Any advice on breaking a dog from digging?

[reed1285]

Last weekend I went and got a truckload of fill dirt from my FIL to fix a few bad places in my yard. I spent a whole day shoveling and wheelbarrowing the dirt where it needed to be. My problem is my dog thinks I put it all there just for him to dig and lay in. Ive already tried 90000 HU cayenne powder, and it works good for a day or two till it wears off. Any long term solutions/tips to prevent him from digging? 

 

And my dog is part of our family, so getting rid of him is not an option. I want real, serious tips or advice on the issue. thanks

[TNMTBik3r]

Cayenne pepper sprinkled liberally on top has always worked for me. It does wear off, but I don't remember having to refresh it more than once. Maybe you just have a very stubborn dog or he has an insensitive nose :-)

My experience also is if I keep the areas watered (planted grass seed) that they stay out of the mud. But that could have just been my dogs, loved dirt but not mud.

[reed1285]

maybe I just didnt use enough cayenne? I need to go to the store and get some more, the 90000 HU I ordered from amazon cause i cant find it that hot around here. The typical cayenne powder you buy at the grocery store is usually 30000 HU. 

[Wingshooter]

Concrete. ;)

What kind of dog? I had a Siberian Husky that would dig and chew everything. He chewed all the shrubs in the back, so I planted Barberry and Roses. Didn't matter... He chewed them too, thorns and all. I never did figure out how to get him to stop digging, but Tobasco fixed the chewing. I did notice that all this got worse when our first child was born. I think the root of his issue was jealousy or maybe boredom. Looking back, we didn't spend as much time with him once the baby came along, and I attribute that to his destructive behavior towards the back yard (most of it anyway).

The pup we have now digs and chews, but he's still a big puppy. If I could just get him to stop barking so much...

[jgradyc]

A neighbor's dog when I lived in Texas used to dig holes under our fence.  I was afraid it would hurt our little dogs. After filling the hole several times to no avail, I wired it with an electric fence wire.  WOOFFFF!  No more holes under the fence.

[TNMTBik3r]

maybe I just didnt use enough cayenne? I need to go to the store and get some more, the 90000 HU I ordered from amazon cause i cant find it that hot around here. The typical cayenne powder you buy at the grocery store is usually 30000 HU.

I think i only used the store bought pepper. But i sprinkled liberally, where it was easily visible in the dirt from standing height.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

My hound mainly digs holes in the back woods, and i just let him enjoy it, and watch when walking out there to make sure I don't fall in one. He mainly digs holes to dig up critter snacks.

He can dig a hole to china lickety split, so when we fenced the woods, I had to run square mesh fence wire the whole extent of the fence, several hundred feet of it. The 36" or 48" stuff, bend it to a right angle with 12" vertical. Roll it out, bend it, then use pliers and wire cutters to cut pieces of the top of the vertical piece then weave it into the chain link fencing to hold it good and tight.

Then use stakes to tack the 24" or 36" horizontal fence wire to the ground. Then in a couple years dirt and leaves cover the fence wire on the ground. I used some plastic tent stakes, some stakes I cut out of pressure treated wood, and some made from 12" pieces of 3/4" conduit with a hole drilled in the top end. The conduit was cheapest most convenient. Weave the cut fence wire thru the hole in the top end of the conduit then pound it down flush with the ground.

If the hound was a little smarter, he digs fast enough that he could just start his escape tunnel out a few feet away from the fence and tunnel under the fence wire on the ground, but he hasn't thunk that up yet.

For whatever reason he never thought that he could easily dig under the older back yard fence, probably because erosion has buried at least 6" of the chain link fencing in the dirt, but occasionally he will be trying to dig up a rodent and make a big hole near the back yard fence, and might "accidentally" dig an escape tunnel. So in that case, I dump a bag or two of quikcrete in any hole near the fence and wet it good with the hose, and by the next day I've spoiled his fun on that spot.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Lester Weevils

[tnhawk]

.... I dump a bag or two of quikcrete in any hole near the fence and wet it good with the hose, and by the next day I've spoiled his fun on that spot.

 

If I used quickcrete to fill the holes my hounds have dug, my back yard would be paved with quickcrete.

[reed1285]

A neighbor's dog when I lived in Texas used to dig holes under our fence. I was afraid it would hurt our little dogs. After filling the hole several times to no avail, I wired it with an electric fence wire. WOOFFFF! No more holes under the fence.

Maybe i can rig up a small electrical fence system, how much do cheap setups run these days? It would need to be about 25ft long is all. Ive never fooled with them before so i have no idea on how to go about it. Im guessing the box is the most expensive thing?

[Guest Lester Weevils]

If I used quickcrete to fill the holes my hounds have dug, my back yard would be paved with quickcrete.

Yep one must pick the battles. After fencing the back woods he primarily digs in the woods. Some times he'll spend all day at the hobby down in a hole so deep all you can see is the tip of his tail wagging up out of the hole. He will come in covered in mud stem to stern, but he's a short haired hound and as soon as the mud dries it all falls off like he was simonized, and he looks as clean as if he just had a bath. Never have to bathe that dog, he always looks clean, except right after a day of digging before the mud dries and falls off.

If I could only train him to dig on command, it would be as good as owning a ditch witch.

I only have to quikrete holes adjoining the backyard fence line, possible escape tunnels. Well, one time he took on a project of digging out a big oak tree near the house to get critters in the roots, and had to stop that before he dug the entire tree out of the ground.

Years ago when we had the black lab and boykin spaniel, installed a wireless fence in the front yard, which worked great. Initially wife had the front yard looking great, but then they ate all her flowers and shrubs and dug holes in the yard and within a year the front yard looked like an artillary firing range. So they got banished to the back yard. If the back yard looked like an artillary firing range, at least nobody but us could see it. :)

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Maybe i can rig up a small electrical fence system, how much do cheap setups run these days? It would need to be about 25ft long is all. Ive never fooled with them before so i have no idea on how to go about it. Im guessing the box is the most expensive thing?

I don't think a small run would be spensive. The equipment is fer sail at my local Ace and Home Depo and doesn't look too high priced.

When we got the back woods fence installed, the fence man suggested an electric run at dog nose level, but that run was far enough away from the house that I didn't want to run power out there, and it was too shady for a solar electric fence box. Edited October 6, 2013 by Lester Weevils

[K191145]

Doggie shoes. :)

[reed1285]

Doggie shoes. :)

**light bulb**

[RED333]

Put a mouse trap in the hole or holes, cover in a few sheets of news paper, dog will try to dig, set off the trap, paper will protect the dog from the trap.

When the trap goes off it scares the dog, and he will stop digging.

[Wingshooter]

My hound mainly digs holes in the back woods, and i just let him enjoy it, and watch when walking out there to make sure I don't fall in one. He mainly digs holes to dig up critter snacks.
He can dig a hole to china lickety split, so when we fenced the woods, I had to run square mesh fence wire the whole extent of the fence, several hundred feet of it. The 36" or 48" stuff, bend it to a right angle with 12" vertical. Roll it out, bend it, then use pliers and wire cutters to cut pieces of the top of the vertical piece then weave it into the chain link fencing to hold it good and tight.
Then use fence stakes to tack the 24" or 36" horizontal fence wire to the ground. Then in a couple years dirt and leaves cover the fence wire on the ground. I used some plastic fence stakes, some stakes I cut out of pressure treated wood, and some made from 12" pieces of 3/4" conduit with a hole drilled in the top end. The conduit was cheapest most convenient. Weave the cut fence wire thru the hole in the top end of the conduit then pound it down flush with the ground.
If the hound was a little smarter, he digs fast enough that he could just start his escape tunnel out a few feet away from the fence and tunnel under the fence wire on the ground, but he hasn't thunk that up yet.
For whatever reason he never thought that he could easily dig under the older back yard fence, probably because erosion has buried at least 6" of the chain link fencing in the dirt, but occasionally he will be trying to dig up a rodent and make a big hole near the back yard fence, and might "accidentally" dig an escape tunnel. So in that case, I dump a bag or two of quikcrete in any hole near the fence and wet it good with the hose, and by the next day I've spoiled his fun on that spot.

  

.... I dump a bag or two of quikcrete in any hole near the fence and wet it good with the hose, and by the next day I've spoiled his fun on that spot.
 
If I used quickcrete to fill the holes my hounds have dug, my back yard would be paved with quickcrete.

I'm just jealous that your hounds will enjoy the backyard. I have a 6' fence all around mine, but all my redbone does is howl at the back door wanting in. Once he gets in, he treats it like he's still outside. The wife's not too happy. I can't let him bark non stop because I have neighbors, but he needs to spend more time digging in my yard, lol.

[peejman]

Dogs dig because theyre bored and want attention. They need exercise, go for a walk. Running an electric fence wire just above ground level can get their attention pretty quick.

[Guest tdoccrossvilletn]

BB gun? Fire him up when he does it. Paint ball gun fire him up when he does it. Pepper ball gun.

Sent from my mind using ninja telepathy.

[RED333]

BB gun? Fire him up when he does it. Paint ball gun fire him up when he does it. Pepper ball gun.

Sent from my mind using ninja telepathy.

UM, I am thinking of a water hose first.

[bersaguy]

A buddy of mine had a doggie digging issue and he went and talked with people at Petco. They told him to buy which ever citrus fruit they like to eat or use and place the peelings in the holes the dog dug. and just put s thin layer of dirt over them. They told him that 99% of all dogs don't like the Citrus acids smells that the peelings put off. They went and got some oranges, grapefruits and tangerines and his wife peeled them and she made a fruit salad for them and he put the peelings in the holes and just put a dusting of dirt on top and the dog try to dig in one and quit and went to another and sniffed and after doing that twice his problem was over so they would by Citrus fruits often and place them on the old digs and never had any more holes.........Hope this helps...... :wave: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[frankmako]

sometimes a dog will do what dogs do.  fresh dirt is something a dog loves.  this is going to be hard to stop. sooner or later he will stop. 

[RED333]

I do know on hot days they will look for cool dirt, ether they will find some or make some.

[reed1285]

A buddy of mine had a doggie digging issue and he went and talked with people at Petco. They told him to buy which ever citrus fruit they like to eat or use and place the peelings in the holes the dog dug. and just put s thin layer of dirt over them. They told him that 99% of all dogs don't like the Citrus acids smells that the peelings put off. They went and got some oranges, grapefruits and tangerines and his wife peeled them and she made a fruit salad for them and he put the peelings in the holes and just put a dusting of dirt on top and the dog try to dig in one and quit and went to another and sniffed and after doing that twice his problem was over so they would by Citrus fruits often and place them on the old digs and never had any more holes.........Hope this helps...... :wave: :popcorn: :popcorn:

Worth a shot I guess, thanks for the advice. We have got a whole bag of oranges so I will give it a shot

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[Dirtshooter]

I am really surprised nobody said to take away his shovel!! I used to have a black Lab that loved digging up my wifes flowers, I got some cane and made like a lattice work and that stopped him for awhile. Handcuffs may work.

[TNMTBik3r]

I think I have heard the citrus fruit idea before, but never tried it.
Hope that works for you, I'll have to try it next time I have a digger.