First, I need to figure out when he is
digging. Since I know the dog and his
lifestyle, I can rule out several factors such
as boredom or puppyhood or gophers, etc...
I noticed that every time he would start
digging holes he was in the yard playing with
a friend's dog, unsupervised. So, I
first need to MAKE SURE that it was ACTUALLY
MY DOG that was the perpetrator. A quick look
at his feet would suggest that it was.
Next, I needed to figure out if he would dig
ANY TIME he was left alone in the yard or if
it was only when another dog was present.
To figure this out, I simply left the dog in
the yard alone with access to the rose garden
several times... and came back to find that he
had not dug.
So... it stands to reason that the only time
my dog is digging in the yard is when there is
another dog in the yard. (Who knows why? There
could be a million unexplained reasons that
only the dog knows. All I need in order to fix
the behavior is knowledge of the dog and the
circumstances).
Now, I know that to fix any behavior problem I
need to make the dog experience a NEGATIVE
ASSOCIATION with the actual ACT of doing that
behavior. In this case, digging in the garden.
And he needs to experience that same negative
association EVERY TIME HE DIGS!
In this case, I must be 100% diligent to never
leave Forbes unsupervised in the yard when
there is another dog in the yard.
Of course, if he was digging by himself, then
I'd need to confine him to a kennel run where
he cannot dig when I'm not supervising him. Or
if there is another dog visiting then I will
need to bring Forbes inside, put him in the
kennel run, or use the presence of the other
dog as a "set up."
The next step is to make sure that he
associates that negative (correction) just as
he starts to dig.
There are two ways I can do this: The Lazy
Man's Way and the
Old Fashioned Way. Both methods are based on
the same principle.
The
Old Fashioned Way
to make sure that the dog gets a motivational
negative association when he digs is to:
Step 1.) Leave a pinch collar and tab (one
foot leash) on the dog when he's outside in
the yard with another dog.
Step 2.) Bury hardware mesh or chicken wire in
the spot where he's been digging. The chicken
wire should be buried two to three inches
below the surface. Dogs don't like scraping
their paws against this stuff. So, right off
the bat you've got an immediate negative
association.
Step 3.) Spy on him and just wait until he
start to dig.
Step 4.) As soon as he begins to dig, yell "No
No No!" as you run outside and give the dog a
correction. As long as you continue to say "No
no no" as you run to the dog, the dog WILL
still associate the correction with the
behavior.
Step 5.) Be 100% consistent until you are 100%
sure that the dog isn't digging any more.
The Lazy Man's Way to fix this problem
behavior is to use a remote electronic collar
(e-collar). Everything else remains the same.
(Click on the link above to read about my
recommendations for buying a remote electronic
training collar).
When using the e-collar for this behavior, I'd
turn the setting up to the high level. Your
goal is to create absolute avoidance to this
behavior (digging in the garden). And you want
him to think that the dirt just jumped up and
bit him! Usually if you correct the dog with
the electronic collar for this type of
behavior, you've only got to do it twice
before the dog decides that it's in his best
interest to leave your garden alone.
To read more of my dog training ramblings,
read about my book (click below):
Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!
http://tinyurl.com/4efaq
About The Author
Author, “Secrets of a Professional Dog
Trainer!“ which you can read more about at:
http://tinyurl.com/4efaq
