# Digging HELP!



## teh_fuzz (Nov 14, 2011)

So ash has been with us for about3 months, today is his one yr birthday and i am hoping to be somewhat closer to the end of the puppy like behavior LOL

I am specifically, talking about the digging! i can deal with a chewed up toy every now and then, even finding a rogue sandal or shoe in the backyard is acceptable to me, he is only 1 yr old and while he does get exercise and attention a dog will always be a dog.

My problem with digging is not necessarily that he is doing it, but where he is doing it! the dog is digging along the side of the house and i am afraid it would cause damage over time. im not talking huge gaping holes but holes deep enough to go past my ankle. 

- Does this behavior ever cease?
- It always looks like he is looking for something on the ground, is he crazy? lol
- Ive seen him try and bury a bone or a toy, but those holes are usually smaller
- Is there anything i can do to prevent this from happening? (the constant digging along a certain area of the yard other than a fence)
- is this puppy behavior or breed behavior? He is a German Shepherd/Husky


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

It is for a Husky.
Why not bring him inside when he starts digging? 
Keep that area fenced off. Give him his own digging spot (a sandbox would work).
All dogs enjoy digging, it relieves boredom.


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## teh_fuzz (Nov 14, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> It is for a Husky.
> Why not bring him inside when he starts digging?
> Keep that area fenced off. Give him his own digging spot (a sandbox would work).
> All dogs enjoy digging, it relieves boredom.


I was told he is a german shepherd/husky mix, i see the husky traits with the eye color and head shape lol the german shepherd in his coat layout, here is a pic:

dont mind the butt in the background 









Should i worry more about his husky side or the german shepherd side of the mix? meaning is there a way to see what is the dominant side of the mix?


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

He's very handsome. 
You can try placing feces in the holes, maybe he'll lose interest. 
I've been told to fill the holes with water, place a mousetrap in them, etc. 
I think giving him his own place to dig would make sense


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## teh_fuzz (Nov 14, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> He's very handsome.
> You can try placing feces in the holes, maybe he'll lose interest.
> I've been told to fill the holes with water, place a mousetrap in them, etc.
> I think giving him his own place to dig would make sense


Thank you, i couldn't let myself leave him at the SPCA after i saw those pretty blue eyes!

We have tried the poop method and it has worked but the moment the poop decays into the dirt, hes back at that location.

i am starting to wonder if there is something like a dead body or a dead buried squirrel down there


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Probably not, Huskies love to dig and dig and dig. .My daughters husky could put craters the size of a car in the yard faster than we could fill it up. She did eventually grow out of it.
My Berners would dig holes also, especially in the summer when it was hot out. They finally quit on their own.
Holly, my GSD doesn't dig at all, which is nice.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

My GSDs are diggers particularly they want to excavate the drains from the downspouts and run around the yard with their trophies . Right now welded fence is anchored down and gravel is coming this month. Should have been earlier but Grim and Cyra's vet bills depleted the gravel budget and I have zero debt other than a car loan and hope to keep it that way.

That excavation is not boredom - the chimpmunk always manages to find a way to squeeze into the pipe. But digging in general is, I think, either boredom or a dog wanting to cool off.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

unfortunately the husky side is a digger. Huskies LOVE to dig. They'd dig to china if they could. Try the sandbox idea. Another method is to supervise strictly and remove him when he starts to dig. Also look into boundary training. 

If you're okay with him digging in a specific area, encourage him by burying totally awesome smell good things where he's allowed to dig. To discourage digging at the house where the problem seems to be, make a barrier of gravel. Also rule out pests...


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

it's owner behaviour. leaving the dog in the yard
unattended, no kennel for the dog, dog not on a line.



teh_fuzz said:


> - is this puppy behavior or breed behavior? He is a German Shepherd/Husky


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Blow up a balloon, put in hole, place dirt over balloon. When he digs he will pop the balloon and hopefully scare enough that he won't do again...REPEAT as necessary...I had a lab mix one time that dug up almost the whole yard, yep balloons everywhere but he stopped digging


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

llombardo said:


> Blow up a balloon, put in hole, place dirt over balloon. When he digs he will pop the balloon and hopefully scare enough that he won't do again...REPEAT as necessary...I had a lab mix one time that dug up almost the whole yard, yep balloons everywhere but he stopped digging


Over the years I have known of a few dogs having issues after swallowing balloons and since Woolf has had a thing about eating whatever looks interesting (finally seems to be growing out of that), I've always tried to avoid having things like that in the yard.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Twyla said:


> Over the years I have known of a few dogs having issues after swallowing balloons and since Woolf has had a thing about eating whatever looks interesting (finally seems to be growing out of that), I've always tried to avoid having things like that in the yard.



I did forget to mention this should be supervised...it takes a matter of minutes!


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## teh_fuzz (Nov 14, 2011)

fast forward almost 6 months later... the digging seems to have stopped.

All we did was we kept at the poo in the hole thing and probably a month after this post, he began to loose interest in becoming the frist dog to dig from texas to the other wide of the world.

he is now more fascinated over the squirrels and possums that patrol the power lines in the late afternoon and nights...


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