Dog digging up the garden.

Spades

Advice or tips please, I just got a pup 2 months, we got her from the spca, all is going well except one little problem.Every now and then she digs little holes in the garden. I do undrstand that this is to be expected from a pup, but what i dont understand is why she only does it every now and then. Weeks can pass with nothing and then 5 holes dug over two days. Any suggestions or tips would be great.

peasant

She's not a robot, she's a dog.
She digs when she fels like it and doesn't when she doesn't

Best way to make her stop is to make her understand that you don't approve ...i.e catch her in the act and tell her "no"

If that doesn't help and she is a compulsive digger, try to train her to dig in one area only (bury something there every now and then so it doesn't become boring), hopefully she will then leave the rest of the garden alone.

Spades

peasant wrote:

She's not a robot, she's a dog.
She digs when she fels like it and doesn't when she doesn't

as i said in my original post, I understand that she is a pup and this is to be expected, but my question is why nothing happens for weeks and then over two days she digs several holes and the stops for a long period of time again, you think "she will dig when she feels like it and doesn't when she doesn't" you may be correct but because of the fact that nothing happens for some time, i feel there may be another reason. I also have spent time trying to catch her in the act to show my disaproval, but again this is proving to be difficult because of the fact that up to two weeks can pass by with none of this behaviour.

Alfasudcrazy

My dogs were at that too for a while but when they seen me filling in the holes they made and getting cross with them anytime I saw them trying to dig they stopped digging in the garden. Nobody said nothing to them about digging in the field so they still do that but that does not bother me anyway.

Although I suspect I may not be out of the woods yet as due to the wet weather the dogs hate digging in mud but seem to like dry fresh soil.

It seems to me its snails etc they are after. :rolleyes:

peasant

Spades wrote:

... you think "she will dig when she feels like it and doesn't when she doesn't" you may be correct but because of the fact that nothing happens for some time, i feel there may be another reason.

She's most likely "hunting" after a particularly interesting scent when she's digging ...these just don't come along every day.

CrowdedHouse

She'll probably grow out of it quickly enough,when we got our pup (a Lhasa Apso- not a renowned hunter/digger breed) she went mad digging for a few weeks but then lost interest in it.

We also had a Basset Hound she had her own spot in the corner of the garden where she went for a dig or to hide stuff,we call it the escape tunnel - she was down under the foundation of the wall! but it amused her most of her 12 year life

corkimp

i have to watch where i walk in my garden, my gsd pupcould work as an excavator....she digs like crazy and when i reprimand her she looks at me innocently with mucky paws and nose os if to say i didn't do it. she will clam down i hope

dimple

We were having the same problem with our pup until I went out and bought some sand suitable for a kid's sandpit. Now she only digs in here and doesn't bother with the rest of the garden.

Spades

thanks very much to you all, i reackon I may just have to sit this out and hope she grows out off it.