I think this needs some "training"...

deege39 · 09-30-2009, 05:48 PM

Donatello is picking up a terrible habit that could turn into something very ugly soon.

DIGGING.

He's beginning to scratch, violently, at a few patches of dirt. Now, the only thing I can think of is there's either a bug, or something that he smells, maybe even a small animal, but he's starting to "dig" and that's what I'm concerned with...

No matter the fact a dog is a dog and dogs love digging, "digging is the image of a dog"... I don't buy it, dog or not, I don't/can't/won't tolerate digging.

Both times I let him outside in the backyard today, I had to call him repeatedly to come inside because of the scratching... It's not a full-throttle digging, but I could see this being the start and I want this nipped-in-the-bud beforehand.

I have hollered at him, I have chased him off, and I can't think of what else to do... I don't want to use water, he has enough emotional hang-ups that I don't want a fear of water forming because I used it to punish him...

Is there anything I can try doing?

Oh, and I want to add that I'm almost positive this isn't because he's "bored"... I keep him equally mentally and physically active during the day that it couldn't be boredom... It doesn't even look like boredom, he switches between shoving his nose to the dirt, to scratching at it like he's trying to unearth a huge fossil.

KarliMom · 09-30-2009, 10:22 PM

Karli started that digging stuff and always in the same place so I put some medium sized rocks over the area and she stopped .

What I will do next summer is build her a sandbox so she can dig all she wants to . I wanted to do it this summer and we never got around to it .

ladyshadowhollyjc · 09-30-2009, 10:28 PM

Are you totally opposed to him digging? I think you could train him to dig in specific area. I can understand you not wanting him to dig, but I was just wondering if maybe it was an option to have a "digging area".

Adustgerm · 09-30-2009, 10:53 PM

Get him his very own sandbox to dig in. Put toys and treats in it for him to find.

nekomi · 10-01-2009, 01:56 AM

I was just going to suggest the same thing when I saw it was already mentioned - build him his own sandbox, and bury bones/treats/toys in it (novel ones, especially, to peak his interest). If you catch him digging, redirect him to his sandbox... and of course, digging in the sandbox would be self-reinforcing thanks to the toys and bones that magically appear in there.

deege39 · 10-01-2009, 10:59 AM

Well, here is my dilemma... I am pretty much opposed to him digging in the yard... It's pure mud right now, very little grass, and this is my father's house. He has given up the battle to stop Freckles (one of his dogs) from digging, and I just don't want Donatello making the yard look any worse then it already does...

I mentioned the sandbox idea to my father months ago, lol, because I've heard of doing that before; He is opposed to having a sandbox, because we already have neighbor-cats roaming the yards looking for places to pee/poo. (That is a whole other horror story in itself.)

Anyway- I'm sure in Donatello's life-time he'll get his very own yard, which could very well have a sandbox, but right now my hands are tied...

wvasko · 10-01-2009, 05:37 PM

Well if he will hunt moles I'll will hire him full time. Salary and a mole commission

megbot · 10-02-2009, 05:42 AM

Perhaps you can get a sandbox like this:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...LAID=107506587

and put the lid on when he's not in there digging?

I personally think the digging is cute. My guy is SUPER happy to go outside and dig.

KBLover · 10-03-2009, 12:20 PM

I wonder if I'm "preventing" digging by playing the find it games with Wally. Sometimes I see him "digging" on his bed (it looks both cute and stupid at the same time - and I'm glad his nails can't rip it or I'd be using another word for it...) but when I play the find it with his dinner and such, I bury it under stuff so he has to use his nose and pull and "burrow" etc.

Wonder if that's giving him the outlet for that desire enough so that he doesn't do the digging elsewhere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deege39

He's beginning to scratch, violently, at a few patches of dirt. Now, the only thing I can think of is there's either a bug, or something that he smells, maybe even a small animal, but he's starting to "dig" and that's what I'm concerned with...

Probably - something has gotten his attention at those spots.

Maybe it's money. Wally has found a few dollar bills before.

deege39 · 10-03-2009, 04:03 PM

Well, KBLover, Donatello seems to be a lot like Wally, you do something new with them long enough and they just start picking it up like a trick, without any formal training...

The last few days, since I posted this... I have been very diligent with Donatello... However, for the time being he's stopped scratching, but it's something I'm waiting for. He was scratching/digging at the dirt with me standing right over him, hovering... I can't leave him alone for a second, otherwise I'm nervous he's going to start up again...

I believe all the rain may have unearthed some new bugs, or something, causing him to dig and scratch at the ground; now that the ground is drying up, and not as moist he's probably given up on his search.

Either way, I've restricted the time he has outside... He gets two walks around the neighborhood a day, and a couple romps around the backyard... I think that's sufficient, don't you?

MaddieTheDog · 10-04-2009, 03:44 AM

Maddie had the same problem..hasnt done it at this new house we're in.

Here's what I've read online...does not mean I necessarily condone it.

1) Send him in immediately. No more fun outside!
2) direct his attention elsewhere.
3) "No!" or "eh, eh!" whatever your term is, to get his attention off it.
4) put fresh poop (his, not another dog's) in the hole. They hate that. Doesnt mean they wont dig elsewhere, though.
5) Chicken wire it.
6) create a sandbox that is acceptable to dig in. Dont know how to train that, though...
7) this may be controversial, but fill the hole with water and put your dog's head in it.

deege39 · 10-04-2009, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaddieTheDog

1) Send him in immediately. No more fun outside!

I do that every day but it's not doing any good...

Quote:

2) direct his attention elsewhere.

Only works for a few minutes...

Quote:

3) "No!" or "eh, eh!" whatever your term is, to get his attention off it.

I do that every day, but it's still not doing any good...

Quote:

4) put fresh poop (his, not another dog's) in the hole. They hate that. Doesnt mean they wont dig elsewhere, though.

Uhhhh... I don't really want to do that, lol.

Quote:

5) Chicken wire it.

Can't do that.

Quote:

6) create a sandbox that is acceptable to dig in. Dont know how to train that, though...

Can't do this one either...

Quote:

7) this may be controversial, but fill the hole with water and put your dog's head in it.

That is very controversial, and I would never do that to any dog...

Thank you for the suggestions everyone... I'm not really sure what to do or where to go from here since many of these suggestions I've already trying working with diligently, and they're still not working...

But thank you anyway!

KBLover · 10-04-2009, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deege39

Thank you for the suggestions everyone... I'm not really sure what to do or where to go from here since many of these suggestions I've already trying working with diligently, and they're still not working...

But thank you anyway!

Take him someplace where he can get it "out of his system"?

Like an open area where who cares if he turns it into a maze of dog-trenches?

deege39 · 10-07-2009, 09:53 AM

Well, KBLover, I can't really seem to think of any place where I can let him do that...

Since the 30th now, he's not been left outside for any length of time; with or/and especially, with out my supervision... He can go outside to pee or poo, or if I plan on playing with him outside, if not he has to come right inside...

I'm hoping that might actually be a way to train this out of him, come to think of it...

When I started crate-training and everything, for some reason, Donatello had the hardest time going out in the yard and exploring... He's go pee or poo then come right back to hover around me, even constant shooing didn't work...

Finally, I got to the point that he was only outside to pee or poo then it was right back inside and downstairs to my room, sometimes to his crate... He finally got the message, and now when I take him outside he'll do his business, then he'll hang around the yard a bit, periodically looking at me, but for the most part he'll hang out in the yard until I call him... The message was, appreciate your freedom lol!

If he starts scratching, I'll bring him inside and he won't get to go back outside to the yard, until it's time for him to do his business again.