Hot Diggety Dog

dmccarty · Aug 20, 2002

PitbullMidwest,

I did what DozerNut suggested. Chickenwire was a PITA so
the next time I had to put wire down I used the thicker five
feet tall fence material. The mistake I made was not over
lapping the fence when I put it on the ground. The ^(#$%^&
smart a...s dog found the gaps, pulled up the fencing, and
THEN DUG HOLES!!!!! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Blasted dog! Now that she has a companion dog my GSD does
not dig as much as she used too. Boredom and an active dog
breed means trouble. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Later,
Dan

Anonymous Poster · Aug 20, 2002

Pitbull Midwest,

Regarding your dog's fear problem, have you tried something like simple obedience training? My Australian Cattle Dog was afraid of everything when we got him - ran away from rolling balls, when I lifted up a toy he'd hide - but after working with him daily on heeling, sitting, etc., he's come around. He no longer cowers when I bring out the leash (in fact he sticks his head in the collar), and demands to play soccer whenever I go outside. Just a thought...

njrqs · Aug 20, 2002

My guy scratches a shallow depression and lays in it. I assume it is to get comfy and get cooler ground.

He only seems to do it in summer.

He is free to roam 4 acres but sees the need to do this digging in and around all my gardens near the house /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

Steelfan · Aug 20, 2002

Hi PitbullMidwest,

I've got a German Shepard/ Collie mix , but she's an inside dog. She's outside about 1/2 of the time, but never digs. What I understand about dogs is not a lot, but I think they dig to bury stuff. I can't remember an outside dog that I seen in my 40 years not digging. We always had dogs, when I was a child. I guess what I'm try to say, is good luck trying to stop an outside dog from digging. Kent

Hank · Aug 21, 2002

My wife is a dog handler/trainer (police K9)....here's what I've seen her do with a dog that digs:

1. Pick a suitably-sized rubber toy (like a small Kong)...something you can easily throw but that won't injure the dog if he is hit. Hide so the dog cannot see you, but you can throw the toy at him, and when he starts digging, just toss it right next to him. This will startle him, and may be enough. Or, you may have to actually hit him with it subsequently. The important part of this, training-wise, is that the dog does not associate the negative reinforcement with you.

2. Method 2 costs money, but is very effective for this and just about any other training problem; it is an e-collar, which delivers a very mild shock to the dog from a remote control. Again, the negative reinforcement is not associated with you.

Many people think a e-collar is cruel. It is not. It is a very mild negative reinforcement. Before my wife will lend it to any of her dog training associates, she insists the handler shock themselves in the hand with it, just to experience what the dog will. I have done this, and it is very mild. But you have to be psychologically prepared to tolerate a mild yelp from the dog.

I have seen the e-collar used to cure her K9 of things like chasing deer or squirrels, barking etc. It usually takes only one shock, but you need to do it while the dog is doing the undesired behavior.

As I've sat on our couch relaxing, I've also seen such unusual things as a dog coming into our living room with a pair of shoes on a string tied to it's collar /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif After a few hours of this, that dog did not want to think about getting near the shoes again, much less chew on them.

PitbullMidwest · Aug 21, 2002

Hank,
Thanks for the suggestions. I have used a training collar on our GSD with great success, maybe it's time to try it on Welfare. I 'll also try the toy trick.

bgott · Aug 21, 2002

"As I've sat on our couch relaxing, I've also seen such unusual things as a dog coming into our living room with a pair of shoes on a string tied to it's collar After a few hours of this, that dog did not want to think about getting near the shoes again, much less chew on them."

That's supposed to work with a chicken killer, also.

Hank · Aug 22, 2002

If you already have the e-collar, that's the way to go, IMO. It seems to work even better (quicker) with a timid dog, because they can't associate it with you.

We just adopted a greyhound; she's wonderful, but also timid and very sensitive. After two nights of listening to her bark incessantly at the deer around our yard, my wife put the e-collar on her, and a single correction was all it took. Been two weeks now with no night-time barking.

The greyhound came having just been spayed. Our GSD (my wife's K9 partner), is un-neutered, as most K9's are, and he *thought* he smelled something good, so he wore the e-collar for a single correction, to keep him off her.