Digging

[Roz Liberman]

Scout is 3 months old and is doing so well in every area but DIGGIING. Whenever he is in the yard alone, he loves to dig holes. Does anyone have any  solutions?

[Amy and Annabelle]

He doesn't know he isn't supposed to dig. You need to be out there with him to train not to do it. Plus he is probably bored out there by himself...go play with him.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The solution is not to leave him alone in the yard. And really, no 3 month old puppy should be alone outdoors, even in a fenced yard. There are too many things they can get into, and some of them are dangerous. And as Amy mentioned, he is probably bored and looking for ways to entertain himself. Puppies and even adult dogs do not "play" by themselves in a yard. In addition, it makes housebreaking so much easier if you are there to praise and reward them when they go, and you can also clean it up right away rather than having to go hunting for it later, lol. 

My Labradoodle is 11 years old, doesn't dig, doesn't eat stuff he shouldn't, and I still don't leave him alone in the yard for more than a minute or two. 

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

IMO - a three month old puppy is not old enough to be unattended outside.  There are so many things that can harm a puppy - from plant & landscaping matter and critters. A puppy left to their own devices will generally get into to trouble. I always went out with my puppy so I knew when and if it had gone potty that way you are their to praise them ( all a part of potty training) and then I would be spend a few minutes playing a little game of fetch.  Both of my doodles were learning to retrieve at that age and it only takes 5 or 10 minutes here and there just rolling the ball a few feet and calling them to bring it back.  Just an idea.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I supervised Ned when he was a puppy, but we have a dog door, so we let our adult dogs go in and out themselves.  Digging does occur occasionally.  We had cement installed under the fence so that they can't dig out.  Our dogs have recently begun digging in earnest, and we have tried putting rocks in the hole and refilling with dirt, putting poo in the hole and refilling, putting a blown up balloon in the hole and refilling. None of that worked, so we laid some metal fencing (the kind that comes on a roll) over the area they are insisting on digging.  This prevents digging but doesn't really solve the problem.  My dogs and the drought have ruined our yard, so I gave up on caring if the fencing laid over a filled in hole looks ugly.  Now, if I had a pretty yard, I would care.

[Amy and Annabelle]

We did the fencing idea with a groundhog that was making himself at home near our foundation. We covered the fencing with rock.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We think our problem is a gopher, or that the bush/tree roots are doing something to make them tasty to dogs.