Thursday, December 1, 2011

Help for Dog Owners: No More Digging

By Dirk Gruenberg


There are many reasons why dogs dig: they like digging, sometimes they want to hide something - a bone for example or a dead mouse they found somewhere - or they dig a hole in order to have a cool place when it is hot outside.

So if you want your puppy or dog to stop digging it is very important to understand why they do it. The most obvious reasons for puppies are these: they have so much energy they want to get rid of and don't know what else to do.

In other words: Puppies will rarely dig if they are busy with doing something else. So it is a good idea to keep them busy with walks or any other type of activity.

Furthermore, simply keeping them in the house instead of outside when you are not around can make all the difference; because in your absence they could really do damage.

If the puppy has a favorite digging spot, put some repellant there, such as pepper (though not all dogs react the same, so test your repellant first - if the dog loves it, it would, of course, be useless).

Alternatively, you can hide something in the hole that will scare the dog - such as a toddler toy that makes a loud noise when pressed, or a prank toy that squirts water, or a balloon that pops. Don't allow your dog to take bones in the yard, so it's not tempted to hide them in holes.

However, if your dog is such a passionate digger that you feel all hope is lost, you might want to give him a certain area in the garden where he is allowed to dig.

Fill it with sand and fresh soil, and hide treats to encourage the puppy to stay there. Use a fence to clearly delimit this area from the rest of the garden, so you have a visual landmark to tell your dog where digging is allowed and where it's not.

I know from experience how annoying a dog's constant digging can be. So I hope that your find the advice in this article helpful.




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