Golden Retriever pup wont stop digging, any tips?

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

We have a 17 week old GR puppy. She has fitted in well with the family, gets on great with our older dog etc.

But she wont stop digging. She also chews but we are ontop of that by giving her loads of chew toys and a firm no if she chews anything she shouldnt.

When shes in the garden we cant be watching her all the time though. So Im not sure how to get the digging stopped. When caught she knows she has done wrong. But keeps going back for more. Our older dog doesnt dig.

We read that it could be down to boredom. She gets two walks a day, she still doesnt like the lead but is getting better. She spends a good part of the day running round the house after me, getting loads of affection and playing with her toys. DD also plays a lot with her.

In the garden she has her chew toys. Some squeak. Our older dog is only 3 so he still has loads of energy and the two of them chase each other etc. They also play football (yes really) and DD usually joins in, or DP.

Could she still be bored? She is intelligent, she has good recall already, though we are
building up to big open spaces and distractions, can give paw, we are teaching sit and stay at the min and shes getting there.

Sorry, posted too early.

Does anyone have any tips for deterring her that really work? She has already dug under the fence and two other huge holes in the garden. We are now having to lock her in the house if we are out but ideally we would like her to be able to stay out with our older dog.

Thanks.

You could try a shaker- plastic bottle with gravel in. Shake it when you see her start to dig- it works as a deterrent.

Wouldnt hurt to try that, thanks.

If I nip out for an hour I would come back to a huge hole the size of her. So we need something that will deter her even when we arent there. Really dont want to have to lock her in or crate her while we are out.

But I guess if that scared her enough she might not want to risk it!

Our gr is seven months now and has gone through the digging phase. He is crated when we are out, but won't be soon. We didn't leave him out unsupervised when digging phase was active or he would have ruined the garden.

So it might just be a phase!! Oh I hope so. I can deal with crating her until it passes then, Im never out for long periods!

Thanks :)

Please do not use things like shaker bottles, they are a bad idea for any dog, let alone a puppy.

The fact is, you are going to have to supervise her int he garden until she learns not to do this. It's a really bad idea to leave dogs outside unattended/if you go out anyway, mainly due to the risk of theft, but also due to the risk of them being let out/escaping and run over.

She doesn't 'know she's done wrong', she knows that (if you catch her int he act) you get cross when she is digging or (if you don't catch her doing it but tell her off when you find a hole) that yoy get cross at random times when she is in the garden. Dogs have no sense of right or wrong and she might not even connect you being cross with the digging, depending on the timing.

She will probably grow out of it, but I would certainly offer her more stimulation and make the garden a place where you play with her instead of leaving her to find her own amusement out there. Once she is older you can increase her walks so she is less likely to dig aswell.

The reason she is unattended in the garden is because thats just how our family works. As I mentioned in my op the dogs get plenty of stimulation, but I do not agree with locking them up when we are out/busy.

Our older dog is a guard dog (very much needed, only last week he saw off a potential intruder) so he stays out. The garden is well secured so no chance of escape (if we get the digging under the fence sorted) and our older dog wouldnt leave the garden on his own anyway. (He has proved this many times in our last house. Hes a very protective dog.)

I am considering taking her to classes to give her more stimulation.

I have read online all sorts of ways to stop digging, chicken wire buried under favourite spots, balloons buried etc but Im sceptical of their effectiveness and came on here to see if anyone would mention if they worked or not.

Thanks for your reply.

I agree with Midori the only way to stop the digging is to supervise her in the garden. It is not recommended to leave dogs unsuprervised in the garden.

I am not sure that "I do not agree with locking them up when we are out/busy" is a sensible reason. You are leaving your dog alone to get into trouble. How long do you leave them outside? Dogs get stolen from gardens, eat things that are dangerous to them and get up to all sorts of mischief as you are finding out.

Chicken wire under the favourite spot will harm the dogs paws, balloons buried will freak your dog out and make him very nervous or he will eat it and need emergency surgery to have the balloon removed.

The only way to get through this stage is to sidetrack the dog when he starts to dig. He will grow out of it BUT if you let it continue you will have a learned behaviour.

Taking your dog to classes once a week will not alleviate the boredom or stress he feels from being left in the garden.

When our boy was going through this phase, we went on 'playground duty' with him outside, playing games with him to further his training, then giving him opportunities to dig and when he started to giving the 'no' signal and then playing a game he was rewarded with. Otherwise we supervised him indoors.

He's rarely on his own in the day, but is still crated otherwise he would have harmed himself or the house as he loved to eat socks and cushions. By the time we went out he was ready for a sleep and we knew he was safe in a place he was happy to be in (we worked on crate training so he knew it was 'his' place).

We know our garden. We know our dogs. They are not going to get stolen (sorry but I have never heard anything so ridiculous) or eat anything they shouldnt.

As I have stated the dogs are stimulated. They arent just left to their own devices all day.

Puppy sleeps in the house but will soon be joining our other dog in the garage. I suppose thats a no no aswell.

Our dogs are part of our family. In any family its members have to make compromises. I dont see why that shouldnt extend to the dogs. Should DD not get a bath 'cause the puppy needs attention?

FWIW we had malicious allegations made against us at our last house. The RSPCA came out twice and both times hadnt a single problem with our dog keeping abilities. The man actually commented on how pleasant our older dog was and how happy he seemed. The police cautioned the person who made the claims.

But thank you all. I now know that there is no specific thing to deter from digging that we arent already doing.

If you don't want to hear peoples opinions don't post asking for them...... no need to take offence

There are specific things to stop your dog digging but you do not want to do that so............

oh look just on quick google to find link confirming dogs get stolen from gardens

How is it ridiculous to suggest he might get stolen? Improbable possibly but it is possible especially if he is a pedigree or an unusual breed. That said he is far more likely to do himself a mischief or get out and cause an accident. I have a 4 month old pup and I wouldn't dream of leaving him outside when I wasn't there to keep an eye on him.

I do sympathise as it is exasperating trying to side track them all the time but hopefully it is just a phase. Mine digs and I just stick garden chairs over the holes to deter him and try and get him playing or whatever else to distract him.

Oh sorry I see he is a GR, well yes probably a very sought after breed as they are expensive to buy!

I asked for opinions on digging. Not on whether my dogs are stressed in the garden or might get stolen

I have no doubt that dogs get stolen. But our older dog is a guard dog. He is fiercly protective. Unless someone came with a tranquilizer gun they really wouldnt stand a chance. I havent heard of a single dog theft in this area.

Aside from digging under the fence there is no way they could escape. As I said she is not left out currently while we are away because of this.

I really did only ask about the digging. I am fed up of the culture that dogs shouldnt be left outside. Little dogs kept in the house, thats fine. But big dogs like ours...

I just really dont need preached at about how the dogs get stressed when left. Or that they shouldnt be in a garden unattended. Our older dog used to live in the house and kept losing weight. The vet didnt know why. Since he has been out he is thriving. He has grown, put on weight and kept it on, and has a lot more energy.

Im not offended at all. Just tired of hearing we should be treating dogs like humans.

Op you could try giving him a digging pit; an area of sand or soil, clearly marked, where he is allowed to dig. Teach him by burying toys/chews in there. Put it on cue ("dig dig") and redirect him to his digging area whenever he starts to dig. Though he will need supervision in the short term, he should learn to only dig here and this way he has an outlet for his natural drive to dig. Use a line when you're with him in the meantime.

Good luck op.

This thread is bizarre. The police caution people for reporting people to the RSPCA now?!

OP, since you know it all, I'm surprised you even needed to post to ask.... Believe it or not 'my family members' don't live outside or in the garage and as a breeder of Golden Retrievers and someone who knows the breed well, I know they thrive on human company and I would never let anyone who planned to keep their dog outside have one of my pups, nor would any Of the responsible breeders I know.

Still, you know best, us maniacs, keeping our (large) dogs in the house and all...

She made allegations which we could prove were false ie we werent even at home and the dogs were with us at the times she said. She called RSPCA twice and police twice. The police told her to stop wasting time as they knew she was lying and showed her the reports etc.

Then we saw her driving back and forward slowly past our house. She called RSPCA again and then police again.

So they cautioned her. Hardly bizarre.

I wont even get into a discussion with you about dogs inside or outside. You are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine.

Thanks chipped, we have thought about the sandpit idea, if it isnt just a phase that she will grow out of then we intend on getting one put in.

Since when is it wrong to leave a big dog safely inside a house rather than outside in a garden? That's weird.

Anyway, some good advice from Midori, Cuebill and Chipped.

You sound completely the wrong sort of person to own a golden retriever.

Did you do any research into the breed ? Sounds not. Also as Midori says you must have bought from a very irresponsible breeder.

Your poor puppy, no wonder he is digging,left alone in the garden and soon to be sleeping in a garage.

Have my first [biscuit ]

:o

If dogs are supposed to live in the house there will be a lot of people having their dogs taken off them!!

If you cant read the OP properly dont post. Thanks

I did read the OP correctly, and the following posts. Some dogs if provided with good facilities can live outside, happily. However, all dog breeds have different needs and although you need not treat them as humans it does not mean you should not treat them with respect to their individual personalities. Golden retrievers are a very emotionally intelligent breed, that thrive from being with people. It makes me wonder what your primary objective for buying the dog was, and choosing a breed well known for its love of human interaction.

Maybe its digging to escape

I did read up on the breed. At no point did I read that GRs must live in the house. She gets plenty of human interaction. If you read my OP you would see that she is only left on her own if we are out.

When reading up I also learned that some GRs just dig because that is what they like to do. Not due to boredom or trying to escape. Honestly you are being unnecessarily nasty and I dont appreciate it.

Our older dog has a lovely comfy bed in our heated garage, but he chooses to sleep on the floor. When puppy goes in there she will also have a comfy bed.

There is not a single person who could, on meeting our dogs, say they are stressed or neglected. RSPCA couldnt and that is the standard we set ourselves.

Build her a sand pit and teach her if she wants to dig that thats her spot to do her digging. Bury toys in the sand for extra fun.

I'm a bit confused why outside = bad? My dog wanders around the garden for hours during the day, just mooching, or chewing his bone, or carrying his pet rock (don't ask), or bouncing on the trampoline. I don't shut him out or leave him out when I go somewhere, but I certainly don't supervise him the entire time. I didn't when he was a young pup, either. Just kept an eye on him from the kitchen window (while he learned to trampoline! )

Clearly he is stressed Chicken

Tbh I really dont get it either. Apparently to have dogs sleeping in the garage is abhorrent. Its not just on here that I have come across this attitude either.

Any dog I know would rather be outside.