Digging

[C.C.'s Mom]

Cookie likes to dig deep muddy puddles in the garden. I never liked this behavior in the beginning, and so she's only in the garden under supervision and has to come in the second she starts to dig.

Is there a way to stop her doing this? I tried everything, from spraying water to 'no', but nothing seems to help.

We've got a very small garden, and it looks so horrible there that we've got the blinds closed all the time so that visitors don't see it.

[Dixieland Dancer]

Sprinkle the entire area with a hot pepper such as cayanne (spelling?) or something very similar. Regular black pepper doesn't seem to be as effective.

[AdoreMyDogs]

I have also heard of either burrying her own poop...collect it all, get a good amount, and start burrying the poop in her favorite digging spots. I have also heard of blowing up balloons and burying them throughout the dogs' favorite digging spots. It gives the dog a shock to have a balloon explode while they dig their hole, and also they don't like to get their feet all covered in their own poop.

Good luck

[Pam]

CC's Mom I feel your pain! Bella loves to dig, ESPECIALLY after a rain. She doesn't dig in the same place very often so my yard has lots of little craters in it right now. If I watch her the whole time she is out she will respond to NO DIG! and come over to me. If I don't watch her, I risk having another crater. Unfortunately the times I don't enjoy keeping a watch on her is in the pouring rain so I only have myself to blame. The cayenne pepper sounds good, though, and I may try it. There is one area that she does go back to at times. I'll see if it works there.

[C.C.'s Mom]

I'll try the cayenne pepper (will get me a kilo bag somewhere this weekend) and sprinkle it all over the garden because she simply digs into the grass.

This is a wet Cookie after a dig party in the garden in the rain.



I can't collect Cookie's poop. I've taught her to only go potty when we're out for a walk and not in the garden. She usually goes into the bushes (taught her that too so that I don't have to clean the streets afterwards).

The balloons sounds pretty good too. Will try that if the pepper doesn't work.

[Cincy'sMom]

I have been meaning to ask for advice on stopping the digging for awhile. With Sadie we tried the hot pepper, the water, nothing seemed to work whatever we put in her digging spots, she loved!! (how many dogs eat cayenne pepper?) Eventually, with enough No's! she got it. Now that we have Cincy, we again have a war zone. We have not found anything that will stop her yet. I did see in a Drs. Foster and Smith catalog a product called "no Dig" that is supposed to be an herbal supplement, safe for plants, grass, humans and pets that will stop the digging. Has anyone heard of this or tried it?

[Randi]

Or perhaps it's like with cats, they don't like winegar! Worth a try!?

[carrie]

This one can become a huge battle - the behaviour is rewarding for the dog and most of us just don't have the patience or time to watch every second the dog is outside.
Try giving in.....let them dig!! Even hide toys so that they can find them and have a really good time!!
BUT - dig out a small bed or corner and fill with sand mixed with compost and shredded bark. Pick a week when you can be around for this area to become available to the dog when you CAN be around and concentrate on the problem. Introduce the area as a really fun place to be - get digging yourself, show the dog the toys you are hiding, just under the surface at first. Allow only short visits that are VERY fun for the first few days. For some, this is enough to focus attention on the digging area. Others will still need redirecting for a little while.

A great game to teach the dog is to "find". It is just like a fetch game but the dog doesn't see you hide the toy in the digging area. (At first you allow the dog to watch you stick it under the sand after you have played normal fetch and the dog is into the game - gradually build it up, make it fun and exciting not an excersise and the dog should soon understand that this bit is O.K. to dig in and the rest not.)

In my defence, before you all rush out to dig pits and sacrifice your favorite shrub in the process, not ALL dogs go for this. You are going to have to judge this one on your own - I have done it successfully with 7 out of 11 diggers that I tried it with. Not the kind of statistic I'm usually happy with I have to confess but when it works - it's brilliant!

[Logan]

Carrie has suggested what I have seen so many times before. Build a sandbox for your dog. I haven't done it yet, myself, thus finding Honey and Lilly heads down in a hole this morning! LOL!
I have also heard of using Alum powder (in the spice section at the grocery store) as a deterrent, like the Cayenne Pepper.
Let us know what works!!

[mary_jsn]

I've read in a book that many dogs dig for nature. And THAT you van't get it out of them. Some do it just for fun and others do it to have a cool place to lie on. I suggest the same that carrie says. Build him a sandbox. Try putting sand on it instead of soil to make it stand out. Hide toys and stuff.

[MichelleN]

Well, my two only dig in the flower beds and they have 2 and a half acres that they could dig to their hearts content!!! I think they get too hot and this is a way to cool down, they have a kids splash pool but only Romulus will get in and only if we ask him to (Digby thinks we're trying to trick him into gettting a bath!!)

I guess my solution would be something that stays cool and in the shade, any suggestions welcome!!!!

[MichelleN]

Well, my two only dig in the flower beds and they have 2 and a half acres that they could dig to their hearts content!!! I think they get too hot and this is a way to cool down, they have a kids splash pool but only Romulus will get in and only if we ask him to (Digby thinks we're trying to trick him into getting a bath!!)

I guess my solution would be something that stays cool and in the shade, any suggestions welcome!!!!

[C.C.'s Mom]

We're still on the battle with it. I also have the impression that spooky Cookie is in her puberty and likes to battle with me too!

This morning she got all worked up in the garden (it really is very small, a city garden - enough for a bit of grass and a tree), running around, pulling some little plants out (that I just planted there of course) and had her nose in the mudd again. Even though I had the cayenne pepper. It's a game for her.

The same on the playgroup, digging till she drops. She was covered with black horrible dirt all over.

Guess we'll try what Carrie advised and build a corner with sand for her (although I don't hope that the cats are going to use it as toilet - we just got Cookie of the catpoo!)

[carrie]

I can promise that every cat in the neighbourhood WILL see it as a big litter tray - so a cover of some sort is a must!