Shiloh is digging his way to china!

[CherylHampton]

Hi! Its been awhile, Shiloh and I have been busy(especially Shiloh). Quick update,,,,he's a veritable pro at getting in and out of the car now so yay for that!!!! It finally clicked that he could use his back legs to boost himself up and it s really been a blessing for my back. He's a good boy and minds pretty well, we are still working on him not getting so excited when he meets other dogs or people. He's a social butterfly for sure. Now for the question of the day PLEASE give me some ideas on how to get Shiloh to stop digging. He so enjoys being g outside and has ample room to run, play or just chill out with his chew toys. He used to dig s little when I first brought him home (he actually found a couple of moles) but then he stopped and no more issues until just lately. I let him out to play and everyday there's a new hole, close to the house, two right at the foot of the steps. Now these aren't just just little holes . I'm actually going to have to get some fill dirt to pack in the last two. They're huge and quite deep, and he's fast! He has his own sand box which doesn't seem to interest him. I don't want to have to limit his space but its gotten dangerous, besides putting him somewhere else won't really solve the problem. We play fetch til he's worn out, I take him swimming and let him sniff around and entertain himself, he gets plenty of attention, any ideas? Thanks I will try any suggestions you may have😊

[JMFS]

Oh no!  I haven't an answer, but your titles always give me a chuckle.

A while back when Mo was digging it was suggested I set up a sprinkler I could turn on out of his view.  When he went to dig I was to turn on the sprinkler.  Not sure if that's advisable now, but even if it is I didn't have a way to implement it.

The only other suggestion I was given, other than the sandbox, was to fill the holes he dug with things of no interest.  Twigs, leaves, his poop.  Then fill the sandbox with much more interesting things like toys.  That was to entice him to dig only in the approved area.  I didn't get to implement that, either, but it sounded viable at the time.

That's the best I have.  I get the feeling Shiloh is going to need a bit more than I have to offer!

Wait! One more idea.  Ensure there's nothing drawing his attention to the forbidden areas.  I read your post again and saw the mention about moles.  Insects like cicadas could get his attention and maybe something like that is what he's digging to get to.

Now I'm officially out of information.  :D

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Cheryl, welcome back!

So glad to hear Shiloh is now a pro in getting into the car!

Digging.... there are various forms of digging, and therefore, to get to the root of the problem, you'll need to take an investigative look at what exactly drives Shiloh's behavior. You can find several pointers here: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/digging/

I can go more in depth on possible causes and some potential solutions. 

 

• If there have been moles in the past, most likely they are around again. Consider that moles are more active during the late spring, early summer, and fall. If Shiloh sniffs, then starts digging, then pauses, listens, sniffs and then resumes digging, most likely he is relying on his senses to learn more about the whereabouts of these underground critters. In particular, dogs may be attracted to freshly dug earth, for the simple fact that it's a sign suggestive that some ground-dwelling critters might be living underground. For dogs who hunt critters, your best option is to employ an exterminator who uses pet-friendly pest control methods. 
•  It can also help to put large landscaping rocks around the commonly dug areas. If it's by the stairs, placing some bulky rocks in these areas may help reduce the digging. 
• If Shiloh has a digging pit, make sure to rotate the toys you hide there to keep his in them interest alive. When you catch him digging in the wrong spot, tell him to "leave it" and then call him and redirect to the proper spot (his digging pit) as you shovel your feet around, praising him then for digging there. 
• Many dogs dig holes to cool down. Suspect this if it's very hot and your dog lies in them.  If it's hot, consider a doghouse or a wading pool or try inviting him indoors so he can spend his day in a nice, cool area without worrying about overheating.
• Provide more mental stimulation. I am sure you saw this coming. When dogs spend time outdoors, it's extra tempting for them to do something we don't like. It's not like they can just sit and do crossword puzzles or play a game of Sudoku on the deck when they feel bored. The dirt is there, it smells so good and the cool feel on the paws is nice. Add to that unearthing interesting stuff (like dead bugs or some animal dung) or just playing tug with plant roots. You can try providing him with more outdoor enrichment under the form of treasure hunts, long-lasting edible chews, food puzzles and since he's part shepherd dog, he may enjoy those large herding balls to push around (always supervise when he has access to bones/toys). You will basically need to create a "new drive" for engaging in these activities, to outrank the allure of digging in the inappropriate areas. Indoors, do brain games, more training, keep that brain busy too other than physically providing games of fetch or swimming. 
• You may find it most helpful using a multi-faceted approach, like placing large rocks by the commonly dug areas, having an exterminator check your land, offering a sand box filled with toys offered on a rotation basis, offer outdoor enrichment, brain games and reminding him to 'leave it" when you catch him digging in other spots. 

I hope this helps!

 

 

[JMFS]

Adrienne, what's your thought on the sprinkler idea?  I've always been curious about it, but I recall you mentioning the bottle / can trap on a counter (where the dog causes bottles / cans to crash down, thus scaring them away from counter surfing) being ineffective.  I'm wondering if the sprinkler method (despite being difficult to implement for the average non-engineer sort) might be similar in helpfulness.

I could see it being effective if a) the dog likes water and b) it's used as a game to lure the dog away from digging.

The rocks!  Yes, I filled Mo's holes with rocks.  He and the sweetie pie Mastiff next door were trying to dig to each other.  I walked out there one day to see this Gigantic head sticking under our fence with pleading eyes, lol.  It was a rental house so all I could do was fill it with sticks and rocks.

As an aside, if you have to order fill dirt than that's a massive amount of digging, holy cow!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

19 hours ago, JMFS said:

Adrienne, what's your thought on the sprinkler idea?  I've always been curious about it, but I recall you mentioning the bottle / can trap on a counter (where the dog causes bottles / cans to crash down, thus scaring them away from counter surfing) being ineffective.  I'm wondering if the sprinkler method (despite being difficult to implement for the average non-engineer sort) might be similar in helpfulness.

I could see it being effective if a) the dog likes water and b) it's used as a game to lure the dog away from digging.

The rocks!  Yes, I filled Mo's holes with rocks.  He and the sweetie pie Mastiff next door were trying to dig to each other.  I walked out there one day to see this Gigantic head sticking under our fence with pleading eyes, lol.  It was a rental house so all I could do was fill it with sticks and rocks.

As an aside, if you have to order fill dirt than that's a massive amount of digging, holy cow!

I think you are referring to those motion-detecting sprinkling systems meant to deter animals from yards? As with the booby traps created by placing empty cans of beer on a countertop to stop a dog from counter-surfing, I can see several problems with that. 

The main purpose of these automatic sprinklers is to release a water jet upon sensing movement (in general within a range of up to 10 meters), to startle and potentially scare a dog/animal off from a yard, but I think they can be also used for small, targeted areas of the yard. 

The sprinkler therefore *should* work as a punishment device. Punishment takes place when something perceived as unpleasant or undesirable reduces a behavior.  In order to work well, therefore, the dog needs to get startled and dislike the sensation of water. If a dog loves water, he may think the sprinkler is a super fun game and may therefore find it reinforcing to stick around the area and might be around more and more.  

In general, dogs who startle easily and dislike water, learn rather quickly to avoid the area because they associate it with the sudden jet of water.  It may take only one exposure for the dog to learn (single event learning) or more  exposures to convince the dog that, every time he is the area, the jet of water will occur. 

This may sound like a rather innocent correction to condition a dog to say away from an area, but there can be more going on at a deeper level.

Generalization refers to the process where a specific response is provoked not only by the object or event that originally provoked it, but also by objects or events.  So in the case of the sprinkler, at some point (or even immediately in the case of single event learning) the dog may come to associate anything he sees, hears or smells when in the area he is startled by the water jet.  A dog may  therefore also start associating trees, bushes, flower beds, the smell of fresh grass or the sight of a car passing by with the water jet and start fearing those or even develop a generalized form of anxiety with being outdoors.  

This is not unusual. Something similar can happen as well with dogs who are scared of thunder. Initially, the dog may be only scared of the rumbling sound, but his fear may also eventually expand (and therefore generalize) to other contiguous events such as the sight of a flash of lightening or even the grey sky. Interestingly, the sight of a grey sky may even at some point, elicit fear even in the absence of the rumble of thunder. 

One main advantage of using an automatic sprinkler though should be pointed out: since one is likely not around when the jet of water occurs, unlike using a spray bottle, the dog will be unlikely to associate the jet of water with the owner. 

On top of the jet of water being associated with other nearby stimuli or situations, another negative repercussion to consider is the potential onset of a deep dislike or fear of water. With time, a dog subjected to squirts or jets of water, may come to dislike, fear or even develop a phobia of water. This can have an impact on the dog to the point of the dog trying to avoid water of all costs. This could therefore lead to dogs who dread being bathed, dogs who refuse to go outside when it's raining and a general dislike of anything associated with water and its tactile sensations (swimming, having ears medicated, having paws wiped etc). 

I see though that you are mentioning it working if the dog likes water or to lure a dog away from digging. In such a case, it would be used in a more positive way, for re-direction purposes. In that case,  I can see its implementation difficult for dogs who are left outdoors as owners should always be in stand-by ready for timely action. However, it can work if an owner has the time and will for that. 

I just stumbled upon a product that may work for outdoor dogs and can be used in lieu of rocks or buried chicken wire (dogs dislike digging if there's chicken wire). I think it would be a least aversive option, although I have never tried it or seen it reviewed by dog behaviorists. I can see though how it can work. It's based on a dog's natural inclination to not like to walk on certain surfaces and it makes digging rather inconvenient and non productive. I am talking about this product:

https://www.amazon.com/Anti-cat-Critters-Climbing-Birdfeeder-19-7inX6-5ft/dp/B07SX3VBX8/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=scat%2Bmat%2Bdog%2Bdigging&qid=1631793508&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-6&th=1

There is a video among the reviews of a cat that doesn't want to put his paws anywhere near the mat, but then there's a video of a raccoon walking over it with ease, he has food though so that may have made walking over it worth the unpleasantness, or maybe racoons have special paws or they're just cute geniuses avoiding the pointy parts 🙂

However with Shiloh having just attained the confidence of jumping in the car, one needs to thread with caution. Like what if he confuses the floor mats of the car with these and goes back several steps of all the progress made? Some floor mats with ridges may look similar to these. While unlikely, it's not impossible, so perhaps something natural looking like rocks like you used with Momo may work better just in case!

 

[JMFS]

Raccoons are definitely smart little things and their paws are tiny.  They don't actually have thumbs but do have 5 digits which makes them a bit more nimble than cats or dogs.  With their paws being less meaty and their bodies being somewhat fatty they may not have as much trouble.  And haha at the picture of that bobcat.  What on Earth is that thing eating?!  Bon bons?!  It's so plump, lol.

The rocks did the job even with that enormous Mastiff.  Mo wiggled into their yard once and thank goodness we all had a sense of humor about it and the Mastiff was a gentle giant.  The trick was to wedge them under the fence teepee style and then stuff a bunch of smaller rocks under that frame.  I suppose odor deterrents might work as well.  Maybe citrus rinds or vinegar or citrus rinds And vinegar?  Test each item first, naturally, to ensure that Shiloh wouldn't eat them and is indeed repelled by them.  Dogs are unpredictable about scents.  What might send one running could lure another in.

The girls are Really funny about the spray bottle.  I whip that guy out and Everyone stops in their tracks.  Even the husband because yep, I'll spray him, too!  When Mama wants quiet, Mama gets quiet, dangit!  😆  He might actually get sprayed more often than the dogs.  Oddly, counting to 3 also works on the dogs.  We don't know why, but my theory is that I must sound more serious when I'm counting than when I say "bed."  Bring out the sprinkler, though, and the pups are all about playing in it.  I equate it to being splashed in the pool.  We're in the water, why does getting splashed bother us?!  So as not to hijack Shiloh's thread, I'll leave it at that.  :)