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Old June 19th, 2008, 11:12 PM
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white wrabbit white wrabbit is offline
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Angry Getting the hound out of the hound..

ok Maggie as we know is part hound.. well she is digging and digging trenches.. She is not a small dog either.. she is Doberman and possible pointer or blue tick

there are tons of gophers that are taking over the neighbor hood thanks to a new sewer line going in.. well yesterday she dug her way under the shed was able to turn around in it.. but i had to dig her out... where they come under the fence she has dug holes to try and get out to get them.. she is pawing at some fence boards and has knocked them off then fence to try and get at them... she is tied up in the yard.. so not worried about her taking off..

any suggestions on how to stop this digging???? we (my hubby and i) are at the point of getting rid of her.. the kids destroy enough around the house don't need another one we have to repair things after like a new fence that is going to cost us just over $600

so any ideas would be greatly appreciated...

and please no suggestions of obedience classes or personal trainers.. i live in a small town and there is not even a groomers in town.. and i do not have a drivers licenses...
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Old June 20th, 2008, 06:41 AM
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How long is she tied up for outside?
Maybe you can try exercising her more to use up some of her excess energy.

I don't think you can ever take the hound part out of a hound but I think it can be controlled. A friend of ours designated a part of their yard for digging & trained him to use only that section. I think they buried treats or toys for him to find.
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Old June 20th, 2008, 06:51 AM
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Also, check out this info on how to deal with digging problems: http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/digging
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Old June 20th, 2008, 08:12 AM
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luckypenny luckypenny is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by white wrabbit View Post
we (my hubby and i) are at the point of getting rid of her.. the kids destroy enough around the house don't need another one we have to repair things after
*sigh* Please tell me you're kidding .

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Originally Posted by white wrabbit View Post
any suggestions on how to stop this digging????
You don't need a trainer for this problem, the answer's quite simple really. As already stated, she needs a lot more excercise and constant supervision when outdoors if you're going to deal with this. You can either give her a designated digging spot or deter her every time she starts to dig. Reward her for listening to you.

This doesn't have much to do with her breed. She's bored and is looking for something interesting to do. Just about any dog would do the same or find some other annoying habit to entertain themselves. Can't really blame them; we as humans look for things to distract us when we're not working and are bored too .

Give her more excersise and attention, then keep her with you when you can't keep an eye out for her in the yard. Keeping her occupied, well-exercised, and being consistent is the key to a well-behaved dog.
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Old June 20th, 2008, 08:37 AM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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I agree with LP, I have two Hounds and neither of them dig, Our Husky X on the other hand likes to dig around the bottom of the steps going to the back yard so you can fall and break your neck.
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Old June 20th, 2008, 09:21 AM
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I have to agree with the others: Your dog seems to have a high prey drive and therefore needs a "job" and needs to get more exercise. I have a dachshund from hunting lines and if he doesn't get his two hours of "fun and entertainment" with me, he'll come up with stuff to do on his own and it's not pretty. Please be kind to your dog and give him the attention he deserves.
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Old June 20th, 2008, 02:08 PM
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My mutt looks like he has some German Wirehaired hound in him, and if he's left alone for more than an hour in the yard he gets bored and starts to dig or chew whatever is handy (hose, trees). It's a good reminder for me to pay some attention to him and get him out for a longer walk that day or chase him around the yard before bed. Boredom is the lawn killer!
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Old June 20th, 2008, 04:59 PM
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Actually she is only out there a few hours in th afternoon (alone that is) when my youngest naps.. she does get walked quite often and when we are in the yard with her.. she is not tied up...

i did forget to mention the first thing she does in bolt out the door and always checks right under the steps for them pesky gophers... then the other spots where they come under the fence from where she has dug holes / trenches...

this is gopher related and not exercise and boredom related. this is the hound in her. since she has a few times started digging right in front of me.. after one made it across the yard and she did not catch...

we have a plague of gophers since they dug up the field out behind my house for a new sewer line.. and i am on the very out skirts of the small town and they have no where else to go since there homes got destroyed...
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Old June 20th, 2008, 05:08 PM
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This has also only been going on for a month she never dug until the gophers decided to move in. i also have to walk her on the road or she will stop and dig in there holes and i have to pull her away from them as well.. dosent matter if it is in some ones yard.. but our yard now is wrecked from the gophers as well now too.. from there holes.. We trap them move them across the river new ones move in the empty hole...
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Old June 20th, 2008, 05:16 PM
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Poor gophers :sad: .

All three of my dogs (not one of them a hound) bolt out the door (even though they're taught to wait until I give them the ok ) and rush to the shed where a groundhog has taken up residence under it. The first time I saw them dig to get underneath, I went a little stupid with the "leave-its" . They have stopped digging but are just anxiously waiting for the poor thing to show itself. We've blocked off the sides of the shed so the dogs don't have access to the rear and the groundhog has a safe escape route when needed.

Although it's unfortunate for the gophers, have you thought of deterring them from staying on your property? I don't have any experience with gophers but have been told that if we didn't want the goroundhog under our shed, we could soak a rag daily with amonia and place it underneath. We found the other solution with the fencing more acceptable for us. Perhaps if you call a humane society in your region, they could give you some ideas .

The only other advice I have is that your dog not be left outdoors unsupervised while your child is napping. Perhaps it could be nap time for Maggie as well?
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Old June 20th, 2008, 05:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by white wrabbit View Post
this is gopher related and not exercise and boredom related. this is the hound in her. since she has a few times started digging right in front of me.. after one made it across the yard and she did not catch...
Gotcha, I suppose if I were a dog digging for gophers would be pretty darn fun. My male Italian's newest hobby is barking at the crow that has taken up residence on the cable wires that run across our yard. Every time I open the door he races out there and tries to jump at it, barking the whole time. Still is better than holes in the yard!
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Old June 20th, 2008, 06:32 PM
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I may have a solution to your Gopher problem...
This works well for groundhogs so I am assuming it will also work with Gophers.
Drop some mothballs or a 'puck' from a Men's urinal down the hole. The smell will deter the gophers from ever moving back in again. Maybe it will even deter your dog!?
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Old June 20th, 2008, 07:13 PM
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i dont think you take the hound out of them... my dogs 100% hound and he digs with his nose.... he only digs though to bury the food he gathers so he can drag it up 6 months later to eat it... now that isnt pretty....

we stop him by playing catch and things... but he's so lazy when he'd fed up he'll just walk off back into the house!
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