# Digging...



## GoldenGrady (Jun 5, 2009)

(I'm sure there has been lots of threads in the past on this, I appologize if this is a repetitive post) :doh:My male 14 month Golden has a bit of a digging issue. It was real bad after the thaw up here in Michigan. He digs along the fence line (some of the holes are amazingly deep) under the kids swing set, near the drain spout by the gutters and of course the flower beds. My wife had a few flats just planted and in less than 24 hours he trashed 1 of the flower beds. I've tries mouse traps, after I heard the snap he was in the middle of the yard playing with the trap like a toy. We try to keep him supervised but all it takes is a minute or so. It seems to come in waves where he'll dig for a day or 2, get corrected and he's good for a while but goes back to his old habits. He's a very obedient dog (for me, not my wife) is 100% on sit and recall etc. If it looks like he's about to dig I'll vocalize my disapproval and he'll be good, but if I'm not around you know what happens. Any suggestions would be appreciated, hopefully he'll outgrow this.

Mark


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## smiddit (Oct 17, 2009)

This sounds like my situation exactly. The second he sees me or hears my voice while he's digging he goes flat on his belly in the hole as if to try and cover it up! As I move towards him he moves away and gets the message. Give it 20mins and he's right back in there and with the size of his paws it's some size of hole in not a lot of time!!


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## MidasMom (Jun 2, 2010)

My golden does the same darn thing. I think I can see China in the hole he dug under my kids swingset. My Midas seems to do it more when myself or my kids are not out with him. I am sure he does it out of being bored or just cuz its plain fun to dig holes. Anyway, I find if I give him other options of play he digs less. If I am not able to be outside with him I fill several Kongs with various food treats like peanut butter, doggie treats, etc, and place them in different spots in the yard, spots away from his usual digging grounds. Works like a charm, at least for the times I cant be out there with him. Another thing I do on a regular is I exercise his little buns off. Lots of walks, swimming, you name it. A tired dog is a good dog, less likely to get in trouble. Good luck!


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Give him an area it is okay to dig in. My mom got some landscape timbers, blocked off a rectangle, and put a bag of loose dirt on top to encourage them to start digging (I've also heard of people burying milk bones to encourage them to start digging there). Now her dogs limit their digging to their spot.

Put some of his poop in his old holes, dog usually won't dig there then.


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## GoldenGrady (Jun 5, 2009)

My yard isn't conducive to a spot ok for digging....I do appreciate your advice, keeping him busy is the key, but I work during the day and my wife is busy with the 3 kids, they play with him a lot but he has his "free" time alone. Do you guys think he'll out grow this? This is my 1st Golden and couldn't imaging I'd ever love this darn thing like I do, but I could live without some of his antics.


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## nixietink (Apr 3, 2008)

The key is management. Never let him outside alone unless he is being watched like a hawk. Redirect, redirect, redirect when/if he starts digging. 

He is digging because it's fun and he's bored. He's young and has a bunch of energy. Before work make sure he gets plenty of exercise..talk him on a walk or take him somewhere to run off leash (no forced running on pavement yet). Maybe leave some things for him to do when your wife and kiddos can't keep him busy. Freeze some kongs with kibble and yogurt (or a little pb) or anything that is safe for dogs. Get some other interactive toys or bones to chew on your wife can quickly give him to occupy his time. If he is busy doing other stuff/is tired, and is being managed, digging is less likely to occur.

EDIT: If you don't have an area specific for digging, what about getting a sand box?


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## T Man (Mar 18, 2010)

Ditto on the sandbox comment, I don't let my two dig anywhere but in our sandbox. Slowly they seem to be getting it.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

We don't let our dogs dig... period. Not even in our sand area. 

What we have done to successfully stop digging, is when they dig a hole, we put their manure in it and cover it up. After a couple holes they stop digging. It has worked with every dog we have had that started digging. Of course if we catch them at it we holler at them and tell the they are bad dogs. The manure trick stops them from returning to that hole. They start just a couple more and if we fill it in and bury their stuff, the eventually stop. Don't know why it works but it does. 

Ann


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Temporary fencing works well too - especially for those times where you can't supervise and redirect.


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## goldengirl09 (Jul 23, 2009)

I definitely wouldn't do mouse traps but I had great success with the poop method- lol. I actually just did this last week b/c Harvey was trying to dig again. I picked up his poop from the backyard and put it in the areas where he had been digging and he hasn't dug anything since.

I was worried that he would just find a new place to dig but luckily that hasn't happened! 

Good luck!


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## Rhapsody in Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

My field bred Golden was a digger. If he smelled mice or rabbits, he would sniff and dig. My two girls, who are from show lines, could care less about rabbits, mice, or digging. 

I keep temporary fencing (the panels from 6 x-pens) stacked in my garage and it comes in handy. If there is mud - I use the fencing to close off the muddy area. If there is any digging, I fill in the whole and close off the area. If I need to give part of my yard a break - the fencing goes up. When I want to spend time with just one of them (say throwing a ball or training), the other two can come out and watch, but I pull the x-pen panels out and keep them in one area together while they wait their turn. 

The solution to digging is supervision - if they are bored, they will dig. 

Now that our digger is older, he has been reformed : ) Holes are not much of a problem for us - but during the puppy days, I had to watch him constantly. He could dig a tunnel to the next yard if we didn't pay attention. 

Hope this helps.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Penny went through this during her first summer, at 6 to 9 months old. The only thing that 'worked' was constant supervision. As you say, it takes only a moment so when she was out, I was out and supervising her was the only thing I did. By the following summer she had matured enough, been to obedience classes and no longer tried to dig. It was well worth the time it took to teach her not to dig.


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## OrdinaryEllen (Jun 20, 2010)

*once had a digger*

My dog Piper is a little younger than yours, he will be eleven months old on July 15th. He never digs although he'll take both paws and rapidly scratch the lawn without ever actually digging.

But once upon a time, I had a digger. Tori was a purebred chocolate Lab and the world's most determined digger. We tried everything, every product on the market. I remember one product was supposed to be very peppery and guaranteed but it appeared that she liked it because she would stick her nose in the sprayed area and then lick her nose and paws.

To make a long story shorter, at about two years she basically stopped on her own. We bought a colorado blue spruce from a nursery to be planted in the backyard. The nursery planned to charge $75 for digging the hole. One of Tori's holes remained, about four feet wide and two feet deep. I had them plant the tree there and saved $75.


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## Augie's Mom (Sep 28, 2007)

Fouling his digging hole with his poo was the only thing that worked. 

After a few times Augie got the message and gave up.


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