Dig, Dig, Dig...
Yesterday we went out and left the monsters on the backyard (As we usually do), just to come back at night and find a 2 feet deep hole and all grass gone. We had a flower bed on a planter 3 feet high, but somehow they manget to climb up and dig some more... My wife found it hilarious  that after all the work it took me to finish the planter, these guys found a way to dig there too... I wasn't mad, but I didn't find it amusing. My flowers all gone!!!
I would never give up my doggies for a nice yard, I will admit that, but I'd like to live without the holes... I'm afraid I'll have chinese friends over for dinner one day if the digging keeps up |
|
|
I sprinkle cayenne pepper...it needs to be replenished every couple days because it seems to loose its punch... redo after it rains too. My two puppers just get a whiff & go somewhere else  They don't dig all over the yard...just the spots that are freshly planted...they love the soft dirt...must be easier diggin' |
| hahaha... I tried Pepper with Lennon once... He and Sofa like to lick the shakers to get more of it... sigh. Hot peppers? They love spices!... Maybe I should start a digging company. |
| Funny you mentioned this - I was just reading an OES book that I got at the NEOESR Auction and it talked about how much these guys love to DIG, DIG, DIG!
Maybe they're getting started on a swimming pool! 
Kristen |
| My first oes was a digger, and I was never able to stop her from digging, but I was finally able to teach her to dig in her own sandbox.... lol...
Here is a pic of Micaela proud of her holes in the yard. LOL  |
| No clue if this works or not, but I read it in a sheltie forum... maybe it works for sheppies too?
Plant a fully inflated balloon in their favorite digging spot. When the pupper goews to dig, the nails will pop the ballon, and scare them away from digging. Now it doesn't seem very nice to SCARE the dog out of digging, and I'm not sure if it works (the forum story was about a sheltie that would gently pick up the balloon and bring it back to their owner...) Well it's an idea anyways 
Karen |
| Oh my... Does that mean that I'm doomed?
I went to have lunch and found Lennon perched on a 3 feet high planter, happily chewing off the fruit and flowers from my orange tree. How in the world did he get there? My wife investigated and found out he can jump that high without any trouble, it's like jumping to the sofa for him... I was rather impressed, specially coming from a dog whose left shoulder was broken 5 months ago and limped when he walked. We'll give the ballon thingy a try, but I guess I'll have to start taking mandarine lessons just in case chinese tourists start coming out from one of their holes....
I forgot... They seem to be digging out of stress. There are some workers in the house next to ours, and they have been barking at them like crazy... Besides their super walks, is there anything else we could do to calm them down? |
| I don't have a link to a pic or even know what it's called but there is a toy shaped like a cube with all kinds of holes in it that you can stuff treats or peanut butter into. The dogs seem to love to chew them and working to get the stuff out of the holes is more challenging for them and keeps them busy, similar to a kong, but more to do. |
| Could it be this one: http://www.petco.com/product_info.asp?f ... nsing&ct3=
It's called the Buster Food Cube Dog Toy. Maybe that will keep them busy, thanks for the tip. |
| Stacey,
Were you talking about the I-cube? Jack and Annabelle love theirs, it keeps them busy for a very long time. Here is a link to it? http://www.sitstay.com/store/toys/intelli1.shtml Stormi and co. |
| i wish i could get roo to play with the buster cube, kong, or molecuball, but he is intent on making my yard swiss cheese! |
| Oh, the digging! Yes, dogs dig. The reasons vary from searching for cooler ground on which to lay, varmit chasing (in their minds), boredom or fun. I remember watching my husband dig a hole for a rose bush on one side of a large shrub while sheepie girl dig a hole on the other side of the shrub, just in case Dad wanted to plant another rose.
Try putting dog feces in their hole(s). It ends the digging in that spot, though they will often go onto a new area to dig. Unless they are digging for cooler ground, this is a passing phase. Older dogs don't dig (as much). |
| yes i heard doing the balloon trick works.i did that to keep the dogs off my new sofa.Well wanna know the outcome? Mickey loved it!!!! he thought it was there to be played with.so he nuzzeled the balloons off the sofa and with his nose he was throwing them in the air popping them with his teeth when he tried catching them.It did work a long a time ago with my 1st collie Rocky,but then again Rocky was a very good boy....hehe!! |
| That must have been funny... And you feel frustrated because your dog outsmarted you... It's happened to me before.
I may be concerned about the ballon trick... I Wouldn't want them to eat pieces of if, so I'll have to give it a try when we are home. They only dig when we are not home, seems that they know they'll be in LOTS of trouble if I ever catch them digging. Digging seems fun, I remember when we took Lennon to the mountains last year and he did some digging in the snow. I've never seen him doing something with so much enthusiasm in his life! |
saulmr wrote: I may be concerned about the ballon trick... I Wouldn't want them to eat pieces of if, so I'll have to give it a try when we are home. They only dig when we are not home, seems that they know they'll be in LOTS of trouble if I ever catch them digging.
I thought the same thing - if they ate the balloon after it popped - you could end up with a bigger problem than holes in your yard! I would assume it's a "separation anxiety" type of thing going on - if they only do it when you're not at home. Maybe you could try giving them something to chew on (a big marrow bone - that they couldn't choke on) and see if it deters them from digging. I think there's a spray to deter an animal from plants, etc. - you could look into that (as long as it isn't toxic obviously). My other concern would be if they could possibly dig under the fence and get out during one of these "digging parties" - is that something that could happen??? Kristen |
| Things got worse this week when we had some construction workers with the neighbor. You're right Kristen, there are some separation anxiety issues there, since my wife and I work and we leave them in the yard unsupervised during the day and they mey get bored.
The strange thing is that if we leave them inside when the weather does not cooperate, they are perfect dogs. No messes besides the trash can toppling and getting on the couches to take a nap. They have lots of toys in the backyard to play with, I guess they just like digging. I tried Grannic's Bitter Apple but Sofa seemed to enjoy the taste and chewed on things even more. Lennon likes to eat pepper and chili, so the taste did not deter him either. I tought about a large bone like the ones you see at the pet shop, but after seeing them dig and bury their rawhide toys, I tought I wouldn't like the idea of them turning the yard into an paleontogical site if I gave them bones.
I guess I'll have to pour concrete on the parts that are not covered yet and leave space for the trees and bushes that I have planted so far.... Hopefully they won't try to dig out a fully grown tree... sigh. Yesterday I played with them more than usual and that seemed to calm them down some... Maybe they are accumulating energy for winter. I remember lennon was like crazy last winter because the temperature allowed him to excercise all he wanted without overhating that fast. |
| Oh, yes Kristen, it sure is! Paige at age 10 is still a digger. Fortunately the episodes are much further apart. One day she dug her way out of the fence along the front of the property. She's a Great Pyrenees and when they are loose they are gone!!! The saying is a Pyr off leash or unfenced is a Dis-a-Pyr. Well, the gods were with us that day as she simply walked to the front gate and sat down waiting for us to let her back in. I'm thinking she nearly got herself hit by a car and it frightened her so she turned around (one theory) Another of her digging episodes was the Great Escape! She led the whole pack out of the hole: Pyrs, sheepdogs and a bearded collie. My husband was 50 feet away and didn't see the movement. A neighbor did and called to my husband. He in turn came and got me and it was roundup time. Beardie and sheepies came when called along with a Pyr who we promised cookies..........she's such a pig. The rest eventually came except for Sam.......who had fallen into the neighbor's pool......in November. He was OK, just cold and very happy to be rescued.
To discourage Paige's digging we have strung and electric wire around the bottom. When we see digging efforts, the electricity gets turned on until she gets past the phase. We have also dug down 18" and put wire fence vertically.........in our youth. Now it's easier to string the wire and flip the switch |
|
Dys-a-pyr....
Maybe Mickey had the soul of a pyr then, cuz she used to love to dys-a-pyr! |
| Ha! Digging! I am not sure if I told this story already, but, during the warmer weeks, Mops has discovered MUD! And the fact that if she digs in the mud (dirt) she will usually find something interesting...worms, rocks, sticks... One day I am peeking out the window checking in on the raskals, and I see Mopsey running with her head high up in the air with a HUGE worm handing out of her mouth. I go out to check it out... it is NOT a HUGE worm but a SMALL SNAKE!!! Yikes! Next to a small hole she sat down and proudly showed me what a good girl she is by getting me a real life snake. Well, at that point it wasn't very "live", if you know what i mean, but....yeeeekk! It was disposed of quickly. LOL Diggers on a rainy day are even more fun! LOL |
 A Snake!!!!
And I freaked out because they were playing with a huge spider last night...  At first I tought it was a grass root, then realized that it jumped when they touched it with their paws, then freaked out. My wife kindly disposed of it  I guess I don't like spiders at all.
By the way, the digging has reduced a lot after moving Lennon's house next to the tree they were trying to dig out and putting stuff on top of the planter. Seems that they have decided to pursue other interesting activities, like printing their paws all over the backyard wall and trying to jump at the workers... sigh. |
| I have a horrible fear of spiders. I just grab the closest cat to me and show them the offending spider. The spider then gets to be in the circle of life as food for the cat. I can't think of a better use for a spider. Yech!
I think Jack has a fear of mud. He will tip toe even in the dew as to not get his feet wet. If there is any sign of dirt on his feet, he will clean it immediatley. Annabelle has a radar, she see's mud and will literaly bounce over to it. She will roll in it and eat it, so that she gets good and covered and gets to get a bath. We have now made dirty days for her to go out and get really dirty. At least I don't have to give her a bath everyday that way. LOL Stormi and co. |
| I despise spiders! I get goosebumps just thinking about it! Bbbbrrrrr Is it ok for cats to eat spiders? Where I came from, the grandma's used to say that if an animal ate a spider they will get an inflated stomach! LOL I know that all of them are poisoneous...so, is it ok for cat to eat it???? |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|