
This worked for my lab when he was young as well. I think a lot of the digging is based on boredom, so try and keep them busy or entertained if that's possible. Otherwise it may end up looking like a gopher field in the back yard.

This is what our trainer told us....if they're chewing, digging or acting out it's usually because they have too much pent up energy. A back yard to run around in isn't sufficient substitution for a walk. A good dog is a tired dog.

BCLongshot
02-17-2008, 10:06 AM
ha ha

Dogs digging is like us scratching our balls. Have you stopped no matter what your wife does?

Put the poop in the holes, it'll stop eventually. You do have to factor in that it is a dog not a de-clawed cat.

Gateholio
02-17-2008, 12:07 PM
The only time I get pissed at the dog's digging is when she does it in the grass by the swimming pool...That pisses me off, as she has 6 other acres she can dig on that I don't care.:D

As said, exercise cures most behavior problems.

dukester
02-17-2008, 05:22 PM
walk your dog more she's getting bored and releasing some energy. if i miss one day rain or shine , my lab will remind me of it with a huge 2x2 hole somewhere. :eek: reminds me i have an under grouond sprinkler hose to fix.. yep she found one ..

springpin
02-17-2008, 05:36 PM
I have a 2 year Aussie, does not dig though. But I have heard that Lemon juice works well for pretty much anything....chewing, digging, etc. I have also heard that tabbasco and other spices can mess with a dogs senses..

Johnnybear
02-17-2008, 09:43 PM
I agree with the exercise thing as it is the best. Dogs get real bored fast. I used coffee grounds with some success when my black lab was a pup. He ate poop so that wasn't an option for me. I tried the lemon juice thing on the backroom shoe bench that he loved to chew on and guess what..... he chew it more. Take everyones advice and trial and error. Something might work in the end. Good luck.

Fisher-Dude
02-18-2008, 10:44 AM
We used to have a picture up at work of my buddy and his lab, with the caption "Yes, as a matter of fact, my dog does eat $hit" :shock:

Exercise is the best remedy for bored diggers.

You may also want to consider a duradeck or cement slab as a floor for their kennel if you're unable to exercise the boredom out of them.

BCrams
02-18-2008, 11:42 AM
There's this other lab that lives next door to us and frequently last fall, kept jumping their fence into our yard and then tries digging under our fence to get out .... we have sandy soil so the hole gets deep rather fast!

I know its going to happen again when the snow melts and I want to be ready.

So this pepper idea works?? Just sprinkly pepper all along the fence where the dog will likely dig to prevent it? I was pretty po'd having to fill the hole in several times.

diggerpax
02-18-2008, 08:05 PM
Depending on how much you want to spend, I've used an electric horse fence (just gives a little zap) around fences to keep the dogs and other animals away. The one I have runs on size D batteries, but they are a little pricey. Also, they make motion sensor water sprinklers- kind of cool.

fozzy
02-19-2008, 05:53 PM
Cesar Millan had an episode where he had the dog walking on a tread mill to tire it out. :) Lots of behavior traits treated on his shows.