Stop the Digging!

Hi B.!

I have worked as a professional dog trainer for 4 years now. The advice I would give to you (since you know the "why" as to the digging) is mainly supervision. BUT, since he is an outside dog only, you might want to try chicken wire. Take some chicken wire and lay it on the ground along the fence where he normally digs. Cover it with mulch and dirt. Then when he starts digging, he will hit the wires w/ his paws, and it is an unpleasant feeling. This usually helps the problem.
Other things you might want to consider:
if he wants to see the neighbor dog so bad, maybe you and the neighbor can schedule playdates a couple times a week, so he gets that chance for doggie interaction that he is so obviously needing (you also might want to look into dog parks. having a proper time to play w/ other dogs will help w/ the problem behavior and his overall well being). He is also probably VERY lonely during the day while you are gone. So maybe something that can help w/ that (like someone, even a neighbor walking him mid-day, coming by to visit w/ him, or something of the sort. usually older neighbors are good for this! They love to have a reason to get out of the house!). You are right, a shock collar will not help this problem (shock collars really don't help many problems). You can also try sprinkling pepper or cayanne pepper in the soil to help deter him from digging. And you might also want to make sure he get a good walk every morning before you leave. Believe it or not, but a good long walk is usually the BEST cure for most behavioral problems. As I tell my students "a tired dog is a good dog". Feel free to contact me personally if you have any more questions. He might also benifit from some "thinking" toys to make sure he doesn't get bored during the day. You can contact me and we can talk about what he likes to do and some good toys or things you can make that will help.

1 mom found this helpful

You really shouldn't leave him outside and tied up all day. Dogs are pack animals, and when they live with humans, they believe you are all one big happy pack/family. They much prefer to be inside, near your scent. You can crate train him so he will not damage your belongings or eliminate in the house, and he will be a much better guard dog if he is actually in the house. That would solve the digging problem. As for barking, you have to go see why they are barking EVERY time they bark. When it is something you want them to bark at (strangers on your property), you praise them. When it is something you don't want them to bark at (pedestrians, the mailman), you tell them, "No, quiet." Repeat. That way, they will still guard but won't bark at every little thing.

If you bury your dog's stools where he digs, he will not dig there anymore. He may possibly move to another digging spot, but just keep doing it and he will eventually run out of places near the fence to dig. plus it is a good way to get rid of the stools.

You can try cayenne pepper right along the fence. I heard that is supposed to deters neighbor dogs from using your yard as their bathroom if you sprinkled it on the yard. I would use it just along where your dog is digging cause they really don't like it so if you use it too much it could possible deter him from going also. Good luck:)

My Grandma's beagle used to dig in the flowers, so she used cayenne pepper (sp?) and it worked, when it would get on her snout, it'd burn and send her into a sneezing fit! Also, when our beagle would dig, my Dad rigged up a mini eletric fence (little wooden posts, wire, and a small battery) about 4-6in in front of the base of our regular fence. It worked the first few times our dog got zapped he learned not to dig, then we turned it off cause he learned his lesson, but we left it there so he wouldn't be tempted etc... Also, wouldn't hurt to maybe talk to a trainer that works closely with dogs. Good Luck!

A couple things I learned from our pet training. Try to keep his nails really short, that way he would be digging with the pads of his feet, which should hurt, vs. with his nails. He needs exercise to wear him out. Get him neutered.

Hi B.,

For indoors (chewwing & scratching) I use Bitter End made by Pet Botanics. When I purchased it a either PetSmart or PETCO and think there was an outdoor product also. Good luck in finding what you need.

W. Q

Try black pepper, it seems to have worked pretty well with our dog who like yours starting digging to get over with the neighbor dogs. Just sprinkle it along the fence or anywhere you see the dog digging.

If the other dog is a female then he is more than likely wanting her.. You can get him neutered but I think it all depends on dog itself. We had our male taken care of and he still goes for the females. Luckly he is somewhat of a prissy male because he doesn't like to get his paws dirty or wet.. Very weird. Me neighbor used long wooden posts along his fence to stop his dogs from digging and it seem to work. What ever you do I hope it works out for you.. Have a Happy Thanksgiving..

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B. I raised Rottweilers for many years, I had one that dug huge holes all over our yard. So diggng is i their nature. To stop from digging around the fences, try hot wire along your fence. It works and it is easy to install. Hope this works for you.