destructive digging

Question
Hi,

  I was wondering if you have any idea how to get a dog to stop excavating a yard - I have a lab mix who has made my back yard look like a herd of pigs went thru it rooting for tubers!  Whenever I catch him digging I yell at him, but then he just goes back to  it later.  I have also sprinkled tabasco sauce into the holes to prevent further damage, but then he digs some place else (of course after it rains I have to re-apply it)!  I have even tried placing set mouse traps in the holes and covering them with leaves, but that doesn't seem to work either.  I give him plenty of toys, but he often ignores those and just digs, or even chews on the glider on the back porch!  He is about 9 months old, so I'm hoping this behaviour will lessen, but until then I hate having a muddy pig sty where my back yard used to be and worse yet the dogs track the mud into the house.  Any advice will be much appreciated.  

Answer
I have never seen an effective solution for this problem.  I could suggest other ways to make a spot to unattractive, but doubt they would work any better.  There are some dogs that insist on digging up the yard no matter what you do if you give them a chance.  My preferred solution is to keep them in the house in a crate when you aren't around.  Other dogs may
not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with.  Still your house and dog
will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away.  The dog may be
happier in its den than loose in the house.  It relaxes, it feels safe in its
den.  It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
its self.  Dogs that have been crated all along do very well.  Many of them
will rest in their crates even when the door is open.  I think the plastic
ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling.  They are harder for
dogs to open too.  Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with
something the dog can't pull in and chew.  Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys.  Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter.  Don't leave
anything in the crate the dog might chew up.  It will do fine without even any
bedding.  You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

Accidents and damaged possessions are the fault of whoever was watching the puppy.  When you are watching it, immediately correct it as soon as it goes for anything except its own toys.  In a quiet, but firm voice ''Bad dog, its name drop!''.  Gently remove what ever and replace it with one of her toys.  Later hold eye contact until the puppy drops it.


A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work.
Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate.  Praise it for going
in.  If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate.
Feed it in the crate.  This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding
time for more than one dog.  the crate is better if somebody can make it home mid day to give the dog a break.  

Another solution is the outdoor kennel.  The dog must have shade in the summer and protection from the weather in the winter, and water all the time.  

To protect the glider, try Bitter Apple from the pet supply, either as a cream or spray, or maybe the Tabasco sauce.  

There are some problems I have effective solutions to.  I have been around the net for years and read many books.  I know of no good solution to digging.  The good news is that winter is coming, at least here, and the mud will be frozen.  We had a thaw in March last spring, leaving the top inch of lawn very soft.  Our daughter and husband came for the weekend with their large, year old, male Lab.  He and our younger female made a terrible mess of our yard, not digging much, but just chasing each other around.  Your dog will be over a year old by spring and may settle down a little.