my hole digging black lab

Question
Good Afternoon:  We have an 8 yr. old purebred black lab. He has a fully fenced large back yard that is all his own. No other dogs / children for him to have to mark his territory. For what ever reason, he continues to dig in one spot against the connecting fence with our neighbor. She has no animals that he is trying to get to/away from. We have scolded him. We have filled in the hole and scolded him..only with a "bad dog" type scold, never anything physical. He will be fine for a few days, then dig it up again. We were told by someone to place his feces in the hole and he would stop digging. Obviously that didn't work as I am writing for help. Any ideas / suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Thank You.

Answer
Hi, Carol,

How long has this been going on? It's going to be more difficult for you to overcome a habitual behavior than a new one. Also, does he only do it when you're not home?

It sounds to me like your dog isn't being given enough of an opportunity to express his true genetic nature. Dogs are descended from wolves, who are group predators, which is a rare thing in nature. (There are only three species of mammal that hunt animals larger and more dangerous than themselves: canines, dolphins (mainly in the orca family), and human beings.) So there's a direct connection between the prey drive in dogs and an underlying geentic need to feel as if they're engaged in some kind of group hunting activity. Without  a daily outlet for their prey drive some dogs find other ways to use their energy: digging holes is one of them.

As you learned, scolding doesn't really do much to help your dog learn. Supposedly dogs are genetically programmed to "obey the pack leader," and if you take a "dominant" tone with your dog you'll tap into that genetic behavioral trait. Here's a link about why the stern tone doesn't generally help most dogs learn: http://tinyurl.com/2q2esp The upshot of all this is: stop scolding him. Not only for the digging but for anything else.

How do you get him to stop?

Bascially he needs more exercise. Long walks in the park would help. So would play giving him "play dates" with other dogs he likes. He's digging to burn off excess energy, so you need to give him alternative ways of doing that.

The best alternatives would be to play fetch and tug-of-war with him outdoors every day. When you play tug, always let him win, and praise him enthusiastically for winning. It's going to make a HUGE difference in his ability to release his emotional energy in the way nature intended: through biting down hard on something he perceives as a prey object, instead of by digging a hole. If he won't play tug with you, get him to chase you around the yard while teasing him with a tug rag (a bandana or an old sock). Once he chases you for a bit, he'll have an urge to bite something.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.tiny.cc/tug

http://www.tiny.cc/MythofTug

Another option would be to hand feed him using the "pushing exercise," which is used to give some types of working dogs more "backbone." With pet dogs it has all sorts of applications. Here's a link: http://www.tiny.cc/SwimUpstream A few days of this will increase his playfulness, and if you keep doing it for several weeks, it might even help get rid of the digging problem.

How will playing tug and fetch get him to stop digging?

Once he's become a tug or fetch-a-holic, if he starts to dig a hole, all you need to do is produce a ball or a tug rag, start a fun, vigorous game, and he'll be totally fixated on using his energy in a more natural way (through his teeth and jaws, not his paws). Given enough opportunities to reduce his internal tension through biting games he'll eventually lose his desire to dig even when you aren't around. However, for now he shouldn't be allowed to be alone in the yard unless you get him really good and tired.

Let me know if you need any further clarification,

LCK
www.LeeCharlesKelley.com
"Changing the World, One Dog at a Time"