How to stop dog digging up garden

GG66

I'm sure lots of people have this problem and it's all part of a dogs nature, but he's destroying the lawn and its winter now so it gets mucky..I never catch him in the act so here's no point in scolding him

anyone conquered this.

Nala

How long is he out in the garden for every day?
He's probably doing it out of boredom.

Tabitharose

without further details - have to agree with Nala from what you said the dog is probably bored silly

GG66

My partner and I both work from home so he's in the garden all day and get's regular company and walks. In the evenings he gets to come inside and hang out with us. So i doubt it's down to being bored silly.

That said, he's a German Shepherds Dog so he's likely to get bored quicker than other dogs and he's also a pup which adds to the possibility.

He has about 1/2 an acre of garden to the back of the house but he seems to like to come and dig up the lawn to the front.

I've read elsewhere to fill the hole with his own poop and cover it over. Apparently he won't like diggin it. I'll try it but I can see him just digging elsewhere.

BTW, if you knew he was doing it out of boredom, what would you suggest to relieve his boredom?

SuzyS1972

If you work from home then why can't he be in with you more- that way he would be stimulated with the company and he won't be digging the garden.
If he's a pup / young dog then he really is going to be set back from lack of socialisation with both humans and other dogs on a regular basis.

I hope that this dog doesn't sleep outside aswel - that way he is only getting minimal contact with his owners.

This is a young dog - taken from a pack of other dogs and left in a garden all day long - no matter what size the garden is - he's not going to run around on his own and wear himself out - any one seen a dog do this ?
GSD's are a working breed and are one of the breeds that really seek company and suffer separation anxiety when their owners leave them.

Try filling a hollow bone with pate / dog food or giving him a large rawhide chew to at least alleviate some of the boredom if he must be out when you're in.

He is at a critical time in his life for learning and shaping future behaviour so I would urge you to spend a little more time with him.

How would you feel locked in a garden all day long knowing your family are inside.
Try it some day honestly - sit in your garden for 6 hours with no TV , no Magazines and see for yourself.

Also I would suggest you enrol in some puppy classes - at least that way he is learning while meeting other dogs too.

Nala

Leaving a dog outside all day on his own is just downright cruel in my opinion. Especially a GSD, one of the most intelligent breeds in the world. The boredom could very well leave him neurotic, why do you leave him outside while you're inside? A dog is a pack animal, they don't like to be left alone. I can never understand people who get a sociable, intelligent creature like a dog, only to leave it in the garden the whole time.

Ramon

Is he the only dog?

A companion may help solve the problem, worst case scenario he'll have some help with the digging but more likely he'll discover that there are other more fun things to do then dig. It might be an idea to given him dedicated digging areas like a couple of sandpits, filled with rubber toys etc. He'll soon learn that digging in the pit results in rewards that aren't found when digging the lawn.

Best of Luck

Ramon

SuzyS1972

A companion can be a good idea if the dog is a little more mature and properly socialised
From what I've read here the 2nd dog would just be a 2nd bored dog.

A puppy will learn from it's counterpart which is why 2 puppies should not be homed together. They form a bond with each other and take their cue from each other as opposed to forming that crucial bond with the owner in the first 6 months of life.

Spend a little more time on the one dog you do have rather than adding to the problem !

Ramon

We don't know that the dog is digging out of boredom, and can't tell from just two posts - that's a bit of a quick judgement - what if the frontlawn was fertilised with bonemeal and that's why it's the only place he's digging. Besides, lots of dogs are away from their owners during the day as most people work outside the home, but it doesn't amount to neglect if they are provided with a secure place with food, shelter and stimulation...hence company from another dog.

As for not having two young dogs together...that sounds like another flavour of the month dog behaviour quote. Fair enough it is more common to have inter-female agression between litter siblings, but that's pretty much as far as it goes. Dogs are social animals, particularly GSDs, so two is better than one particularly if he has to be away from his humans for a period of time..

SuzyS1972

Maybe it's just me then - I don't see th point in having a dog if it's out in the garden all the while you are in in the day and it's digging ?
I can understand the mystery if the owners are out working all day but surely they could actually monitor the dogs behaviour and see for themselves.

Diggin out of boredom is not illogical conclusion to make really - but yes I would agree that a 2nd dog is better than nothing at all !
In an ideal world I would rather the owners spent time with the dog rather than buy a 2nd one but hey thats in an ideal world

Ramon

I get where you're coming from - if I was lucky enough to be in a position that I could work from home my hounds would be by my side all day. I can't so it's a pack for company - although they're an indoor pack at that. But sometimes damage limitation is the best you can do - at the end of the day a dog needs company whether it's from another dog or people - so if you can't get the human leopard to change it's spots you have to change something else that improves the mutt's life.

While many people come on discussion boards and try to "help" in a situation, I don't think an agressive stance works - people just go on the defensive and will ignore alot of the good advice their given if it's not presented in a palatable way

Nala

Ramon wrote:

While many people come on discussion boards and try to "help" in a situation, I don't think an agressive stance works - people just go on the defensive and will ignore alot of the good advice their given if it's not presented in a palatable way

Bless you newbie...you weren't here for that thread...

Ramon

Now that's gotten my curiosity going ... is it a case of curiosity killing the cat

GG66

it seems dogs are not the only mammal that hunt in packs..

You're all clearly dog lovers and thanks to those of you who posted useful info, but there have been some fairly broad assumptions made about this dog's life. It would have been simpler to ask a few questions before you jumped in shouting boredom and cruelty.

As I said in my post he gets regular company, we're in and out to the garden a LOT during the day. He also makes the odd trip inside to say hello or to successfully encourage us to join him in the garden and usually makes his own way back outside to chase some bees or terrorise some fire logs. When he was younger he spent much more time indoors but he seems to like his outdoor space now.

He is a pup, but a 12 month old pup during which time he has been extensively socialised with other dogs and people, he walks and swims practically every day. He has been given more care and attention than most dogs ever will. We live in the countryside and before this I lived in cities for 10 years. I never had a dog because I believe it's cruel to have one in a city unless it has lots of space to run around and it's owner is at home during the day. Surely it's cruel to leave a pack of dogs indoors all day, harldy a natural habitat.

Contrary to what some may think he's quite capable of amusing himself in between human company, I watch him through the window.

I have spent 6 hours in my garden without magazines and TV. It's Bliss!! and I never once felt like digging a hole. I'm going to teach him some yoga

Ramon

GG66 wrote:

Surely it's cruel to leave a pack of dogs indoors all day, harldy a natural habitat.

Talk about biting the hand that feeds

To be honest, the use of the word natural has little or no place when it comes to the domestic dog. Think a little about the breeds we have created and what their "natural" habitats would be? Hmmnn, you don't see packs of Yorkshire terriers and poms roaming the Tundra hunting Caribou, do you?
Each breed of dog was bred for a specific reason, and many of the working strains have been watered down to create animals that are suitable "HOUSE" dogs (some breeds were breed never to set foot outside the walls of a home or monastery). If you can use the word natural with regard to dogs, it is strongest when applied to their social nature therefore keeping a solitary dog is in my opinion unnatural

GG66

Talk about biting the hand that feeds

Ouch, did it hurt? Fair point, I noted your posts were reasonble and were the one encouraging a non agressive stance...good advice

I'm not going to get into a discussion about the background of different dog breeds because it's not my area, but I never did imagine small dogs hunting caribou.

From your post you mentioned hounds so I guess i picked you up wrong. You're most likely right about having small dogs indoors, but GSDs are a bit different in size and with our current home there wouldn't be much room left fir us if we had a pack. To me humans use houses for shelter essentially and I'd prefer to be outdoors whenever I can, it's healthier for one. I've ensured he has all the food and shelter he needs.

I fully agree that dogs are social creatures, so are humans but we can't have it all our own way all of the time can we? He gets lots of human company, As for a second dog, we most likely will get a companion for him, but for the moment I think it would be a better idea to ensure he's trained and can provide a learning example for a second dog. Being my first time to take on the responsibility of caring for one, I'm not about to rush off and get two GSDs, bit of a handful don't you think? As I said though he does have regular contact with other dogs which is very important.

BolBill

Move to a high rise apartment........

MrSinn

Leave him in your neighbours garden

hadook

Have you tried a frozen stuffed kong?

http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html

Sigma Force

Firstly the person who posted said he gets walked and attention he's not left all day in the garden on his own. Also the person who posted is looking for advice to improve the dogs quality of life as well as to stop digging in the garden. So lets see what can be suggested to help instead eh.

It could be that the dogs bored, although some dogs not always dependant on their breed like to dig for the fun of it. You could fence off the part of the garden with a small picket fence and encourage the dog to play in the other part, this might work sometimes you only need a small visual barrier to stop dogs going in a certain area.

Another alternative, set out a daily routine for the dog and stick to that routine as best you can, so the dog knows exactly when he's coming indoors for a cuddle or when he's going for a walk or playtime with you outside. Ideally try and start to being the dog more indoors and leave the garden for play time and toilet time. Getting another dog might end up with the first dog teaching the new dog the art of digging although having a companion dog works for some people it doesn't take the place of the owner in any way.

Kongs as suggested are great, frozen or just filled, give some of the dogs daily feed in the kong mabey even twice a day, it helps keep the dog busy and they are user friendly plus they make great fetch toys.

When you are out with the dog and if he starts digging a firm no and a distraction might help.

If worst came to the worst a dog trainer session would give you a few pointers because is not always easy to assess a dog just by talking about them, sometimes you need to see the dog in action to make the best suggestions.

The kongs are great, you can get them in most shops and some vets now in all shapes and sizes. Mabey a regular kong and then another shape like a biscuit kong or dental kong for variety may help.

GG66

Move to a high rise apartment........

Funny, but no thanks

Leave him in your neighbours garden

great idea, and send them to baords.ie for advice.

Have you tried a frozen stuffed kong?

Will look into this.

Firstly the person who posted said he gets walked and attention he's not left all day in the garden on his own.

Great, someone who actually read the original post without making assumptions. Thanks for the tips. Fact is he's stopped digging of his own accord. I've a feeling it will kick in again in the spring when gardening and fresh soil are present.

BolBill

Just put a plastic bottle half filled with water in the middle of the garden, the dog wont go near it !!!!

GG66

BolBill wrote:

Just put a plastic bottle half filled with water in the middle of the garden, the dog wont go near it !!!!

I've seen my uncle try this, and he claimed it worked.. Until my dog came around and just grabbed it, threw it around and chewed it to bits.

What's the theory behind the bottle anyway?

Arcadian

BolBill wrote:

Just put a plastic bottle half filled with water in the middle of the garden, the dog wont go near it !!!!

Why do people insist that animals are scared of bottles of water??