Dog digging up my yard.

[gec5741]

My house is a year and a half old. The back yard isn't huge but plenty of room for my 2 medium sized yellow labs. One dog is almost 3 years old and the other about 2 years old. Well I just finally was able to afford getting my back yard fenced in so they can enjoy being outside. Well the first week of having the fence was great. They love being able to just go outside when they have too. But this week my younger dog has begun to dig. I can't have her ruining my yard by diggin holes all over. what can I do to get her to stop??? I got the fence so I didn't have to spend hours a day walking them and they can be outside where they love to be. Now not that I never walk them anymore. I like taking a nice walk with them But I dont' alway's have time every day to spend walking them. Is there something I can do to correct this behaviour? It's not like she's trying to burry anything. She just started digging for no reason. She has a few toys out there. I mean I can fix the holes I suppose but for one she will dig more holes then I can fix or just redig holes that have seed in them. If anyone has suggestions I'd love to hear them. I don't know what to do about this.

Thanks in advance.

[binka_nugget]

Does she dig in one area (along the fence), or is it all over the yard?

A nice alternative might be getting her a kid's sandbox. Tell her "No!" for digging in the yard, redirect her to the sandbox and let her dig there instead. :)

[emc]

This may sound weird, but fill the holes with the dog's poo-poo or, moth balls. Next time he digs he will get a surprise and be less likely to dig.

Your dog may be digging because its bored, in such a case make sure he gets plenty of exercise and give him some interactive toys to keep him busy. He can also be digging because he's hot, in that case make sure he has a shady place to go to and plenty of fresh water.

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[gec5741]

Well as far as where she's digging it's happend 2 times so far. The first time was in the middle of the yard. I refilled the area with dirt and seeded it. Then this morning she dug a little bit in that area again and started a new hole on the other side of the yard.

I think it may be out of boardome. I try and spend as much time with them as I can. But being a young father (my son is just 13 months old) it's hard to give them the amount of attention they want. I use to have to walk them for at least a half hour in the morning and after getting home from work before the fence. Now I just would like to be able to keep them out in the morning while we get ready for work. I figured they could play and get some fresh air and excersise. Maybe they would rather be up with us like there use too? I just don't have the time in the mornig really to walk them and make sure they go number 2.

Now if I filled the holes with there poo (so to speak) 1 will that prevent her from just digging a new hole someplace else? and 2 I want to repair the hole with grass. I really don't want my yard full of holes. I like to keep my grass nice.

I guess I can try and hang out with them till she goes to the bathroom and let them back in with me. I just didn't want to have to do that. I thought they would be happier outside. I guess she enjoy's herself a little too much!

[Pam]

Well before I read your thread I was going to suggest adding a second dog, but I see you already have two! :) I had a horrible digging problem with my Bella which totally stopped when I got Ripley. In my case it was boredom on Bella's part and having Ripley out there with her stopped it immediately. I had to smile because you also mentioned boredom in your thread. :)

I guess until your younger dog matures a little and gets through this phase you will just have to watch them when they are outside and correct the behavior when you see it. I know that is easier said than done! Good luck!

[emc]

Depends on the dog, if she keeps finding doggie doo when she digs she may give up figuring "this isn't fun anymore"

Digital Paint Pet Portraits
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[catnapper]

Dogs dig for several reasons. One that immediately pops to mind at this time of year: they dig to find a nice cool spot to lay. Are the holes wide enough to lay in? Then your dog is most likely trying to find a respite from the hot sun.

More likely though, they are digging because digging is just plain fun (fun if you're a dog.) You already indicated you might know the source of the problem: they are now outside on their own instead of walks. The #1 mistake people make is getting a fence thinking their dogs will LOVE the new yard. They think THEY'D like the be outside in a nice big yard to roam and do as they please. Unfortunately, dogs don't see it as that. Imagine this: you are used to going to plays and seeing great theatre. You thoroughly enjoyed your socializing during the plays and afterwards. You looked forward to the theatre every day and eagerly awaited the next show. You got excited every time you heard about scoring new tickets. Now all of the sudden the person who took you to the theatre decided they're too busy and bought you a big screen TV. They thought you'd love it. You can sit and watch all sorts of shows all afternoon long! instead, you feel jilted. Sure you can watch Les Misrables on the TV, but its not the same! Doesn't your patron know its not just the play but its the acitivty, the mingling, the time spent together?

Put yourt son in the stroller and take him and the dogs for a walk. Its great for all of you. Before you tell me its impossible, trust me, its not. I often walk my grandson, Nicki, and my neighbor's dog (Nicki's the mutt in my signature, no small critter, and Gracie is a Golden). I get funny looks and sometimes its interesting to see which way the dogs decide they're taking me, but we all get out and about just fine.

If you can't be there to walk them, then the best thing is to make an appropriate digging spot for them. They're going to dig to work out energy and find interesting things. Its better to have one small area with holes than a whole yard.

Also, think of it this way: is it quicker and easier to take a half hour walk once or twice a day than it is to go to the store, buy seed, repair holes, and tend to hole til the seed grows and matures? Trust me, Nicki was a champion digger in her day, until I realized it was easier and less time consuming to walk her than to ignore her. Ignoring her meant lots of cleanup afterwards.