NationStates Jolt Archive

A dog from digging? I've tried lots of ideas, but they don't seem to work.

These include
-Putting anti-dig materials in holes (dog poo, no-dig products, etc)
-Leaving toys out for him
-Setting up a designated dig area
-Walking him daily

What does the wisdom of NSG say?

Put socks on his feet.

Dogs dig out of nervousness or boredom. Which is your dog? Neurotic? Bored?

Dogs dig out of nervousness or boredom. Which is your dog? Neurotic? Bored?

Both?

Kidnap Victoria Stilwell. :p

I'm not sure, but I think he finds digging more entertaining than his toys

(He's an American Eskimo puppy, about 6 months old)

Beat his ass when you catch him doing it.

We've tried that.

And please keep this to serious responses, no kidnapping people

Kagetora;14436451']I'm not sure, but I think he finds digging more entertaining than his toys

(He's an American Eskimo puppy, about 6 months old)

Buy more entertaining toys, spend more time with him playing, take him to obedience class. That's going to be a large dog, he needs lots of socialization and play time or he'll get destructive.

What I have always done is put its shit in the hole it is trying to dig.

Landmines.

Kill the dog, and get a cat. Far better pets.

Kill the dog, and get a cat. Far better pets.
Lies and foreign propaganda. Cats are users, dogs are loyal.

Kill the dog, and get a cat. Far better pets.

Cats aren't your pets, you're their pet.

Buy more entertaining toys, spend more time with him playing, take him to obedience class. That's going to be a large dog, he needs lots of socialization and play time or he'll get destructive.
Actually he's a mini, and we do most of the time.

What I have always done is put its shit in the hole it is trying to dig.
We've tried that. He starts digging a new hole

Landmines.
Kill the dog, and get a cat. Far better pets.
I think these qualify as not serious

Kagetora;14436451']I'm not sure, but I think he finds digging more entertaining than his toys

(He's an American Eskimo puppy, about 6 months old)

He's six months, he'll dig until he's about a year then get bored with it.

My suggestion is by far the best so far.

He is probably just hyper. We have a 7 month old dog who loves exploring. The way we stop him doing things he shouldn't is playing with him a lot which usually tires him out. You just need to keep him active.

I don't if this would work for the hole digging but when we toilet trained our dog, we gave him a treat every time he went to the toilet outside. He soon learnt that's where he had to go. Now he waits at the door patiently to be let out. I don't know, maybe if he goes in the garden and doesn't dig that day you can give him a treat or something.

Also dogs > cats.

you dont have a dog you have a puppy

do what you have been doing. distract him from digging in the non-designated area. dont beat him for digging in the wrong spot.

when he is no longer a puppy he wont dig where he isnt supposed to.

Put socks on his feet.
The great thing about this is that it sounds almost like something you should do. It is the sort of insane folklore that will, in 30-40 years time, be featured on Snopes.com.

Get Astro Turf!

Boil it alive, then get a decent animal.

Alright, thanks for everybody's advice. I'll check and see what comes up later.

The great thing about this is that it sounds almost like something you should do. It is the sort of insane folklore that will, in 30-40 years time, be featured on Snopes.com.

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/they-be-stealing.jpg

Don't beat him. Distract him with play, or long walks. Say NO! loudly when he starts, and get him to do something else -- like sit -- and praise him when he does that calmly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Eskimo_Dog
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/amereski.html#Temp


I think you should have researched their temperament more.

Antigravity. *nod*

Frankly, the digging is pure instinct--I doubt it is boredom or anything else. Dogs innately dig to do many things such as hide prey/food or create a nest for themselves or their puppies.

I had a golden retriever for 16 years and would take him to the beach where he could swim and dig to his heart's content. He never dug around the house as I think the trip to the beach satisfied his instinctual needs.

Good luck-- as the animal cannot suppress the instinct, I suggest you find a suitable place for it to act on the instinct and get it out of his/her system.

Frankly, the digging is pure instinct--I doubt it is boredom or anything else.
Then you, too. have not looked into American Eskimo Dogs and their breed temperament tendencies.

I have heard that rubbing the hound's face in the hole helps.

Take its spade away.

The key is to be kind, and do what the people who actually know what they're talking about say to do. Don't be mean, and don't beat the dog. Remember, a dog's emotions may not be as complex as a human, but a dog has plenty of them. You wouldn't beat a child for doing something wrong, would you?

Run him three times a day.

EDIT: I don't have experience with this breed of dog, but following Kat's links, it does seem to be fairly high-stimulus and intelligent, as well as social--not a dog you should leave alone long enough to get into trouble until it's reached adulthood. My golden retriever is almost two, and she had a lot of terrible habits as a puppy that she has overcome, partially through firm training and partially through maturity. Exercise is a big key. We try to give her plenty of exercise with us, most of the time--throwing her tennis ball or taking her for walks--because she's very social and needs to be around her family. About once a week we take her to doggie daycare, a cageless daycare/boarding place where she runs all day with other dogs and comes home totally tuckered out. It seems to make for a good balance.

Some people don't like him, but I've always thought Cesar Millan, the "dog whisperer", has some good ideas. They've worked well with my dog, at least, and they're not punishment or fear-and-pain based. Exercise is the biggest part of his advice, too.

Dogs dig out of nervousness or boredom. Which is your dog? Neurotic? Bored?

Some also dig because that's what they're bred to do, e.g. terriers. Is your dog a terrier or terrier mix?

My terrier dug until the day she died. But, then, that's what terriers do. I just made sure that areas under the fence were bricked or cemented over so she couldn't dig in those places and resigned myself to the fact that my back yard was just a giant construction site. On the plus side, my yard was the only one in the neighborhood that had no gophers.

Well i've got a book here which has a suggestion:
"digging can be either Characteristic of your dog's breed or evidence of separation anxiety or a desire to escape.

steps
1
Avoid punishing your dog for digging- this only teaches her not to dig in your presence. She may resume digging when you're not around.
2
Take her on walks. Dogs often dig to expend energy, and walking is a less destructive way to accomplish this.
3
Put up a fence to keep your dog out of areas- like your well manicured lawn-where you don't want her to dig
4
Confine your dog in a dog run with toys, shade and water
5
Keep your dog's sleeping area shaded in hot weather, and supply a paddling pool if it's hot outside. Dogs often dig in search of a cool place to lie down.
6
Turn on the sprinklers or spray the dog with a hose each time she starts digging- this may discourage her from digging if she doesn't like water sprayed on her.
(other tips it says: digging is often a result of boredom, so keep your dog occupied with other activities. Give your dog her own place to dig- a sandbox or dirt area-and encourage digging in only that spot by hiding treats for her to find. This allows your dog to enjoy the natural behaviour of digging without ruining your garden)."
enjoy

Quit burying the dead in your yard. That might keep doggy from digging them up again.

Then you, too. have not looked into American Eskimo Dogs and their breed temperament tendencies.
No, I didn't--I don't own an American Eskimo Dog so I have no need to look into their breed temperment tendencies. I guess that is something you should do.

Quit burying the dead in your yard. That might keep doggy from digging them up again.

Yeah, but how much freezer space do we expect the OP to have? You can fit maybe one or two corpses in a large freezer, but what do you do with the rest?

Yeah, but how much freezer space do we expect the OP to have? You can fit maybe one or two corpses in a large freezer, but what do you do with the rest?

Soylent green anyone?

Lies and foreign propaganda. Cats are users, dogs are loyal.

I've always felt more affinity for cats. Interpret that as you will.

Amputate its legs.