# How to stop your dog digging in the garden?



## picolenicole (27 July 2011)

Morning all, I hardly post in here but today I really am fed up!!!! 

We have a 7 month old puppy that keeps digging up my flower beds, we have tried fencing it to stop him, we tell him off, we have even smaked his bum. Nothing works he just goes straight back to it, I have spent loads on flowers etc. He know's he's done something wrong, as he run's off and hide's under the table.

What can I do to stop him? It's not fair on my older dog, as she thinks she's in the bad books aswell, and when he dig's we then don't let him out, which means she doesn't go out either. I'm fed up with him, I could put a free to good home sign on him today  (That could just be because everything from 6am to now has gone wrong and this feels like the last straw)


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## skyejosh (27 July 2011)

My boss had similar problem she put a couple of low strands of electric fence attached to a battery round her flower beds for a couple of weeks so her dog got a shock when he went near them. She used a battery that been round her sheep was in need of charging so it wasn't causing much of an output but he got a shock once and didn't go near it again. she took the fence down after a couple of weeks and a year or so on he has still not been anywhere near her flowers again.
Don't know if you would want to do it with another dog though.
Hope you do find something that saves your poor flowers.


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## MyBoyChe (27 July 2011)

Dont know how your garden is laid out but we had the same problem with our 2 young springers.  We have an area of decking immediately outside the back of our house approx 4m by 15m, we have put trellis with a gateway across the whole of this which separates it from the lawn and flowerbeds.  Doggies can still sit outside in the sun if they want to, they can watch the goings on in the field behind the house but they cannot dig up my borders!  When I can be outside to watch they are allowed through but I have to keep my eyes peeled, first chance they get they will either dig something up or try to catch the fish from the pond, little horrors.


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## Toffee44 (27 July 2011)

Ditto electric fencing done it too stop Dylan getting out. Wasn't so kind left it fully charged. He had 3 goes before he figured out it was the fence around the garden. So far he's stayed put.


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## picolenicole (27 July 2011)

I'm not sure he would feel the electric fencing he's a Scottish Terrier, and has a stupidly think coat? I'm going to have to try andf pen him in some how, cann't do it on the grass, as he also loves pulling that out aswell!! Little bugger will be the death of me.

So you can see the offending pain in the back side here's a pic or 2 for you all..













And my 14 year old telling him she is boss and that is that...(not that he listen to her either)


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## MissMincePie&Brandy (27 July 2011)

They do seem to grow out of it, but if you can't wait for the destruction to end try backing up your 'no', with a quick squirt of a water pistol. 

If he's still killing the flower beds, especially when he's alone in the garden, I'd suggest rigging up some temporary electric fence. I used an old field battery that was quite low on power, I could touch it and it gave a mildly unpleasant zap, which was enough to keep my young dog away, without frightening her too much.  

We had the electric fence up for about 2 months, but after the first couple of weeks we turned the battery off, and she stayed out.


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## MissMincePie&Brandy (27 July 2011)

I replied before seeing your pics.  He's very cute .

You could try the water pistol, but I wonder of it would bother him? My dog was mortified by it, as she's a breed without a lot of hair, and learnt really quickly to not do anything which might result in her getting wet.


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## EAST KENT (27 July 2011)

Believe me ..the e fence will work.We have guard dogs loose at night..and flower borders,but one quick sting and it is all safe forever.


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## picolenicole (27 July 2011)

He loves water  when I empty ponies water bucket he sit's in the middle of the puddle just watching the world go by. He looks like butter wouldn't melt, but he's a little so and so. I blame OH he lets him do what ever he wants, were as mean mummy, tell's him when he's done something wrong. He dig's the garden up even when we are at home, he has a Kong toy that I fill with samon spread and put in the freezer, when we are at work to keep him bussy.


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## soloabe (27 July 2011)

Give him something he can dig in. We have a kiddy sand pit. I buried some stuff in there to get him started.


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## Teaselmeg (27 July 2011)

Ditto the sandpit, my boy revelled in 'rearranging' my bedding plants earlier this year, so I bought one of those kiddies sand pits, got him really interested in the sand pit, covered my plant pots in some garden mesh for a week or so to discourage him and hey presto he digs in the sand pit, the plants are safe and he never touched them. It is much better to give them something else to do, rather than just scare them into not doing it.  

Your boy is sooo cute !!


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## Hairy Old Cob (27 July 2011)

I have had trouble with both Dogs and Rabbits digging in the Garden but Since I Locked up the Garden Shed Preventing access to Spades I have had No further Problems


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## picolenicole (28 July 2011)

Never thought of a sand pit......... think I may be in it more than the dog  We have set a pen up outside so both dogs can still get out the house. Fern (14 year old) can jump over the pen fencing, it's about 3 and half foot!!!! So she can still have all the garaden and the pup (Dougal) can come outside but not demolish anything 

Work for today, find cheap sand pit  Thanks for all the ideas, on what to try.


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## CorvusCorax (28 July 2011)

Agree, give the fella an alternative, think of it from his point of view, be the lady who provides him with cool, fun things to do instead of the lady who chases, shouts and smacks his bum whenever he is trying to do something cool and fun.


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