Digging in couch

[dal]

Hi everyone.  Cooper, my 9 month old goldendoodle, has started digging in the couch.  He is not doing it as a means to settle.  He is just a digger (dug in the snow as a puppy then moved on to digging a huge hole by my tree and now it's the couch).  I'm not sure how I stopped him from digging by the tree - probably just redirecting him a million times.  The couch, however, is a tough one.  I usually try to tell him "leave it" if he's about to go for it and "off" or "come" if he is already at it and reward with treats.  This sometimes works but as soon as he gets the treat, he is right back at it.  The other night I got so frustrated that I just grabbed his collar to pull him off the couch and put him in his crate.  I tried again the next night because it did seem to settle him the first time I did it.  When I tried again, he started snapping at me.  He will never bite me hard or anything but I don't like the snapping and biting, even softly, to stop me from doing something.

I feel like I messed it up by being a little too aggressive with him when I put him in the crate.  My husband thinks he is now thinking this is some game that I allow (the play biting stuff I guess but I'm not even sure it's play biting).

Help!  And if you couldn't tell I have never had a dog before.  I'm trying my best with the positive reinforcement but it's tough!

Also starting a jumping thread if anyone has suggestions for that too... :)

Thank you!

[Laura and Angus]

Our puppy Angus does the digging too, but it's usually just him nesting before laying down. Thus, he seems to settle himself. Does Cooper continue digging for long periods or would he stop after a few seconds? I would tell you that you could use a disciplinary tool (e.g. water spray or air canister) to discourage this behavior if it's really bad. We use the Pet Convincer II (air spray) when Angus bites his leash or grabs anything with his mouth that is not a toy (e.g. shoes and remotes). This has worked immensely! He does not grab things at much at all anymore as a 1 year old. Timing is key with something like a spray ... you have to say "No" and then slowly and without emotion, spray the pup on their back hip. Basically, we're teaching Angus what is absolutely NOT okay. You can certainly try this with Cooper. 

I would also mention...how much exercise/running around time does Cooper get daily? If he's digging a lot, it might indicate that he is bored, has too much energy, or needs more mental stimulation. So we make sure Angus gets time to run around during the day, lots of walks, and we still play fetch with him a lot in the house (he now comes trotting over to us with a ball half the time). For mental stimulation, you could try a "find it" game...where you hide smelly treats (or hot dogs) around the room and have Cooper sniff it out. This gives them a mental workout and they get the added bonus of yummy treats. We also got Angus some puzzle games from the store, though he figures those out too quickly for them to be a workout. We also work on training activities when Angus seems bored - practicing words he already knows and new words. 

Okay last and final thought...I once heard a training on TV suggest a baby pool filled with sand in the backyard for a dog that loved digging to fulfill that need - kind of like a puppy sandbox. I though that was a pretty cool suggestion.  Good luck! I find that we've had to try different things to see what has worked for Angus and slowly slowly we've learned our pup. You will too!!

[dal]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies!!  Well I don't let him dig too long bc I am trying not to reinforce the behavior and I think he would eventually rip my couch but I do think he would keep digging.  It does not seem like he is looking to settle.

I do think part of it is he needs more exercise.  This digging escalated as the weather became very warm and I was sometimes walking him only once instead of the two walks he normally gets.  We play fetch a lot in the house too.  Outside he is more interested in eating everything in sight than playing fetch (which is super annoying and a whole other issue lol) but he loves running races so I make my kids go out there and do that with him a few times a day.  Also, we fill empty yogurt containers with water, cheese, cantaloupe, kibble and freeze them - i sometimes let him have one of those outside and that seems like a bit of a mental workout for him.  I think the extra walk helps and I've been trying to add that back in this week.  Also, we started the positive reinforcement again consistently and I have to say, after I posted this morning, he did stop digging when I gave him a command.  He goes back to it still but I think he's getting it.  I think I just get so frustrated sometimes when I have to stop eating dinner or whatever to make sure I'm being consistent.  But today I feel refreshed, especially after reading suggestions on here!

The pool filled with sand sounds fun but do you think it would be messy after?  Like would he drag sand in the house?  That might make me crazy ha.  I will say I was originally worried about how I was going to get him enough exercise in the Winter and now I think he would stay outside all day digging himself igloos in the snow.

[Laura and Angus]

Cooper sounds so much like Angus! He would eat EVERYTHING when he was younger. Now we're just at the point of grabbing sticks to chew up. I don't even think he's eating them anymore..just breaking them up. We have a lot of hard bones in our house to give Angus things to chew. Sometimes he only wants to chew them if we're holding his bone/antler (he's a lovable weirdo). He will literally lay on top of my legs on the floor and just chew a bone. 

To be honest, I do think the sand would be messy. Not crazy at all...I hate when we have all sorts of things drug in from outside. When we have taken Angus to the beach, I've brushed or washed him when he came home. A good brushing can take off a lot of the sand if it's dry. You could probably hose him off or just fill a bucket of water to dip his paws in before he came inside. I feel like that might be a trial and error thing. 

[dal]

This is so nuts - Cooper LOVES to lay on me while I hold an antler for him to chew!

[Laura and Angus]

That is hilarious! They must be twins! Or maybe it's a doodle thing? I haven't heard anyone else mention this until now, though lol

[Nicole and Teddy]

Again, I totally agree with Laura's thoughts on this! Teddy likes to dig in the couch too during playtime- and it's mostly due to pent up energy. Also, I know you said you were worried about the 'play biting'- this was a huge concern for me too as Teddy is my first dog. I was really worried he might be 'aggressive' and worked hard to curb him of this (no tug games, saying 'ouch' in a loud voice, etc). I think he finally started realizing it wasn't ok when he started hanging out with other dogs- that's when they really learn what's ok and what's not as far as the biting goes. He's still very mouthy but has gotten SO much better- he uses a soft mouth on limbs all the time now. Don't worry- just be patient and know that he will grow out of it! :)

[dal]

Thank you for the reply!  How old is Teddy?  Sounds so much like Cooper!  He is very mouthy still and while I'd like him to stop it completely, it is very soft now.

[Nicole and Teddy]

Hi Dal! Teddy is almost 1 1/2. He is a total goofball, as I'm sure Cooper is:) It's sure nice to be able to talk to other folks who are experiencing the same issues- makes you feel less crazy, that's for sure! :) Sounds like there are a lot of doodles out there who have similar behavior. I can't get him to stop picking up random things in his mouth- in the house and on our walks! Here's another idea for digging- we got him a baby pool for the backyard and fill it with water- he will go crazy digging and playing in that and it tires him out wonderfully! A tired doodle is a happy doodle! ;)

[dal]

Hi!  I have been meaning to get him a baby pool for the last few weeks!  Tomorrow I am going to.  I agree about the pent up energy.  He either digs in the couch when he has pent up energy or he's overtired and now I think it's just become a terrible habit.  I definitely feel less crazy and less alone coming on here and realizing that I am not the only one going through this.  This puppy stage is exhausting and I think it lasts quite a while!  I mean yours is already 1.5!  Maybe they calm down at 2?!  LOL

[Nicole and Teddy]

Haha- it gets better, for sure. I mean, he is still a crazy dood, but I was reminiscing about the days I used to get ready for a shower and he would basically play attack me and my clothes- he was just being a puppy but it was kind of scary! So yes, things do calm down, but there is always work to be done! :) The key is lots of exercise, for sure! Did you get the pool? I had Teddy in his this weekend- he loves it!

[dal]

Ha, I was reminded of the attacking of clothes last night - Cooper was SO overtired and started to grab onto my sweater and put a hole in it - he's 9 months old!!!  But luckily, this is rare and I knew it because he was overtired!  So I didn't get the pool - when I looked last time, all they had left were giant ones.  Where did you get yours?

[Nicole and Teddy]

Hmm, I think we got it at Walmart? I saw them at Lowe's and the Petsmart too. I've also heard the dollar store carries them. Maybe it's too late in the season to get one? I highly recommend it! :)