border terriers and digging

[J Keong]

My teenage daughter just bought a border terrier and already it's turned one of my flowerbeds into a big tunnel.
We have an open policy on pets in this household, which means our kids can get the pet that they want most as long as they deal with the consequences of it, but we didn't know she was going to be getting a terrier. I had a Bedlington when I was a little girl (which is part of the reason why I thought a dog would be so good for her), so know what terriers can be like, but my one never really dug and this one is just unstoppable.
I feel kind of silly asking for advice because I know how it must sound, but my daughter doesn't know what to do with the dog's digging and I am the one home with it all day anyway.
The dog is eight months old and seems to be pretty well-behaved in other areas, it's just the digging.

[melissa]

Why did you let your daughter get a dog without consulting the family over what breed it's going to be and whether this suits everyone? I don't want to be mean but getting a dog without looking into the breed attributes and things like that is just a plain bad idea.
Can you figure out a reason as to why it's digging in that particular area - maybe bones buried there from a previous dog, or the dirt's nice and soft there, or something like that?

[jashan]

you must not be letting your dog for walk or exercise
thats why he use his energy digging so that he can do little bit of exercise
or your dog must be chained all the day and when he is free he is very happy
and just start digging
or the area where he diggg may be smeelling something or something must be dug inside the are where your dog digs
ur friend
jashan(jatt)

[herediachar]

Some suggestions:

1)Take the dogs poop and put in the holes that he has dug and then cover with dirt.

2) Also get a very large container of pepper and sprinkle in the garden/flowerbed areas that he digs in. Fresh garlic too and this is good to rid the bad bugs from your garden.

3) If he is digging around the fence, keep a bag of cement handy, wet some down and pour in the hole and then covere it with dirt. I am suggesting putting the cement low into the hole and then covering it with lots of dirt. He'll know it's there. And you'll still be able to plant there if you wish someday.

4) When you leave for long periods of time give him his favorite bone. He only gets this bone when you are going to be gone for long periods. For shorter periods have a different chew bone. This way for the longer periods he has something he really loves.

5) If you leave him outside when you are away then exercise him just before leaving. Throw a ball, go for a walK...

Then for two to four days watch him like a hawk and if he starts for any area that he has been digging, yet walks toward it and away, praise him..."Good boy, overhere is good." If he is almost ready to step into the garden say "No...overhere" and leave it at that. If he actually gets in the garden, say No, bad dog...and immediatly take and put him in his crate or closed off area for about 5 minutes. If you noticed I did not say No come. I use the word come only when we are on lead. I like my dogs to have a big vocablulary and not get confused on what I really want.

I hope this helps,
Herediachar

[tlkng1]

HI there
One thing I tried with my older lab (when she was a puppy and a digging fool; thought she was a terrier in disguise), was just to fill the holes with stones...after all, she was digging up enough of them. Eventually she got tired of digging through the rocks and now only digs in the back of an area I have designated as "Shiloh's Thicket." I was able to remove the stones and plant grass or plants as needed.

Terriers are going to be a little more single minded than a lab is, but the stone idea works.

Terese

[goingdogcrazy!]

I feel your pain!
I have a double lot backyard. Huge space for my 3 boys to run around.
I use to fill the holes up with their poop and cover them with dirt. It worked, they didn't dig in that spot anymore, they just dug in other spots. Before I knew it, my backyard was just a big hole fool of poop! haha. Now I have a special little area hidden in the corner for them to dig. Its been almost 1 yr and everything has been working out great.

[melody]

There's a good advice on the mother page of this forum on How to Stop a Dog from Digging. A good reminder there is that punishing the dog from digging is not a good idea as it will likely add up to the anxiety. It is one of the reason why your new dog is digging. It will also be helpful if more attention will be given to it since he's new to the family and there are lots of reasons that he may be getting anxious.

[craigclemins]

Terriers are prolific diggers but you can fix the problem. Start of by ensuring it gets plenty of social activity (games etc), mental stimulation (through training), and exercise. Make sure you have all these areas covered and then if you dog still give you problems think about allocating a special area in the yard for it to dig...

Hope this helps!

[glaiza]

Terriers have a lot of energy in them. Take the dog out for more walks, walk it at least 30-45 minutes everyday. You can also tire the dog out with games, but walks are the best. Digging and other similar behavior are often caused by dogs who are bored.