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April 19, 2011

My dog digs holes in the yard. I have tried filling them with water and holding his head under for 2 seconds, hitting his feet with wood spoons. Nothing works, what should I do?

Full Question:
My husband and I have a 2 1/2 year old male German Shepherd. He is very sweet and great with children. He is also very high strung. At times he will dig many holes in our yard. None by the fence. He has no rhyme or reason. He will go for weeks without digging and then dig half a dozen at a time. We have tried filling his holes with water and holding his head under for about 5 seconds. Filling the holes with feces. Spanking. Hitting his digging feet with a wooden spoon enough to make him notice. Playing with him more often. Please help us with some suggestions. We love him, but he is destroying our once beautiful yard and carpet.



Thank you for any help,
Dave and Teresa
Ed
Ed Ed's Answer:
This water torture and spoon trick is stupid. It’s cruel and stupid training, pure and simple. People who recommend these types of things should have their head stuck in a hole full of water when they are panicked. I doubt they are thinking about digging holes when it’s over. When you do this to the dog he is only thinking of survival and not drowning. I will guarantee that he is not thinking that he is the one who dug the stupid hole and this is all a result of that.



The dog digs because he is bored, pure and simple. Spend more time with your dog. You will get the most bank for your buck to do serious obedience training. Get a prong collar and work this dog. Give him something to think about when he has down time. I recommend my video Basic Dog Obedience.



You should also put up a normal 6' x 10 ' dog kennel with patio blocks or concrete. Then only allow him to have access to the back yard for shorter periods of time. It’s hard to dig through concrete.



If you are not willing to do what’s necessary to make your dog’s life more meaningful, sell him or give him away and get a cat.

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