Digging Dogs

[Jdarg]

I hope someone out there can help me on this!!

My darling new dogs, otherwise perfect ( ), LOVE to dig. I mean REALLY dig. Right now they are excavating a man size hole around the base of a big oak tree. If a squirrel has buried any nuts anywhere in my yard, they will dig them up. It appears a lot of squirrels used our yard for food storage this year.

I have a fairly good size garden area that is not finished, and they have helped me along by digging lots of big holes. All I have to do now is drop bushes and plants into those holes and voila- instant garden. I will be happy to rent my gardening dogs to anyone that needs holes. However, we are considering just building a big deck over the garden areas.

I have never had digging dogs before and I am at a loss. It is not only making the yard look like crap, but it is very time consuming for me. When I am not on SoWal, I am outside in the cold with buckets of warm water and towels washing their little hairy faces and feet. The floors in my house no longer look like wood or tile- we have invented a new pattern and texture- muddy wet dogpaw. It seems to go well with the mess the rest of the family leaves everywhere.

So other than bringing in a concrete truck and having a half acre tennis or basketball court, any ideas?

 

[Rudyjohn]

Good grief! What kind of dogs are they? My sister's Jack Russell digs.

 

[Jdarg]

Backhoe terriers.

 

[Miss Kitty]

Holey mess jdarg!!!! There is just something about dirt and especially mud that brings out the digger in dogs! Before we had the rest of the landscaping put in, Molly would make a bee line for the piles of dirt and dig away. Do you think it is the smell of earth and/or the possibility of escaping to China that appeals to them??? 8 muddy footies is a lot of work!!

 

[RiverOtter]

Get a golden... they pretty much do this all day

 

[Jdarg]

Get a golden... they pretty much do this all day

Don't remind me. Bdarg's golden, Amie, was perfect. Then we had Maisie, and she was a sweetheart, just not a rocket scientist, although she did like to dig up moles- a good thing IMO!!

 

[Smiling JOe]

I hope someone out there can help me on this!!

My darling new dogs, otherwise perfect ( ), LOVE to dig. I mean REALLY dig. Right now they are excavating a man size hole around the base of a big oak tree. If a squirrel has buried any nuts anywhere in my yard, they will dig them up. It appears a lot of squirrels used our yard for food storage this year.

I have a fairly good size garden area that is not finished, and they have helped me along by digging lots of big holes. All I have to do now is drop bushes and plants into those holes and voila- instant garden. I will be happy to rent my gardening dogs to anyone that needs holes. However, we are considering just building a big deck over the garden areas.

I have never had digging dogs before and I am at a loss. It is not only making the yard look like crap, but it is very time consuming for me. When I am not on SoWal, I am outside in the cold with buckets of warm water and towels washing their little hairy faces and feet. The floors in my house no longer look like wood or tile- we have invented a new pattern and texture- muddy wet dogpaw. It seems to go well with the mess the rest of the family leaves everywhere.

So other than bringing in a concrete truck and having a half acre tennis or basketball court, any ideas?

Been there and dumped concrete, but the vandal dug under it. Now I keep the culpit inside and he no longer digs unless I encourage him to find something.

When I was gone for longer periods of time (maybe 4 hours:funn, one of my boys would dig dirt pits. Returning home, I would find manholes in the walkway. I discovered he was recovering lost items which had been buried by my builder. He would also dig under the fence and escape, so I dug a trench and poured in quick-crete. He dug under that and continued to escape. He also chewed holes in the fence after that. The list goes on. The only way I know to make them stop is something that I had no time to do. Correct the behavior. Wait until you see them get ready to dig. Stop and correct them before they begin to dig. Set them up for success. Give them rewards (love and hugs work well and throw in a biscuit at random. This requires much time and practice ahd your patience will be tested.

 

[Jdarg]

They do well outside- will play together and run for at least an hour or 2. It is those few minutes when they have stopped playing and before I have noticed that and haul them back in that they start the destruction.

I'm worried if I try the concrete that my neighbors will think I'm burying somebody?

How big is too big for a deck?

 

[Smiling JOe]

They do well outside- will play together and run for at least an hour or 2. It is those few minutes when they have stopped playing and before I have noticed that and haul them back in that they start the destruction.

I'm worried if I try the concrete that my neighbors will think I'm burying somebody?

How big is too big for a deck?

Please do not deck the entire yard. Your dogs will have won the game.

 

[Rudyjohn]

I know the digging is horrible, but at least they don't roll in other animal's poop droppings! My beautiful dog you see to the left here, does this occasionally. When I see him doing that I start screaming and running out in the yard like a raving maniac. My neighbors must think I'm having a mental breakdown! I have no idea why he does that but it is the most disgusting thing ever!!!!!!!!!!!