Structured digging? A garden buddy?
I'm wondering if anyone uses their OES' digging habits to their advantage? I was thinking, that a lot of sheepies like to dig- has anyone trained them specifically to help out with digging holes for them in the garden? Yes, I know you probably wouldn't get a really even hole, but maybe, if you could teach them to dig, and then stop when they're deep enough, and you can widen, or narrow the hole as needed? I don't know- it sounds really great! I'm not so sure (my thinking is, if it becomes a structured activity, you wouldn't have to worry so much about problem digging?) Anybody given it a try? Thoughts? Karen  |
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| Oh yes! From the time Tucker was small he loved to help dig. Now we only have to plant the tip of the shovel in the ground and will dig our hole.
He just loves it so much. He has helped pland 3 lilacs, 2 butterfly bushes, 3 roses and has helped to turn over the garden. It may be crazy, but he is so pleased with himself when he digs, and he gets to be with his people. When it is hot he will dig down to the moist dirt and lay in the hole with his belly touching the dirt. When we used the playpen he would lay beside the baby while we did yardwork. He just loves to dig! Shellie |
| That sounds great- how do you get him to start/stop digging when you want him to? Does he help plant the smaller plants too, or just the shrubs?
Karen |
| Our first sheepie, Prince loved to dig in the summer.
He would dig like mad, a good size hole, then jump in!!! You would just see two sheepie eyes peeking out of his white hair and his big sheepie nose from his trench. He always went to the same spot, to the left of our big shade tree near the garden where the ground was soft. On warm days he was in solid comfort in the cool soil !! |
| Stopping is easy, if you can get his attention. He has a ball, the oversized
tennis balls you can sometimes find at Walmart. He of course pops these right away, but even popped he loves to chase them. So when we want him to stop digging, we tap him with the ball and then throw it as hard and fast as we can. He will usually chase the ball and by the time he gets back the shovel is on the ground and he doesn't try to resume digging. Or if I give him something else to do, like carry something to someone, or the like he will stop digging. He loves to work and he loves to please and will do just about anything if I teach him how. He is having a bit of an attention problem right now with the new puppy around. He couldn't be happier, but is often so interested in the puppy that he goes "puppy deaf" as we call it. We have not tried and small holes however, because one swipe of his big paw would surely overdo it for any bedding plants. He loves to garden- well actually he loves to eat my garden. Every morning during the season we go out to the garden and more times than not he will find something to eat. He loves cucumbers and will eat them right in the garden if you don't watch him. He eats all sorts of things in the garden. I keep telling him it isn't a buffet, but he doesn't listen. Right now I can't keep either dog out of my lettuces. I have several kinds and before I even got any starts planted they had pulled the spinach and the red leaf lettuce right out of the packs and chewed the tops right off! I love the company while doing yard work too - and I never have to worry about anyone sneaking up on me because the dogs sound the alarm. Shellie |
 I don't think I'd like to encourage Sofa's digging habits. She digs a hole almost every day in a different place of the garden. Even a 4 feet tall planter did not stop her from digging up my flowers and ornamental trees... sigh. |
| We really lucked out there! We never had many problems with Tucker
digging "unwanted" holes! The only time we had a problem was when he wanted to get to the neighbors dog on the other side of the fence. They have just enough room in the fence holes to touch faces and that just didn't suit Tucker. We found out about his digging abilities by accident. 
Shellie |
| My first oes was a digger and was so proud of her holes all over the yard. I could never train her not to dig, but I was successful in training her to dig in a designated area. I made her a sandbox of her own, and taught her she could only dig there. Sand is much easier to brush out than mud and grass anyway, it worked well and kept us both happy. LOL |
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