Stop my Westie from digging

Question
I have a Westie named "Bubbles".  I've had her for a year now and I've had her since she was 7 weeks old.  She is fixed and trained well-I think_excepts for that she likes to dig in my husband's rose bushes.  She also chews on them!  How do I break her from this since my husband is threatening to get rid of her?  She shares the yard with our Husky that stays in a pen separate from the rest of the yard and her so I don't think that she is that bored. Have any tips for preventing this?

Answer
Hi Georgee, As you know Westies have a high prey drive and love to dig to pursue prey. My terriers will dig if there is a mole, vole, and even earthworms that they can smell under ground. Find out what kind of fertilizer your husband is using. If he is using an organic fertilizer, she may be digging for the scent. Ask your husband if he has seen evidence of moles, voles, and a good earthworm population near the rose bushes. Digging in the flower bed is never a good idea if you use pesticides and other fertilizers which are slow release and could make her sick. Get some bitter apple or vinegar and spray it around the area. It will not harm Bubbles, but will deter her from digging in the area. Also, sometimes it helps to spray a mild detergent in the area, which will confuse the scent discrimination as well as help the roses to be pest free. If that does not deter her, you could use a mild fence type shock collar to train her away from the area, place nice smelling cow hooves or knuckle bones in the area, or fence it off with part of the fencing (such as chicken wire) buried under ground. Being out in a yard is not really enough exercise for our terrier breeds. They really need to be walked frequently, go on trots along side your bicycle or roller blades...to tire them out and keeping them at the heel will exercise their minds as well.  I do hope that some or one of these suggestions solve your problem. Please leave me some feedback, a follow-up...and let me know how things are going for you. Regards, Susan