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  #1  
Old November 28th, 2004, 12:44 PM
bigbar bigbar is offline
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Question dog bored in the backyard

Just looking for ideas about good outside toys to keep my dog from digging up the backyard all the time. Thought about hanging a tether ball from a tree but wondering if dogs go for this. Buddy, my dog, chews branches, digs holes in the lawn and anywhere else he finds (not trying to get out of the yard), and generally tries his best to get into mischief. He is 10 months old and is an Italian Spinone. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Old November 28th, 2004, 12:47 PM
bigbar bigbar is offline
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Question dog bored in the backyard

Just looking for ideas about good outside toys to keep my dog from digging up the backyard all the time. Thought about hanging a tether ball from a tree but wondering if dogs go for this. Buddy, my dog, chews branches, digs holes in the lawn and anywhere else he finds (not trying to get out of the yard), and generally tries his best to get into mischief. He is 10 months old and is an Italian Spinone. Any suggestions would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]
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Old November 28th, 2004, 02:20 PM
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TobsterMom TobsterMom is offline
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A great suggestion that was mentioned to me a few times (I have the same problem...my yard has sooo many craters, it looks like the moon) was to fill one big hole with sand, bury lots of toys and goodies, and make a game out of it. You will need to take some time to be outside and continue burying things for him, and to discourage him from digging in other parts of your yard, and eventually he will know that this is his spot, and will look forwad to what he will find upon digging.

I haven't tried this yet, I'm going to wait until spring. It sounds like a great idea, and many peole have told me it works.
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Old November 28th, 2004, 03:05 PM
Daisie Daisie is offline
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What I've done and seems to fun for them...is taking a holey treat ball, fill it with chunks of that dog sausauge (sorry can't think of name). Don't make it so small that the chunks fall out easy.

Another thing I do is throw broken dog biscuits out over the lawn for them to sniff and find. If they see you do it then they are eager to search.

A good chew bone...a real one...unless they like to just bury them. Don't waste the money.

Toys are only fun if they have some one to play with. You could try fostering another dog, keep your's company, and provide a valuable service to an animal in need.

If you are not home, and he's left alone...let him go to a doggy daycare. They get valuable socializing and alot of fun. In the end you get a tired and happy dog. Less likely to be destructive.

Finally, he wants your attention, make sure you give him some.
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Old November 28th, 2004, 05:33 PM
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Daisy's favourite toy (out of the tonnes of $$'s spent!) is the 6 foot long stick I brought from my parent's house. She'll play for hours with with it, sticking her nose under it and throwing it in the air. Or just lying there and chewing it. We had the same problem with Daisy, now we make sure she has stuff to chew, and she's usually pretty good.
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Old November 28th, 2004, 05:45 PM
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I have to disagree somewhat with the attention thing. Some dogs are natural diggers, no matter how much excersize and attention you give them. But I do agree that a bored dog can become destructive.
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Old November 28th, 2004, 06:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TobsterMom
was to fill one big hole with sand, bury lots of toys and goodies, and make a game out of it. You will need to take some time to be outside and continue burying things for him, and to discourage him from digging in other parts of your yard,
This works rather well, my parents' neighbour had the same problem. They built the dog a 'sandbox' complete with edging so the dog knew where to stop. It took a month or so before the dog caught on, but she doesn't dig anywhere else now.
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Old November 28th, 2004, 06:14 PM
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Gazoo Gazoo is offline
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Buried chicken wire an inch or two below the surface can work with some dogs...they don't like the way it feels.
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Old November 28th, 2004, 08:32 PM
Karin Karin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoo
Buried chicken wire an inch or two below the surface can work with some dogs...they don't like the way it feels.
I have to agree...this method is used all the time and it works here in the south. But it is mainly used by people who leave their dogs outside day & night.

If a dog had plenty of interaction with their 2 legged family members and some training, digging would only be a "phase" they are going through and would be short lived.
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Old November 28th, 2004, 08:45 PM
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I agree that sometimes digging results from boredome...but often times it's an instinctual need or breed trait. The same goes for chewing...dogs like to chew...some more than others, it's just to teach them the appropriate things to chew.

Here is an article about the "sandbox".

http://www.metrokc.gov/lars/animal/E.../dog/dog13.htm
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Old November 29th, 2004, 11:06 AM
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Princesss04 Princesss04 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TobsterMom
I have to disagree somewhat with the attention thing. Some dogs are natural diggers, no matter how much excersize and attention you give them. But I do agree that a bored dog can become destructive.
I also agree here because I have two dogs (puppys) and they are with each other all the time even when they are outside and our yard has so many holes in it, I do not know what to do about this we have tried everything. I had someone tell me to put their poo in the hole and burry it and they would not mess with the hole again but that has not worked either. We have so many toys in the yard so it is not like they do not have anything to do. I think they are just diggers. It drives me crazy though.
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