Help with dog digging

[puppylove64]

I have a 4.5 month boxer/bulldog mix. She is so bad! Always into mischief! So she has been digging up every new flower/bulb/shrub I have planted. She also ate several vegetable seed pods (the whole thing). What can I do to keep her out of my plants?

She has free roam of the yard. Only way of locking her up would be to put her in the kennel for 9-10 hrs a day

[cmeon]

Get a dog walker (or find a way to come home for a break at lunch) and keep her inside in kennel/crate. You're lucky she's only making a mess. What did you think a puppy would do on her own out there? Diggers will dig out some time.

[redheadbaker]

She sounds bored. How much exercise does she get? You describe her as "bad" -- how much training do you do? Mental exercise can be as tiring as physical.

[Deleted]

May 12, 2015 19:35:24 GMT -5 @gracie6414 said:

There are very few dogs who can be outside in the yard for 9-10 hours a day without getting mischievous, they're not naturally bred to sit nicely in the yard.

Your dog needs more exercise, lot more, a job (marrow bone) and supervision in the yard. Diggers generally can't be left to their own devices alone in a hard once the digging has already yielded positive (to them) results.m

Agree. My mom has a normally very sweet husky---bad digger...and small animal attacker when unsupervised.  No good. 

[cmeon]

FOUR (and a half) MONTHS OLD, left alone all day in a yard, guys! We aren't talking about a dog. It's a brand new puppy!

This is like leaving a toddler in a white room with a giant pack of crayons and an open front door- you better be happy if the worst thing that happens is that they masterpiece the crap out of everything.

I honestly don't understand why people get puppies when they won't be home at all during the day- what's the point? There are plenty of older, mature animals in need of a home that would have no problem with that schedule. Puppies need SO much more than this.

If you can't find a way to keep her safe during the day, you need to do what's right and return her NOW- while she still has her cute puppy face to amp up her chances for adoption. Don't let this drag out.

[puppylove64]

She is perfectly safe outside all day and she has two other dogs to play with. They have toys to play with in the yard but she chooses to tear up plants. I was hoping there was something safe to spray on the plant to make her not like it. Or someone could recommend a good barrier/fence for gardens. So apparently people with jobs aren't allowed to take on new pets?!

I get that she is a puppy and will be mischievous. She seems to be getting enough exercise and training. I've had a lot of dogs and she seems to be my most challenging. I'm not going to rehome her over this though...thanks....

[Deleted]

All puppies are different, and some are more mischievous than others. It's completely normal, and expected, for a 4.5-month-old puppy to dig and mess up the garden. My dog tried digging and eating plants as a puppy too, and she was never out unsupervised. In the 5 minutes we'd go out with her in the yard for potty, she'd manage to start digging and chewing wood chips, etc. I distracted her with a ball or Frisbee, and eventually she outgrew the behavior (over a period of months). I do not think the digging would go away on its own, it's super fun for them.

There are deterrent sprays you can spray on things, like Bitter Apple, to keep dogs away, but it doesn't always work and I don't know if it will damage the plants or not. I think it will likely kill the plants. That also won't solve the digging issue. You can't expect the other dogs to keep your puppy in line, or your puppy to follow what the others are doing. Your pup is basically completely free to do whatever for 10 hours a day, and she will choose to do whatever the most fun activity is. For now I do think it would be safer and much easier to keep her crated and have a dog walker come to let her out during lunchtime, or bring her to doggie daycare. You could technically put a small enclosure around the garden area, but that won't solve the digging problem. The digging can be dangerous, especially if she escapes from the yard.

[cmeon]

None of your dogs are "perfectly safe" unsupervised in a yard all day. I truly hope that they continue to be lucky- but, they aren't safe.

Puppies require immense amounts of socialization, obedience training, and exercise- where on earth are you finding the time for that when you're gone from the house for 10 hours of the day, have two small children, and... I assume... like to occasionally sleep? I did do puppies while working long hours (albeit, before kids). We staggered our work schedules so I left two hours earlier and got home two hours earlier than he did, one of us came home at lunch to walk the them, and we did puppy classes on the weekends. We made it work- but, it was intense.

[puppylove64]

May 13, 2015 8:47:33 GMT -5 cmeon said:

None of your dogs are "perfectly safe" unsupervised in a yard all day. I truly hope that they continue to be lucky- but, they aren't safe.

Puppies require immense amounts of socialization, obedience training, and exercise- where on earth are you finding the time for that when you're gone from the house for 10 hours of the day, have two small children, and... I assume... like to occasionally sleep? I did do puppies while working long hours (albeit, before kids). We staggered our work schedules so I left two hours earlier and got home two hours earlier than he did, one of us came home at lunch to walk the them, and we did puppy classes on the weekends. We made it work- but, it was intense.

9-10 hours is worst case scenario, which means she is better outside than locked in a kennel. Beyond that, you know nothing about me or my situation so I don't know why you were so quick to judge and attack. All I asked for was some help preventing a dog from digging specific plants. Digging is perfectly fine, acceptable puppy behavior, I just want specific plants protected. So thank you so much for giving me absolutely no help whatsoever. I hope you keep your judgement to yourself next time someone just needs some honest help.

[dearprudence]

May 13, 2015 12:50:35 GMT -5 puppylove64 said:

All I asked for was some help preventing a dog from digging specific plants. Digging is perfectly fine, acceptable puppy behavior, I just want specific plants protected.

Well quite obviously you should just tell the dog.  "Dog, these plants are off limits.  Please limit your digging to the other areas of the yard.  And since we won't be around to keep an eye on you, if you could also refrain from digging deep enough to get out of the yard that would be great.  And also, don't eat anything you might dig up, because if you get sick or die, we won't know for several hours and the other dogs could not get their shit together during that basic first aid class we enrolled them in several years ago."

[cmeon]

Look, you don't like my solution (keep your puppy indoors and find someone to relieve them midday)- that doesn't mean it wouldn't solve your problem. I will continue to judge leaving puppies (and frankly, grown dogs in most situations) outside alone all day (and/or night)- I would be happy to start a long list of the reasons this is unsafe, but, let's face it- you're not listening.

[katietornado]

The only way to stop a digging dog is to supervise at all times. That's it. That's the only way to stop it.

As for being safe in the yard, I would disagree. I have fostered 35+ dogs over the past 6 years. I've had 3 that had allergic reactions to bee stings in our yard (while I was there with them). One was so serious he needed an antihistamine injection. His airway was closing up. That's a best case scenario. Worse, someone could steal the dogs, another dog could get in, your dogs could dig out, they could kill a neighbor's roaming cat, etc. It's just not ideal.


Anyway, it sounds like you need to crate the dog indoors, and get a dog walker. We have a neighbor in his 60s who comes over every day at lunch to let the dogs out into the yard. We pay him $5 a day. It's the most wonderful $5 I spend every day; I know my pups are home safe in the house all day, but also that they get a chance to go out in case I'm home later than expected. Do you have a neighbor like this, or maybe a trustworthy teen neighbor who could help out?

I've had a few diggers, and the only way their digging was resolved was direct and constant supervision. One family built a sandbox and redirected their dog to it. He then expended 95% of his digging efforts in the sandbox...it was adorable!

Also, with a pup of those breeds, at that age, exercise is key. I have a herding breed adopted at about a year old from a shelter. He. Was. Insane. We would have him out an hour before work, an hour at lunch, and an hour after work, JUST TO TAKE THE EDGE OFF. But he quickly showed us that a tired dog is a good dog. Do you have time in the morning to get your pup some exercise? Then crate her for the day with a Kong, so she has something to work on.

Good luck; digging sucks, and it's not fun or easy to resolve.