Puppy digging holes when take her out

[rrboxer]

When I take Lacy (9 wk) when I take her outside to get some air & change of environment or sometimes to do her business. I noticed that she is starting to dig. This really surprised me. Is she bored? I take her out to park, soccer field, Petsmart, take her outside freqently. She is never alone either I'm with her or my husband. My concern is that she'll learn distructive behavior. Should I be correcting her now on this or should I allow her to be a dog & revel in digging holes?

 

[BerkleysMom]

I am curious what resposes you get from everyone. Berkley is 9 months old and LOVES to dig (especially when she smells a mole hole - we live in the coutry). My husband thinks that I shouldn't let her do it (his thinking is that if she is ever in a fenced yard she will try and dig out). I am not sure. She loves it so and it gets her energy out and she's the best digger I have ever seen. I planted a garden this year and Berk dug the holes for the tomato plants (she did a great job)! I showed her where and away she went. So I am very curious to see if I am doing the wrong thing. Thanks for the post.

PS Lacy is ADORABLE

 

[Caney Creek]

Should I be correcting her now on this or should I allow her to be a dog & revel in digging holes?

That really just depends on how you feel about having holes in your yard. I'm sure she's not doing much damage at the moment because she is still so little, but that will not last long. If she starts scratching at the ground, ask yourself if you would mind having a huge hole in that very spot one day. If the answer is no then re-direct her to a more appropriate spot for digging.

Another option would be to get her a sandbox. That give her her own place to dig, and she'd also most likely prefer digging in sand rather than the ground so that in itself would encourage her to dig in the sandbox instead.

 

[Caney Creek]

I planted a garden this year and Berk dug the holes for the tomato plants (she did a great job)! I showed her where and away she went.

That is so cute! I don't see anything wrong with that, what a great way to channel her digging into something productive.

 

[BerkleysMom]

Love the sand box idea! Never thought of that. The holes will get MUCH bigger. I have to replace the dirt when she digs in the wrong places and they certainly aren't small. She can have a hole you can trip/fall into in less than 3 minutes. Just wanted to say thanks for the sand box idea. I love that!

 

[rrboxer]

@Berkleys Mom & CaneyCreek. Thanks for your input it is really a blessing to bounce questions or just anything to other animal lovers & not feel like y'all think I'm crazy to be so concerned or so involved with my puppy. I love that she help u dig holes for your tomatoe garden!!! Well, I guess I may have to put a stop to it as she has pretty big feet on her now and she's gonna be a big girl once she is an adult. I think a sandbox is a cool idea but never thought about she might dig under a fence or something and escape (not that I'll leave her unattended-will never do that!). Well, for now I think I'll stop her from digging & redirect her to something else. She did pretty good today in her crate for 30 min while I baked biscuits & cleaned the kitchen. She is such a delight!!!

 

[BerkleysMom]

"They say that Boxers can hear things under the ground like bugs and critters and such moving around, is it possible that what she is doing??"

Jaxon, I know a lot of times this is what Berk is doing because of where she is wanting to dig and it being a mole mound - she does have a great sniffer and ears!

@rrboxer this might be what Lacy is doing.


I do the same thing with Berk as far as telling her to "leave it" if I don't want her to dig there and it works well. The leave it command is one of the first I taught her and it has worked well with her having so many distractions/smells in the country when we go out.

 

[rrboxer]

She could be hearing something under the ground, and we do have alot of rabbits about here as well. I'll just monitor her for now and once we buy a house then I can re-think the sandbox idea. For now also will concentrate on the leave it command (sometimes she obeys it). I've mainly been concentrating on sit, down, drop it and her potty training but will focus on "leave it" more seriously. Ok i feel better and with your input!