Stop digging

[dj_pnevans]

My son's dog dig's hole's I have tried the following.
Balloons in the hole.
Pepper and curry.
Smacking him but hard to catch him digging.
Giving him a sand pit to dig in.
The only thing so far that is sort of working is putting his poo in the hole, but then he digs some where else.
I was told today to fill the hole with water then put his nose in the water for about 30sec, but he is a strong dog.
(Rottie x Lab)
We put down some roll grass and he dug it up, then we put wire over it and tent peg to hole it down no good.
He has heaps of toy to play with and my wife is home most of the day.
Any ideas?
David

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I was told today to fill the hole with water then put his nose in the water for about 30sec, but he is a strong dog.

That's what my ol' man did to his last dog. It worked... but gave her a morbid fear of water. For a while there she even refused to go anywhere near her water bucket. :(

[ian]

Not that I'm a dog owner, but I believe Labs (or is it retrievers?) love to dig

You could try wearing the dog out

take it for a very long walk/run morning, noon, and night

[tea lady]

You could try ignoring it when it digs. Like porposely get up and turn your back on it and don't look. The worst insult ever.:rolleyes: To a dog anyway. Maybe your focus on it has focused the dog on it too and it can't think of anything else to do. Maybe teach it something else to praise it for? :shrug: Don't know what though. Its prolly bored. At least mine is content to sleep at my feet when I am not doing anything interesting. Although she does go toy hunting every now and then. Dogs are tricky things . I reckon some are just wired to do certain things. :doh:

Oh! Just read your first post again and you say you don;'t catch him at it. That is tricky. :think:

[dj_pnevans]

Well went out into the back yard today and found four holes. I filled one with water and put his head in it. I got wetter then the dog, I filled all hole and returned half an hour latter and found he dug one more hole. So filled it with water, the dog took of into his bed. That didn't stop me I did the same and got wetter. Now I don't want to go out there until Sunday, it give's me time to carm down.
David

[pugwash]

Not that I'm a dog owner, but I believe Labs (or is it retrievers?) love to dig

You could try wearing the dog out

take it for a very long walk/run morning, noon, and night

DO NOT DO THIS! All you will end up with is a really fit dog that can dig holes deeper and bigger, and faster than you can fill them in.

[DavidG]

I just dropped a large roundish rock in the hole.

[dj_pnevans]

DavidG was the dog under it?:U:U
David

[DavidG]

No.

But every time the dog tried to dig, the rock kept rolling around in the hole.

[dj_pnevans]

I will have to get a few rocks to give it a go.
David

[terry arnold]

David
I have tried everything suggested in the other posts and the dog still digs she even dug under the front wheel of my ute to the extent the wheel dropped into the whole and almost killed the stupid thing after I got her out I thought well that should stop her, no luck, I took her to the vet and he couldn't suggest anything else except to put her down but as digging is her only vise I' am getting lots of practice filling in holes. I hope you have better luck than I.


Cheers Terry

[tea lady]

Your not living on top of an old cemetery are you?:?:rolleyes: Or put blood and bone on the garden? :think: Maybe you could give the dog something else to puzzle over like one of those conker things filled with peanut butter? :shrug: Or scatter a hand full of dry dog food over the whole back yard (like feeding chocks ) so it can spend the whole day sniffing them out. :D (this was also suggested by the vet at puppy school for dogs that ate their diner too quickly. :cool: )

[Ashore]

Lead about 1/2 an ounce
Why do you people put up with this and then complain about it or

Dogs are a pack animal they understand discipline and how the hierarchy of the pack works
drive a tent peg into the bottom of the hole, use a short chain make sure the dogs nose in the hole , hit hard ( don't do any damage) the dogs nose with a rolled up newspaper 5-10 hits, leave for 5 minutes unchain the dog walk aminal around the yard , rechain dog in the hole wack and leave again for 5 minutes, repeat with any future holes, dog stops digging after 2 holes , only do this if you have plenty of toys for the dog and you walk run play with the dog EACH DAY, AND THIS IS YOU not the wife not the kids you , otherwise dont have a dog

[pugwash]

Try giving your dog a sandy area of his own to dig. Bury some treats in it. (Let him see you do this the first time.) Praise him a lot when he digs in the correct place. Shout at him when he digs in the wrong place. (A low growly voice works best) Please don't hit him on the nose with anything, or you risk damaging his sense of smell, then he'll never find the treats.

Remember, unless you catch him in the act of digging its a waste of time punishing him, he won't associate the punishment with the crime and will have no idea why he's in trouble.

If your dog has even the smallest bit of labrador in him, a large leg bone will keep him busy for a couple of hours. (Obviously don't do this if he buries his bones, you don't want any more holes!)

[rat52]

My old dog was a lab x bull terrior Tough as. but I found the water in the hole trick worked as long as I gave her some where else to dig .Also as punishment I would roll her on her back grab her by the throat and growl with my teeth bared. This reinforced my dominance over her without physical harm in a way dogs understand.

[dj_pnevans]

Pugwash I tried that it worked for a bit but not to long.
Wet outside this morning and only found two holes, did the water in hole trick and left him. Went back out late that day and no new holes. I called him over he was a bit cautious of me but after a pat and hug he was happy, so I got a couple of his toys and hug them up so he can swing of them as a reward. See what happens Monday when I get home.
David

[dj_pnevans]

Good news no new holes:2tsup:
David