The Message Board

RE: dogs and plants!!!!!

Posted 284 days ago

You need to put up a barrier between dog and plants. As a pup he/she will be trying to dig holes for quite a while yet so to save your sanity go for the circle of chicken wire held in place by 3/4 stakes.

RE: dogs and plants!!!!!

Posted 273 days ago

I've heard that placing some of their poo on the place that they dig deters them also pepper sprinkled around has worked for some people. Maybe you can give your dog somewhere to dig like a sandpit? one of those plastic paddle pools with sand in is ideal (people are always leaving them out for council collection or at the tip) and you can bury toys and treats in there, the dog will learn that there is a reward for digging in the sandpit, but nothing if it digs in the garden.
Good luck!

RE: dogs and plants!!!!!

Posted 253 days ago

Does he dig only when you're not home or all the time? Management is sometimes the best solution. If he digs only when you're not home then don't give him access to the Lilly Pilly while you're away as you need to catch him in the act to stop the unwanted behaviour. Put up a (temporary) barrier as Pomolo suggested or keep him inside (if this is an option).

To find a more permanent solution to this problem you need to first find out why your dog digs. Dogs dig for various reasons:

* Burying items.
* Uncovering items.
* Using soil temperature to help regulate his body temperature.
* Nesting rituals for bitches.
* Playing.
* Territorial marking.
* Just for fun.

You can also teach him the cue "Leave it". Practice this for 5 minutes a couple of times a day (more is better). Be patient, he's only a puppy and has a short attention span. After he masters this cue and leave things alone reliably when asked (you will bet me $500 he will not touch a piece of juicy steak lying on the floor), you can then ask him to leave the tree alone and he can have full unsupervised access to the garden.

LEAVE IT

1. Have some high value treats (eg. roast chicken) nearby (on a table or treat pouch) and hold a few pieces of low value treats (eg. kibbles) in your hand.

2. Sitting down, hold your open hand containing the low value treats near your dog. As he starts to sniff, close your fist so he doesn't have access to the treats. The idea you want to get accross is that your dog has to give up something good to get something better. Any attempts to mug your hand should be ignored - no eye contact, no reprimands - just ignore. Some dogs can be very persistent!

3. Watch your dog closely and the minute he looks away from the hand, say "yes!" and reward with the roast chicken. Repeat this but at this stage do not say anything apart from "yes!". Keep working until you don't need to close your hand anymore and your dog will look away from your open palm containing the treats.

4. When this is happening constantly, begin to add the cue "Leave it" said in a neutral voice. Remember, it is NOT a reprimand. If your dog still tries to get the food in your hand, you are probably moving too fast and need to go back a few steps.

5. Practice this exercise in different situations in new environment so it helps the dog to "generalise" the behaviour. So each time you moves to a new environment (from the quiet living room to the back garden then eventually in the park), you need to back up a few steps and re-teach a few times to set your dog up for success.

6. The next step is to slowly lower your hand to the floor, continuing to work step by step, gradually getting the food closer to the floor and keeping marking the correct behaviour with "yes!" and treat. Eventually you should be able to put a treat on the ground and ask your dog to "Leave it".

7. When that happens, practice with different objects (eg. toys, bones) and remember to go back a few steps again. Don't forget to evaluate your high value treats. Roast chicken might be more valuable compared to kibbles but not necessarily compared to bones and you might need something else (eg. devon, sausage).

8. When your dog can reliably leave different things in various places, starts fading the food rewards. Only rewards him intermittently, eg. rewards only every three correct behaviour. This is to strengthen the behaviour and besides, you wouldn't want to always have to carry around roast chicken everywhere you go!

Hope that helps and good luck!

*Pawfect Pooch*