Digging

My 6 month old border collie mix loves to dig!! Does anyone have any solutions for this? He understands the word "no" and "off" but when he is digging he just won't listen

Re: Digging

I was told to build my dog a sandbox and put toys in there for him to dig up......it wont stop him from digging but it gives him a place to dig

Re: Digging

warren eckstein says "get down on your hands and knees and walk around your backyard, does it look like fun?" if not, dogs will dig and get in trouble.
put out a pool, put out a pool filled with sand (same as pp stated) and give him lots of things to play with.

now, i have heeded this advice with my own puppy and he still digs. but i have a hound and that's inate in them.

i had a border collie / lab mix puppy prior to this and she dug a lot too. almost to china in one spot right in front of my house. my house was a laughing stock.
ha!

Re: Digging

Posted by rkoenke

warren eckstein says "get down on your hands and knees and walk around your backyard, does it look like fun?" if not, dogs will dig and get in trouble.
put out a pool, put out a pool filled with sand (same as pp stated) and give him lots of things to play with.

now, i have heeded this advice with my own puppy and he still digs. but i have a hound and that's inate in them.

i had a border collie / lab mix puppy prior to this and she dug a lot too. almost to china in one spot right in front of my house. my house was a laughing stock.
ha!

Re: Digging

My dog has never dug a hole before but did this year, in one spot. When he's done some digging, he flops down in it. We realized it's because he's hot and it's a nice cool area.

We let him dig there, but not for extended periods of time. We generally don't leave them unattended in the yard, so it's easy to curb and command him to stop.

I got a raised dog bed last summer for him to keep cool but I read a review about the toxic chemicals they used to make them and I got rid of it.

I guess my point is - WHY is your dog digging? Don't assume it's just because it's fun. He could be bored, not getting enough exercise, is trying to cool off, etc. You need to reinforce your pack leader status and training now, before it gets worse. Sounds like a perfect training opportunity. Put a long lead on him when he's in the backyard and when he starts digging, give the appropriate, specific command (I personally would reserve NO for only the worst things) while you're pulling him away. I don't use words for stuff like that, I use the "chhhhht!" sound. For us, "off" is when we want them to get out of the car or get off the furniture. It's important to keep your commands straight, so you don't confuse them.

Message edited 7/20/2010 10:49:49 AM.

Re: Digging

Also, I would read up on Border Collies, if you haven't already and don't know what to expect. In general, they are very smart, energetic dogs that need strong leaders, strong training, and either a lot of exercise or a "job" like herding. He would probably be great at Agility competitions when he's older. They're amazing dogs.

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Re: Digging

is he well exercised and amused? excessive digging can be due to boredom. or, i wonder if there's someting smelly under the ground and that's why he focuses on that one spot?

Re: Digging