I have 2 aussie shepherds and one short haired, huge, mutt pup.

I got the aussies to befriend the mutt, and kinda sorta had hopes of turning them into hunting dogs..but one is deaf (weird, eh?) and the other's 4 yrs old..I think it's too old for that sorta thing. Any how, they keep trying to dig outta the yard.

They stopped for about a week after I laced their holes with some hot peppers and mothballs. They seemed to forget all about it. Then, today, I was moving some stuff out of the back yard and they got out through the gate. That seemed to remind them how much they like getting out, and I just caught them digging out a few min ago.

We have a large (1/4 acre) yard for them. They arn't starving or thirsty, and they have lots of chewable things.

I'm outta ideas. Most of our fence is wood, only a little is metal, so I dont think the shocking wires would work well.

Shocking collars..if they give a constant shock after they leave a certain area, make me fear that they wouldnt be able to get back in, and could get hurt.

I dont really WANT to pour cement allll around the yard, cause we rent.

I've heard of chicken wire under the ground, but they tend to dig even faster if they find a place where I've freshly dug, and I dont know if it would have time to set before they could pull it up.

There's GOT to be a sure fire way besides my choice of getting rid of them. My fiancee wont let me give 'em away, though.

-Dave

 

I've got a Aussie Cattle Dog like that. They have a lot of energy and I have to keep him busy. He's got about a half dozen frisbies that we toss 3 or 4 times a day. Herding dogs have to be worked or they get into everything.... Get them set up on a scedule where you feed, work and play with them the same times of the day - that helps. They aren't lazy dogs and just are not suited to be primarily back yard dogs to be left alone all the time. They need a strong pack leader, (you). Lots of chew toys and lots of Frisbies.

 

i used to have a lab/boxer mutt a long time ago and when he would dig in the yard we would go out and put some of his own poo in the holes after about 2 or 3 weeks of that he just quit

 

Aussies are very intelligent dogs that need to be constantly trained because of their intelligence level. What I mean, is once you train them to do something you have to train them more or they become very bored. They are also known as escape artists, especially when they are bored. Good luck and if you do decide to get rid of them, check into an Aussie Rescue organization and what ever you do please don't take them to the pound. People go to pounds to pick any dog, usually with the best intentions but if they get an Aussie it will end up in the pound or dead after a while because of the problems you are having. Good Luck

 

Things others I know have done to solve (well, maybe) the problem:

1) Bury poo in the holes. Don't let your dog see you doing this.

2) Pee (you do it) on the area they are digging; some dogs seem to associate it with your claiming/marking the territory.

3) Remote control shock collar. From in the house, zap the dog when you catch the dog digging. Problem here is, you have to spend lots of time staring out your windows to catch the dog in the act. The dog must not see you policing your yard from in the house and when you are zapping it. Zapping the dog when you are outside teaches the dog to dig when you are not around, so don't waste your time.

Things I've done that work dandy:

1) Chicken wire laid on the grass. Use long 1/4" bolts with the tips ground to points and washers to secure the chicken wire to the ground.

2) First, fill the dog's water dish (pooch is gonna need it when this is done). Next bring the dog (usually requires dragging) to the crime scene. With your left hand, open the dogs mouth and with your right hand, reach down, place a handful of dirt in the dogs mouth and hold the dogs mouth shut. Point the face of the dog in the hole and repeatedly, in a tone of voice expressing displeasure on your behalf, say "NO". Stay at the hole and do this for about 30 seconds, longer (60 seconds) if the dog is not getting the point/repeat offense. If the dog continues to be stubborn, in addition to what I just said take the palm of your hand and mildly spank the dog on the snout while the dirt is in it's mouth. Don't get too forceful here since the nose is sensitive, however, make sure the dog feels it too. Now release the dog to spit out the dirt and go rinse it's mouth out. Repeat on each violation of digging. Usually it won't take too many of these corrections to get your point across.

I've used #2 with wonderful success and I've passed it on to buddies with the digging problem who report very good success. My lab only required maybe three or four corrections to get the point across. I've had the problem taken care of well before she was one year old and no problems since.

 

I have the same problem, and have found numerous sites that deal with this.

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...s+from+digging

 

Electric fence! Run a strand around the bottom inside of your fence. It should be about 4 inches off the ground and 4 inches from the fence. Get a good charger and watch the fire fly.

In time (very short time) they will stop digging around the fence and you can turn the charger off. They will stay back and not try the wire.

No it is not abuse or inhumane to do this! It is correcting a problem and the dog does not equate you with the correction. So you are not whipping the dog for bad behavior and it associating the correction with you. The dog gets corrected at the time of offence and this is more humane.

I have 2 Great Pyrenees in 2 acres of electric fence. It is 4 strands high and the bottom strand is 6” off the ground. After they found out what the fence is on the first day, they have not challenged the wire. It has been turned off for 2 years and no escapes. These are dog well known for digging and they don’t dig near the fence.

 

(2) Pee (you do it) on the area they are digging; some dogs seem to associate it with your claiming/marking the territory.)

Thanks for the laugh.....that would take a few watery ales to put that fire out.
....Invite the neighbors over, and have a pee party.....sorry, but again thanks.

 

Are the dogs bored? Are they getting enough attention from their master?

 

My dog was digging a while back, not just holes.......tunnels! She almost killed herself! I have a wooden palet next to the fence with left over brick from my house, so the dog decides to dig a huge tunnel right under the bricks. I caught it just in time, as it was about to cave in. I figured out that she was digging because it was hot and she was looking for some cool moist dirt to lay in. I got an old bathtub from my parents bathroom remodel, and set it up with water. No more digging, now iI just gotta find a way to keep the water clean.

 

I dont know if the dogs are bored. They have plenty of toys. They only fetch things I throw to them when they feel like it, so I dont THINK it's boredness.

As for coolness, I would agree that could be a reason, except for the fact that they've totaly stopped digging in the shade, or against the house, or in the dry, cool dirt and have taken to digging at the gates of all the fences, or where the two fences form a corner.

When I walked out last night, I had heard the cyclone fence shaking. Two of the dogs were standing on the outside watching and waiting for the other to get through. He had to dig it out a big more, and I caught him half way squeezed through. I watched for a second. He backed out, and started to dig more. Then I got PO'd and yelled at them.

I'm packing the holes with more dog poop today. It seems to some times work. Other times the dogs just wind up with stinky feet. It's almost the type of behavior I'd expect if they were trying to get away from something bad...I mean..desperate enough to go through mud, pebbles, dog feces, moth *****, and hot peppers.

But there's nothing to be getting away FROM.

As for wiring the fence...how do you do it on a wooden fence? Just run two wires? How far apart? When I built a system like that for someone before, she had a cyclone fence, so we just used the fence it self as the hot and the wire as a ground.

 

this works pretty good according to my friend brian, he breeds hog dogs and they dig like mad...he said get a canister of pepper spray and mist the holes...they wont do that too many times...he said dont spray the dog just the holes...they will relate digging to the stinging pepper spray.

 

Try the training shock collor. I put one on my dog and it works good. I don't even turn it on anymore. All they need is to be shocked a couple of times and they learn quick.

 

Take about one cup of red pepper flakes. Yes, the type that you see in Pizza shops. Throw the pepper flakes in about a gallon of cooking oil and bring it up to a high heat. Let it cool and strain out the pepper flakes. Spray the oil on your perimeter. Wash your hands off four or five times and always wear rubber gloves when spraying this mixture. Experiment with other chiles for more fire! Works like a charm on any animal!

 

Forgot to mention leave extra bowls of water out for the dogs for the first few days. Also Cayenne Pepper powder sprinkled in bad areas will do the trick as well. This keeps neighborhood dogs from peeing on the outside of the fence and making your dogs try to get out. If you notice dogs always sniff the spot they are going to pee on first...they sniff the Cayenne Pepper and move on down the line!