19-10-2002, 10:05 PM
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Dog digging garden help
The poop is a good suggestion, no edibles in there. Thank you!
"Nicole H" wrote in message
.. .
You say your dog has other places to dig... that's very important. Maybe
you cn place treats in those areas so when he digs there, he get rewarded.
One thing that usually works is to fill the hole with the dog's poop.
They
usually won't dig there again... may start another hole but you just
repeat
the process. I don't know if this would be a good idea in a vegetable
garden though.
What about an electric fence? That should work and would be easier than
fencing in the area.
This info should be helpful
Nicole
DIGGING HOLES
Ever since dogs were dogs, dogs have dug holes to make nests for sleeping
in
at night, for keeping cool in during hot days, burying bones and hunting
for
food, dogs may dig holes just for the "fun of it", just to have something
to
do, to relieve stress or boredom. In fact the behaviour of digging holes
has
been developed in the dog to be quite an efficient and "happy" earth
mover.
Digging to a dog is a natural canine activity, there is however one common
thread to all the reasons dog's dig holes..
"Digging holes is rewarding to the dog".
When we have a problem with a dog "digging holes", its the owners that
have
the problem, the dog is usually quite happy "digging holes", the real
problem for the owners is where the dog is digging the holes.
Many owners make the mistake of trying to stop the dog digging any holes
at
all, by punishing the dog for digging the hole after the event, many
formulae and methods have been suggested and tried over the years to stop
dogs digging, some downright cruel, harsh and abusive, nearly all using
some
form of punishment to suppress a behaviour that is not only enjoyable,
serves the immediate needs of the dog, but also has many thousand years of
reinforcement. The sad part is that some of these harsh methods actually
work and suppresses digging behaviour, the dog in many cases learns not
only
"not to dig holes" but not to dig in the presence of the owner, nearly all
these methods are harmful to the relationship and trust between dog and
owner. Another aspect of using harsh methods is the danger of displacement
behaviour which may be worse and more difficult to address than the
original
behaviour of digging holes.
So, how should we deal with a digging problem?, the first thing to
recognise
is the cause or reason "why" the dog is digging holes, if it is for pure
pleasure, then it is easy to train the dog to dig in a sand pit, using
random rewards buried in the sand, using a sand pit would also keep the
dog
from getting too dirty . It could be a habit that has been reinforced and
developed over time, in other words a trained "enjoyable" self reinforcing
behaviour, lasting long after the original cause has disappeared. Or, as
is
most common, digging holes is the only release of stress that the dog can
find in many hours of lonely existence in a empty back yard, the mental
exercise alone from digging can be extremely rewarding to such a lonely
dog,
but the attention lavished upon the dog on the owners return even more
rewarding, especially if the digging of holes actually "brings" the owner
home!!!. To a dog craving attention, physical and verbal abuse can be very
rewarding.
The behaviour of digging holes will decrease and eventually disappear if
the
reinforcement the dog gets for digging is removed, provided that the cause
or reason why the dog is digging is removed, by enriching the dog's
environment, keeping the dog occupied with things to do (apart from
digging)
during long period's of confinement, use a "kong" T stuffed with dry dog
food (and peanut butter) for your dog to find, also get a "buster cube" T
to
keep your dog mentally and physically active with something to do during
long boring periods alone. Have a friendly neighbour drop a food loaded
"kong" T over the fence at odd times, allow for this food out of your
dog's
normal diet. Another helpful activity for your dog is lots of exercise,
your
dog will enjoy being taken out on regular walks and outings which will
reduce the effect of stress and boredom when left alone, and allow you to
enjoy your dog more.
In conclusion, to change your dog's behaviour, first recognise the cause
of
the behaviour, remove this cause, and replace it with something that you
want him to do instead, reward all good behaviour, there is never a need
to
punish your dog, in short "catch your dog doing it right". and reward him.
Robert Loftus
http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/rloftus/digging.htm
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