My dogs have embarrassed me plenty of times, but one of the more memorable occasions was when Indy dug up quite a big area in a friend’s beautiful garden.
She was after a gopher, and the trench she dug zigged and zagged in a maze pattern, which undoubtedly was following the gopher’s attempt at escape. 😳
Typically my dogs only dig when they are after a critter, but there are plenty of other reasons a dog will dig, including boredom, for attention, for a cool pit in the summer, and heck, just for fun. Digging is natural!
Why fight what is natural? I don’t expect my Weims not to chase cats, I don’t expect to keep my dogs from barking, and I don’t expect them not to dig.
See, I could teach them not to dig at all, but sometimes you choose your battles and I’m not going to bother trying to extinguish a natural behavior.
What I do is shape natural behaviors in ways that I can tolerate — Barking? Only at strangers. Prey behavior? Point birds. Digging? Only in designated areas. Compromise. 🙂
The best solution I’ve found for curbing digging in inappropriate areas is to put poop in the holes that you don’t want them to dig, and at the same time provide them with an area where they are allowed to dig.
Choose a corner of your yard or buy a kid’s sandpit where they can dig to their heart’s content. You can hide a nice bone or toy in there to keep your Weim interested in digging that area only.
Whatever kind of positive reinforcement you can use to encourage digging in the allowed area is the idea. Pretty easy!
Photo courtesy and © Ben Carceller.
Hey you made it to the end of the article!
If you want more tips like this, just enter your email address below to get 'em for free!
By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from JustWeimaraners. I'll respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Surviving life with Weims!
Recommended Reading
Why Your Weimaraner Doesn’t Always Come When Called
Recall training fails because we always train it while we have our dog's attention. Here is how to train your Weimaraner while his attention is elsewhere.
Chocolate Toxicity in Dogs (Or, Weims Like to Eat S*%t)
The common signs of chocolate toxicity are diarrhea, vomiting, increased thirst, panting and/or restlessness, elevated heart rate, muscle tremors, seizures and even death!
How I Trained My Dogs to Counter-Surf
No magic solutions here. The best way to keep your Weimaraners from counter-surfing is to keep your counters spotless! A few other suggestions offered here may help!
I Can’t Walk My Weimaraner!
Weims love to pull. They're hunting dogs after all, and they're supposed to be sniffing their way through the world barrelling through life! As for me, I want to go for a normal civilized walk now and then!
goDog Plush With Chew Guard Technology
Zogoflex Hurley Durable Dog Bone Chew Toy for Aggressive Chewers
KONG - Extreme Dog Toy - Toughest Natural Rubber
Nylabone Classic Power Chew
Your comments and questions are welcomed