From: srb@atmosmips.Berkeley.EDU (Susan Beutelschies)
Subject: Re: dog digs holes
Reply-To: srb@atmosmips.Berkeley.EDU (Susan Beutelschies)
Organization: Image Analysis Systems Group, JPL
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 19:32:14 GMT

In article <1992Aug17.153937.28963@ecst.csuchico.edu>, rgoldstone@OAVAX.CSUCHICO.EDU (Robin, Girl Wonder) writes:
|> I am having a problem with my dog digging holes in my back yard.  He is 1 year
|> old, and has done this in the past, infrequently.  However, several weeks ago
|> he began digging more frequently.  When I come home from work and find a hole,
|> I reprimand him as follows: drag him out to the hole by his collar, yell at
|> him very loudly in as deep a voice as I can, "spank" him repeatedly, and push
|> his nose into the hole and rub dirt on his face.  Maybe that sounds severe to
|> some people, but from what I have read in books, and in this newsgroup, this
|> is appropriate discipline.  After disciplining the dog, I send him "to bed" 
|> and ignore him for a while, maybe a half hour.  Then I treat him normally.

Robin, PLEASE list the names of the books that recommended this punishment,
so that I'll know NOT to buy them!!!!

I'm certainly no expert, but from what I've read, this type of punishment only
confuses the dog.  It's best to catch him in the act, and it's debatable whether
you can ever punish a dog after the fact.  Spanking is a no-no!  I'd suggest that
you read the book 'How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend' by the Monks of New
Skeat, and read in particular the chapter on how to discipline a dog.

|> 
|> The result of this has been that my dog definitely now knows it is wrong to
|> dig holes.  I know he knows this, because if I come home from work on a day
|> when he has not dug a hole, he comes out to greet me, wagging his tail.  If
|> I come home on a day that he has dug a hole, he will not come out at all.  
|> Instead I find him hiding, with his tail between his legs, looking very
|> distraught.  He pees a little when he sees me, then cowers, as if waiting
|> for his punishment.  I have been very consistent with his reprimands, thinking
|> that eventually he will quit doing it.  But he hasn't.

The first thing to realize is that digging is very natural for some dogs.  Some
dogs dig holes to bury treats, saving them for later.  Some dig to lie in the cool
dirt underneath.  Some dig because they were bred to dig to hunt vermin which
live in the ground.  My doggie does all three!  I suppose it's even likely that some
dogs dig out of boredom as you have described.  Some suggestions for a better
way to handle this:
   Don't give your dog edible treats or bones when you leave.  Make sure the dog
has a cool place to hang out in hot weather - lots of shade, possibly a baby pool in
the shade, filled with only shallow water.  These suggestions are in case the dog is
digging because he is stashing food or cooling off.
   I think it would be very tough to train a dog not to do something unless you
are there with him to repremand him when he does it.  I'm not saying it's not
possible - I don't know if it is - I just think you'd have to have an awfully smart
doggie to figure this one out on his own.
 
|> 
|> I don't know what else to do.  It is very emotionally draining for me to
|> punish him this way.  It makes me sick to do it.  And it doesn't seem to be
|> working: he knows it is wrong, but he does it anyways.  I am pretty sure
|> he does it out of boredom.  He is home alone for 8 hours a day.  He has 
|> free run of the back yard, plus the garage and laundry room of the house.
|> He has plenty of toys.  He never digs in the same place.
|> 
|> I would appreciate any suggestions of alternative things I can try to
|> break him of this digging.  I know about chili pepper and balloons, but
|> like I said he digs in a different place every time, so I would not be able
|> to anticipate the next spot.  I can't imagine crating him all day.  This 
|> is unacceptable to me.  (He was crate trained as a pup and he sleeps in his
|> crate.  I am a believer in crate training, but not confinement for 8 hours.)
|> Get another dog?  Maybe.  I go back and forth.  Maybe a second dog would
|> keep him occupied all day and he wouldn't dig.  But then again, maybe two
|> dogs will mean twice as many holes in my yard...

I doubt that getting a second dog will solve this problem.  It will probably only
serve to teach the other dog to dig too.  I have given up on trying to stop my
dog from digging.  (Well, I never really tried that hard.)  I decided she has
good reasons to dig (for her), and instead, I have merely tried to keep her out
of the flower beds.  I put large rocks in the flower beds, which seemed to work
pretty well.  My husband later pulled up the rocks to install soaker hoses to
automatically water the roses, then covered up the dirt with plastic, and laid
cedar chips on top.  She has still stayed away from these beds, and still digs in
the parts of the yard with just dirt.  Not long ago, someone suggested installing
a sand box for digging dogs, then hiding treats in the sand, to encourage digging
there and not elsewhere.  Reportedly, this solution works pretty well.  Hope this
helps!

|> 
|> -Robin
|> ***********************************************************************
|> Robin Goldstone, Systems Software Specialist
|> California State University, Chico  Computing Services
|> rgoldstone@oavax.csuchico.edu

Susan
srb@atmosmips.jpl.nasa.gov