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10 Posts
Hi everyone,
Oreo is a ~16-week female former "rez-dog" we adopted a month ago (see my profile/album). She's been doing well physically (+2lbs per week and fit) and emotionally (cheerful/playful, loves her crate, the house, and the yard). There are lots of learning for her but so far so good
Around the same time that we adopted her, our next door neighbor also got a lab puppy. while we let Oreo play freely in our yard whenever someone is home, they mostly keep their puppy indoors. As such the two puppies have not officially met.
Between our yards is a 6ft wood fence; on our side there is also a garden walled off with 2-ft soft mesh -- mostly a "reminder" for Oreo not to wander into; we know Oreo could jump over it if she really wants, but hopefully with training she'll not do it (often). And she had not hopped into the garden during the week the mesh was up.
Anyway, everything changed this past weekend when the neighbor's puppy was released into their yard. Oreo would not be able to see her due to the fence, but she could hear and smell, I suppose, and she was determined to join her! She hopped into the garden and immediately started digging below the fence! I arrived no more than 2 minutes later and she already was able to push her nozzle over. I took her out of the garden and she immediately hopped back the moment I let her down. I had to put her on leash and distract her with treats/toys (and the neighbor took their puppy indoors for a while) to calm her down for the time being.
[Oreo does get super excited from time to time, and when she does, physical restraining (usually by picking her up, or holding on the leash if she's on leash) seems the only way to get her out of it -- commands and treats are completely ignored... This is also something I am looking for a soluition for.]
But just a while later, when the other puppy was again in the yard, Oreo hopped into the garden again and started digging again ... I had to take her indoors for the rest of the day.
I put a row of logs along the fence and filled the hole she dug. The next day we let her out and she seemed fine, until later of the day -- while I was not watching she quietly got back to the fence and started digging. This time the other puppy was not out at all. I caught her probably only a couple of minutes before she would have finished a working tunnel under the logs :redface:
She showed digging interest early on, but was never that determined. And it is a problem now because I would either have to constantly keep an eye on her while in my own fenced backyard, which would have to greatly reduce the amount of time she could be out; or to increase the border security (not sure how -- burying 2x8s along the base of fence?). Neither is a preferred solution.
So I am wondering if there is some training that could persuade she not to dig? Like mixing something into the soil to make digging unpleasant?
Thanks ...
Oreo is a ~16-week female former "rez-dog" we adopted a month ago (see my profile/album). She's been doing well physically (+2lbs per week and fit) and emotionally (cheerful/playful, loves her crate, the house, and the yard). There are lots of learning for her but so far so good
Around the same time that we adopted her, our next door neighbor also got a lab puppy. while we let Oreo play freely in our yard whenever someone is home, they mostly keep their puppy indoors. As such the two puppies have not officially met.
Between our yards is a 6ft wood fence; on our side there is also a garden walled off with 2-ft soft mesh -- mostly a "reminder" for Oreo not to wander into; we know Oreo could jump over it if she really wants, but hopefully with training she'll not do it (often). And she had not hopped into the garden during the week the mesh was up.
Anyway, everything changed this past weekend when the neighbor's puppy was released into their yard. Oreo would not be able to see her due to the fence, but she could hear and smell, I suppose, and she was determined to join her! She hopped into the garden and immediately started digging below the fence! I arrived no more than 2 minutes later and she already was able to push her nozzle over. I took her out of the garden and she immediately hopped back the moment I let her down. I had to put her on leash and distract her with treats/toys (and the neighbor took their puppy indoors for a while) to calm her down for the time being.
[Oreo does get super excited from time to time, and when she does, physical restraining (usually by picking her up, or holding on the leash if she's on leash) seems the only way to get her out of it -- commands and treats are completely ignored... This is also something I am looking for a soluition for.]
But just a while later, when the other puppy was again in the yard, Oreo hopped into the garden again and started digging again ... I had to take her indoors for the rest of the day.
I put a row of logs along the fence and filled the hole she dug. The next day we let her out and she seemed fine, until later of the day -- while I was not watching she quietly got back to the fence and started digging. This time the other puppy was not out at all. I caught her probably only a couple of minutes before she would have finished a working tunnel under the logs :redface:
She showed digging interest early on, but was never that determined. And it is a problem now because I would either have to constantly keep an eye on her while in my own fenced backyard, which would have to greatly reduce the amount of time she could be out; or to increase the border security (not sure how -- burying 2x8s along the base of fence?). Neither is a preferred solution.
So I am wondering if there is some training that could persuade she not to dig? Like mixing something into the soil to make digging unpleasant?
Thanks ...