We just got a dog from a shelter a week ago.

[jillan]

She is a digger and has dug up the underground sprinklers in my yard.
Now we have mud holes filled with water that she loves to get into.

I am constantly washing mud off of her.

I have had 5 dogs in the past, but never once had a digger.

Anybody have any advice??


Tobi Jo MD (mud digger)

[China_cat]

1. Put her own feces in the holes as you fill them.

It will deter her. At least in those same spots for a while. It won't STOP her. That you'll have to do. Diggers are usually bored. Check your yard from her viewpoint. Is there anything interesting to do? Are there toys available? Is she left alone in the yard? Yes to any of those and you need to change what YOU do in order to change what she does. Since she's digging up the sprinklers, does she have access to fresh water while she's in the yard?

Being there to play with her will divert her from digging. She'll be too busy to dig. Or if you see her starting to dig, you can call her off and give her an acceptable toy to play with. Putting out fresh water or a lixit on a spigot could satisfy her need for hydration.

But mainly, boredom is and always will be your enemy. (The digging is probably what ended her up in the shelter to begin with because people tend to believe that putting a dog out in a yard that's fenced...all by itself...is 'exercise'. It's not)

[jillan]

2. Thank you for that - I will try that.

She does have water out there.

About her being bored - it's kinda funny.
She gets lots of attention, walks, etc...then I put her outside to go use the bathroom, and she digs in the mud, then I have to leave her out there because she is too dirty to come in. She is very destructive. I don't think the people that had her before did any training with her.
We start obedience training next week, hopefully that will help with some of her issues. I'm not one to give up on a dog. She has the worst manners of any of my other dogs... and my husband is already telling me to take her back :(

I will try the feces. Anything. I

Thanks!

[alstephenson]

3. Hang in there!

I adopted a 2-year old kitty who had some litter box issues. I almost gave up, but after re-training her (per the vet's instructions), she is a real sweetie and (almost always) uses her litter box.

[jillan]

4. Thanks for the encouragement.

:)

[jillan]

10. I love you! My family loves you!

It worked! Last nite, in the rain, I went out and picked up her feces and
put them in and around the mudholes. Tobi has been mud free ever since :)

[China_cat]

11. Just remember, this is not a one-time thing

as the old doo disintegrates, you'll need to add new.

[Bjornsdotter]

5. No advice here

...I've never had a digger.

Just wanted to say that she sure is cute and congrats on the new addition!

Cheers

[elleng]

6. Part terrier, by any chance?

'Instincts' are powerful; wonderful if you think about where they've gotten us all! And a pain in the neck, too!

Sorry that I don't have advice.

edit: check google: terrier digging.

[jillan]

9. Nope - I had a terrier when I was growing up.

He ate the drywall under the drapes.

Dogs! I swore I would stick to fish, but had a weak moment :P

[livetohike]

7. She looks like an ACD -she needs a job

Murphy wasn't a digger, but he needed lots of busy work to do as a puppy. Long walks, playing ball, just any activity you can do to burn off energy and relieve boredom.

If you've not had an ACD before, this link gives some good info on the breed. They are really alot of fun once you understand them.

http://www.australiancattledog.com/

[jillan]

8. You are good!

Especially because it was such a blurry picture.

I will definitely check out that site :)

[livetohike]

12. Here's Murphy

We brought him home from a local shelter too. He was 8 weeks old. We've always had Lab/Shepherd mixes, so we were surprised at the energy level :-). Oh, and try to get a small boomer ball. She may love it! Cindy is in the picture too.

[radfringe]

13. tread mill

check your local paper, people selling them for half nothing all the time after they have broken their new years resolutions.

especially if you can't go on really long walks... put her on the treadmill for a 1/2 hour or so

also when on walks, get one of those back pack things for dogs, put in a couple bottles of water for weight, gives her a job to do and the extra weight helps with tiring her out

on edit:
not sure where you live, but if the digging persists, you may want to make a "safe dig" area for her, basically a sand box area where she can dig

[judaspriestess]

14. Tobi sure is a cutie pie

I have a bulldog and a sheltie, no diggers. are you kidding me, lol they are lazy bums. As a matter of fact Crystal, my sheltie is overweight. I need to put her on a diet, vets orders. Maybe I can teach her to dig :)

[Orsino]

15. Wook at dat face!!!

Sorry, but my mind has been wiped by cuteness.

Tobi Jo does look like a cattle dog. If you have a free weekend to devote to her training, you can supervise all her outside trips and discourage her from digging. Is it possible to keep her indoors otherwise?