How can I stop my dog from digging up my yard?

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 25, 2010

Two dogs digging, halfway into a large hole in the ground.Digging is a common complaint for dog owners. The problem is, digging comes very natural for many dogs. As a matter of fact terriers are named for Terra, as in Latin for “earth.” They are literally called “earth dogs” — and it’s not because they are environmentally friendly. Digging is frequently a “hard-wired” behavior in dogs and stopping it is literally trying to stop a dog’s natural tendencies. So….

Instead of Fighting the Instinct to Dig, Harness It!

One of the most effective ways to deal with instinctual dog behavior like digging is to give a dog a way to do it that is not disruptive. My favorite is to set up a “digging pit” somewhere and then convince the dog that digging there is more rewarding than around the petunias.

Either purchase a sandbox or dig a hole and fill it with sand. (Sand is a lot easier to clean up than soil.) If you decide to go with a hole, it may be helpful to line it with plastic sheeting. Then, hide some toys in the sand and show your dog his new place to dig!

Start out making the hidden goodies easy to find and then work your way up to making it more and more difficult. Make it a game, and be sure to spend some time with your dog. Which is a nice segway to the next point…..

Idle Paws are the Devil’s Digger!

In detective fiction we frequently read or hear about “motive and opportunity.” We covered motive for digging, now you need to deal with the opportunity! Are you leaving a “known offender” alone in your yard? Leaving your dog alone outside is not a good idea for a lot of reasons, but leaving a bonafide digger alone is just asking for it.

Left to their own devices, dogs may not choose the recreation activities we would prefer. Trying playing with your dog instead of leaving him alone. Trying using toys and games to exercise his mind and redirect his desire to dig.

Training Can Help

Even when you are with your dog, his eyes may wander over to those petunias. This is a prime opportunity to train him to leave things alone on cue. That, along with some work on impulse control, will make it easier to redirect your dog’s attention to more productive pursuits.

Digging can be a big nuisance, but it’s not an insurmountable problem. Try these steps and remember: enjoy your time with your dog. That why’s you got him!

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Weekend Update February 19, 2010

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 19, 2010

Ready for Cold Walkies

Ready for Cold Walkies!

Welcome Dr. Phil Zeltzman readers! (If you don’t know what I mean, you are still welcome — but check out his excellent newsletter!) If you enjoy reading this blog, please consider subscribing. You get a free copy of my e-book on choosing on dog trainer, and weekly updates to this site!

Now the news…..

Over at Pawcurious, Dr. V wrote a nice series of articles on dental health this week. It starts with how to perform a visual inspection yourself and continues with dental care at home. Dental care for dogs and cats is getting a lot of attention lately, and it’s a good thing. Very useful stuff from a great vet!

I’m a huge fan of Animal Behavior Associates. Dr. Hetts and Dr. Estep are experienced professionals and they publish some of the best behavior information you can find online. I’m a happy member of their Behavior Education Network. Here’s a great blog post from Dr. Hetts on how to have a better behaved pet.

Looking for a way to combine your love of your pets with saving the earth? Sponsor a memorial tree for your pet, or give it to someone as a gift. This is a very worthy cause that is helping replenish trees in our national forests.

Despite the cold and record snows, it’s time to start planning travel. Dog Jaunt has a great list of dog-friendly places ready for you, based on reader feedback. Pop in and tell everyone about your favorite spots.

If you are in my neck of the woods, GoPetFriendly.com has put together a guide on Northward Hound’s Escapes from New York. (No eye patch or life sentence required.)

Last, great news on the puppy mill front from Dancing Dog Blog. West Hollywood has banned sales of puppies and kittens! Can I get a “woo-hoo?”

Update: I just got word of a great contest that wraps up next week: Do you know of a dog that has changed someone’s life?

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How can I get my dog to calm down? Continued…..

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: January 28, 2010
Dog wanting to play with her ball

Caffeine is ready to go go go!

A few weeks ago I discussed using “wait” to teach your dog impulse control and get her to calm down. But sometimes you might want your dog to actually lie down and relax. This is something that can helped with some training and practice too.

Settle means lie on your side and stay there. In the old days we used to call it “play dead,” but at some point someone decided that wasn’t politically correct. Will practicing this lower your dog’s activity level? Probably not. But you can’t quite ask your dog to calm down and relax if you don’t show her what it means, can you? And while it may not make your dog calm down, it is sometimes possible to get the mind to follow the body.

Settle is also an invaluable behavior to have when you need to check for ticks after a hike, trim your dog’s nails, or even brush her teeth.

We train settle using a lure, using “yes” to mark the position we want. Then we add the command and some duration. Finally we add the “OK” release to make the position have an implicit “stay.”

First, use a treat right on your dog’s nose and lure him to the ground in a “down” position. (On his belly.) Hopefully, your dog will lie on one hip or the other. Move the treat in the opposite direction so he lies flat. In the video, Buddha favors his right hip. So Dagmar takes the treat and moves it toward his left side so he lies flat.
Say “yes” and let him have the treat. If your dog will not lie on a hip, you can still use the treat to shift his body oe way or the other. Play around a bit and find his “favorite” hip.

When this is working well, start to say “settle” before luring so he can learn the command.

Next, add some duration to the settle by delaying the treat for a few seconds after he lies down. Also add “OK” at the end to introduce the idea of being released from the position. This duration is also where you can hope that the mind will start to calm down, following the body.

When you have some more success. Get rid of the lure and only reward for completing the behavior. From there it’s a matter of standing up (if you aren’t already) and rewarding your dog a random. Note that Caffeine does not get a treat every time! (Also note that she’s a total ham.)

In the interest of time, this video compresses 2 or 3 training sessions into less than a minute and a half.

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Weekend Update January 15, 2010

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: January 15, 2010

Here's your paper. That will be one tennis ball, please.

Happy weekend everyone! I’m recovering from some minor knee surgery and actually the best I have felt this year!

Before we get started with the weekend update, I want to point out this week’s post at Dog Star Daily. It’s the closest you’ll get to a New Year’s Resolution from me.

Puppy Mills

Part of what is driving this great mood is the aboslutley terrible coverage puppy mills have been getting lately. They are taking a real drubbing in the news with stories like this and this. But keep in mind as you read those stories – the AKC has fought any legislation that would regulate this mills. They know where their bread is buttered.

“Breakthroughs” In Pet Care

In the “did I accidentally surf to the onion.com?” department, Dancing Dog Blog brings us this astound story about a home testing kit for heartworm. What’s even more bizarre is how it recommends that you draw blood for the test.

Feeding Raw

Have you considered feeding your dog raw food? It’s a pretty popular diet, but it’s not something you want to dive into without some research. Doggy Bytes ran a series last week with some in depth information on feeding raw. It’s worth a look.

Secret Life of Dogs

A wonderful series of 6 videos about dogs has been making the rounds. Here’s the first one:

You can see the rest over at Youtube.

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What are the most important things you can do for your puppy? Part 4 – Puppy Proofing

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: January 14, 2010

Who left their shoe out???

When we have a baby, we baby-proof. We put those plastic things into the electric outlets, move breakables up high or put them away, put hooks and eyes on door and cabinets, make sure that we never leave anything out that a baby shouldn’t play with, and do all of those other things I last did, gulp, 19 years ago.

When we get a puppy we ask trainers how we can get her to stop taking things, stop putting things into her mouth, go places we don’t want her to go, and pitch a fit when she makes a mess.

Am I putting puppies and babies at the same level? Of course not. One will someday finish college, have a career, and start her own family. The other, according to recent research, may someday grow to be as bright as a toddler.

Food for thought.

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What are the most important things you can do for your puppy? Part 3 – Get a Crate!

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: January 12, 2010

I love my crate


If you’ve poked around here a bit, you know my position on crates. They are wonderful tools.

Crate are not cruel. Most dogs learn not to just tolerate their crate, but to love it. For a puppy that doesn’t have any preconceived associations with the crate, simply introducing the crate and making it cozy is frequently all you need to do.

Used correctly, a crate can effectively house-train your puppy for you. A big part of house-training is control your dog’s access to the house, and a crate does a great job of doing that. Moreover, providing your puppy with a “safe” place like a crate keeps her out of all sorts of trouble.

Get a crate and use it. You’ll thank me later.

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What are the most important things you can do for your puppy? Part 2 – Socialization

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: January 7, 2010

Where's the world? Let me at it!

After bite inhibition, the next most important task for a puppy parent is socialization. Puppies have what is frequently called a “critical period” that spans roughly 8 – 16 weeks of age. (The exact period varies from pup to pup.) This period marks the time when your puppy is most impressionable and you have a chance to help your puppy not just be able to cope with a variety of people, places and things, but to help her actually enjoy them as an adult!

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) says that insufficient socialization can increase the likelihood of behavior problems such as fear, avoidance and aggression later in life. The AVSAB makes the case that since behavioral issues kill more dogs (via euthanasia at shelters) than infectious disease, the fear of taking puppies outside because of their young immune systems should take a backseat to the fear of poor socialization.

Proper and sufficient socialization consists of controlled exposure to a wide variety of different people, places, and things. Controlled means keeping the exposure happy and pleasant for your puppy. Proper socialization doesn’t mean throwing your puppy in the deep end. Each new experience should be happy and joyful, a link in a chain of happy experiences.

Dr. Ian Dunbar says that your puppy should meet at least 100 new people before he is three months old. This may sound daunting, but it’s really not that difficult. One of my favorite instructors, Liz Catalano, tells a story in her puppy classes about how she and her husband camped out in front of a store with her puppy and a bag of treats and simply asked the passersby to give the puppy a treat. Who would say no to that? And since they are only giving him a treat and maybe a pet, the chance of infectious disease is low.

But probably the best way you can set you and your puppy up for some great socialization is with a great puppy class. Dr. Dunbar has some information on Dog Star Daily about puppy classes. A puppy class given by an experienced instructor should provide you with plenty of information on how to communicate with your puppy as well as quality play time meeting other puppiea and their “puppy parents.” Two for one!

Dog Spelled Forward is offering puppy classes in Maywood NJ. For more information, check out the sign up page.

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What are the most important things you can do for your puppy? Part 1 – Bite Inhibition

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: January 5, 2010

With every puppy there is a moment where they are no longer adorable little puffs of fur and, maybe just for a second, they become little monsters. This moment usually occurs as their teeth connect with your skin.

Ow.

If you’ve ever spent time caring for a human baby, you know that for a while just about anything that isn’t nailed down goes into their mouths. With puppies it’s quite similar, except being nailed down is no guarantee of safety. Puppies don’t have hands and fingers, so they experience much of the world through their mouths. This starts out being cute, but loses it’s luster when the puppy becomes strong enough to do some damage to you, furniture, shoes, gloves, hats, cell phones, and even remote controls.

When tackling this problem there are two important aspects to keep in mind: lower the frequency of inappropriate biting, nipping and chewing but only after teaching your puppy how to control how hard she bites.

This second part seems counterintuitive to some. Let your puppy continue to bite so she can learn how? Yes, absolutely. Stopping the biting dead in its tracks offers immediate relief to an annoying problem, but if she never learns that her mouth can inflict pain and how to bite without doing so, then we may have a serious problem. If she is provoked or frightened as adult what could just be a warning bite could instead be a deadly and damaging attack.

The first step is to tell your puppy when biting hurts. Say “Ouch!” and pull your hand away. It’s that easy! If she pauses for a second and stops biting, praise her, ask for (or lure) a sit, and allow play to resume.

If she doesn’t stop, say (or yell) “Oww!” louder and leave the area. (If you have a habitual biter make sure you are playing in a room that you can safely leave her in.) Return in 30 seconds, lure another sit, and allow play to resume. Repeat.

These steps rely on a simple principle: your puppy wants to play with you. If she bites too hard, play stops. She should learn very quickly how to keep play going. Puppies play this same “game” with each other in the litter (and in puppy kindergarten, which you should attend with your puppy!) and teach each other the same bite control lesson. Human children should not do this. Their “ouches” are probably very squeaky and will very quickly get your puppies too excited.

After some time the bites will stop hurting. You are going to pretend that they still do! You want your puppy to think you must be made out of tissue paper. Eventually biting and nipping should effectively be only mouthing.

When you reach the mouthing stage, it’s time to turn it off. It’s time for zero tolerance. If your puppy’s mouth touches you, you say “ouch!” If it persists, use the same “Owwww!” as earlier and leave the room.

The entire process will take several weeks, but at the end you will have a dog that has learned bite control, a very valuable lesson that can save someone from a serious bite in the future, as well as saving your dog from consequences of that serious bite.

A good puppy kindergarten class will help you implement this, as well as providing your puppy will a valuable chance to exercise control with other puppies.

Posted in Training Tips | 7 Comments

Weekend Update: January 1, 2010 (!)

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: December 31, 2009

Party dog!Happy New Year! May you have great success and a better year than you did in 2009. (For many of us, that will be easy.)

What better way to start off the new year than with a story I forgot to include last week? A few weeks ago, a newly adopted dog saved a drowning baby’s life! If Hunter doesn’t deserve to spend his new year with all-you-eat liverwurst, who does?
 

While we’re going over leftovers, here’s another great story from Daryn Kagan:
 

In Colorado, some homeless Chihuahuas are getting new homes for the holidays!
 

Last week, Bo Obama stole the show at Children’s National Medical Center.

How cool is it that the Obamas take him everywhere? How extra cool is it that the First Lady was able to quiet him down quickly and then discreetly feed him treats to help get his attention off of Santa, while the girls were talking?

Last, let’s wrap up with a wonderful story about a young boy who needed a heart transplant and the pet therapy team that helped him keep up the strength he needed. Delta Society is a great organization, doing great work.

Posted in Training Tips | 2 Comments

Weekend Update December 19, 2009

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: December 19, 2009

It’s almost Christmas! Or it’s already Hanukkah, depending on your preference. Is your shopping done yet? I was actually planning doing some local shopping this year, but my clumsiness caught up with me and it’s hard to carry shopping bags with a cane, Amazon got my business again.

Before I go into the “week in dog”, I’d like to take the time to highlight a message I received this week. A group of volunteers in Mississippi is collecting old sweaters for recycling to help shelter dogs in colder climates. Please, if you can help, or if you know someone that can, let them know!

On that note, I read a nice post over at Dancing Dog Blog about pets and giving to shelters that helped put me into the holiday spirit. Check it out.

I think the new story most in keeping with the holiday season must be that of Jude Stringfellow and her two-legged therapy dog Faith. Faith has been inspiring people for a few years now, but she has been providing extra well, faith, to disabled vets this year. What a great story!

Daryn Kagan has some video:

Speaking of walking, grab the leash and get out there! A fun study has been making the rounds this week. It seems that walking with a dog is better exercise that walking with another person.

Will you be traveling this holiday? Are maybe having some visitors? Patricia McConnell has some great advice on how to make things easier for you and your pets.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Posted in Training Tips | 3 Comments