Reply With QuoteA fencer friend of mine gets his supplies from these people.
Hi All,
My rather dozy young dog has started squeezing under gaps in the fence and messing about in the neighbours gardens (both sides). It looks like we have badgers digging under the wooden fence and making their way through the garden. I have tried to board the gaps up but every time I do they just dig under. My dog thinks this is fabulous fun and is enjoying the extra sense of freedom this affords him. The main problem is that he gets under there and sometimes forgets how to get back so just barks his dopey head off. The neighbours are not hugely impressed, especially after the 10th time in a week......
I have come across this solution which looks really good:
https://digdefence.com/shop/dig-defence-xl-qty-5/
The only thing is I cant find anywhere in the UK that sells them and importing them is just crazy expensive!
Does anyone have any suggestions or other simple solutions that might work?
Cheers!
A fencer friend of mine gets his supplies from these people.
That dig defence thing is good but a dog could just dig deeper.
Heard down pub once that wire mesh (or plastic chew proof alternative?) placed flat on ground from a foot away from the fence going up to the fence then 90deg up the fence for a few inches may work as they haven't got the brains to move back away from the fence, and therefore before the mesh to start digging. Probably mow over it too. but if you have a large garden!
To follow on from the previous comment you could probably use the square plastic holed sheets that people use to keep gravel in place on drives? Grass can grow through that and you could mow it too if you sink it low enough?
I'm no expert on dog training, but I would've thought the dog can be trained out of this behaviour? When you catch him doing it, chastise him severely.
Paul
Lock the shovel away???
Thankfully, our Golden Retriever has grown out of this particular fixation. When he was a puppy however, I had a broadly similar issue, (although he was doing the digging), and resolved it by purchasing a roll of chicken wire and laying it on the ground in front of the fence and then bending it up vertically against the bottom foot of the fence, (an L-shape in profile). Screwfix do packs of u-shaped metal pins that I used to secure it to the ground and some small tacks to hold it to the fence. The grass grows through it and after a while it all but disappeared. The main issue here of course is putting off the badger, this may be worth a shot as it's a pretty cheap measure before embarking on anything more elaborate/expensive.
That's exactly what I meant but Rich made it sound much clearer!!!Originally Posted by r1ch
EDIT: Oooooh get me 101 posts!
They learn not to do it when you're not watching, and punishing them afterwards is pointless because they don't understand.
Never punish a dog. Tell him 'no' if you catch him doing it. Praise him for stopping.
And get the L shaped protection as above, with chicken wire or anything else.
Usually dogs will act like that when they are bored.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Correct.
OP start off by not letting your dog in the garden unaccompanied.
You can then correct him if he starts any digging.
Cheers,
Neil.
When the dog does it squirt it with a water pistol, but hide the pistol before and after so that the dog does not see it. At the same time shout no in a raised voice.
I thought the OP's problem was the dog getting out through holes already dug by badgers. If so chain link fencing of some kind (Tornado do the right stuff) buried about two feet deep along the length of the fence is needed to deter the badgers. Of course they may just decide the garden is no longer of interest and stop of their own accord. Apologies if I've misunderstood.
A firm NO when in the process of digging, attention given, redirection with another command / recall, then praise. Punishment to dogs will lead to lack of trust and wariness. Repeat as and when required + chicken wire as previously advised. The dog will soon learn not to do it, so long as you are with them initially. The key is to catch them in the act. No point reacting after the event, waste of time.
I fill in the escape trenches my staffie cross digs with house bricks and breeze blocks!
I've almost given up on trying to train her - she's very wilful but has such a sweet nature.
Fortunately she is not in a digging phase at the moment but I expect she will have another go at some point!
He he, any pictures of the offending beastie? :)
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I suppose a shotgun is against the spirit of this thread?
Blowing your own brains out over this just means the problem gets passed on when doggy gets rehomed.
If it was my offending beastie you wanted, here she is :)
She's lovely
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Barking!
Dog looks pretty young, which indicates to me that training would be more effective long term than introducing a physical barrier.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Yes but op needs to resolve this, or else he will have his tail between his legs
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
The pics were taken at various ages - from about a year to two years. She's now 2 years six months. Although my family had dogs when I was a child, I am a novice owner and tried so hard to train her but her excitement levels when meeting people or dogs are off the scale - she was excluded from her first set of puppy classes after the leader couldn't cope with her jumping up and has been to three other lots of classes. I now take her to agility classes once a week and I am on her third one-to-one trainer! I have tried and tried to get her excitement under control with positive reinforcement, distraction, impulse control activities... but have failed miserably.
The downside is I keep her on a lead when out unless I am sure no one is around. The upside is that despite her boisterousness and strength she is a delightful, joyous, playful, sweet natured dog that is so affectionate she makes my heart melt.
I might still need some of the OP's fence guards though!
My Irish Terrier is also 2.5 years old. He is now much better but has been a very friendly but jumping dog until fairly recently. The key was to go on the village green from very early on, as far from the road as possible and let him off the lead to socialise with other dogs and dog owners, and get him to come when called. Provided there isn't a rabbit or a squirrel that catches his eye he is now very good. Patience and perseverance are the keys you need. And a good sense of humour.
Last edited by Saint-Just; 12th May 2017 at 09:04.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Very cute, thanks! My guess is she just gets bored and badgers scent/holes provide a perfect outlet for her inquisitiveness, so perhaps in addition to some sort of physical barrier and training (gently showing your displeasure and disapproval of digging) it would be a good idea to provide her with something to do, channel her inquisitiveness and energy, perhaps a some sort of elaborate toy(s) with treats inside or, I don't know, doggy 'bouncy castle' may be? Also, how about a camera with mic, speaker and movement detection which would alert you if she is at it again so you could call, shout at her through the cam? I know people install them in their homes to interact with dogs and prevent them from barking. Just a thought :)
Last edited by VDG; 12th May 2017 at 09:10.
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Just because Tapatalk makes this easier to spot, the lovely dog above is not the OP's.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Thanks Saint-Just and thanks for your earlier compliment about her :)
Thanks also for sharing your experience with your terrier - I did try to socialise her earlier on (well I still am!) but it wasn't easy as the classes I went to didn't go for dogs off the lead and even when very young she was terrifically strong and boisterous. She doesn't mouth too much nowadays but then she would jump up and shred clothing - sleeves, jumpers, coats etc with her puppy teeth. Ignoring her was futile, she just jumped more and if kneed away (firm but gently) she would just come back for more. She also shredded the kitchen walls with her teeth and her claws - playing with her and distracting her was a full time occupation. She is a bit calmer now - though has just come in from the garden and jumped on my back - so I better go!
ATB
Jon
Enjoy your walk. One of the great things of having them off the lead with other dogs is the amount of energy they burn while you have a chat
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Our two both have mischievous tendencies, kind of a "they need a walk" trigger when they start getting up to no good. Aside from that, as previously said, unwanted behaviour is sometimes advantageous as it gives you an opportunity to correct.
In terms of the digging, we employed a simple solution.....stuck a big square plant pot in front of the fence. he never went back after that.
The puppy is still a bit jumpy but he's slowly growing out of it with training. the "wait" command has helped curtail the jumping as he now only tends to do it with certain treats.
Some good recommendations chaps, I don't have any pics of the offending mutt to hand but will post some when I get home. He is a very cute cream coloured Cockapoo.
My first dog so am learning as I go a bit but he is an superb addition to the family and on the whole he is really well behaved!
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I feel a "Dog Pictures" thread coming on.....
What about a corkscrew rope thing screwed into the lawn with the rope length stopping short of the fence if she's unsupervised and tempted?
Plus of course it is a terriers natural instinct to dig.
Dot likes a little dig every now and then.
Cheers,
Neil.
Looking forward to the pics :)
I think you have to be quite robust when training dogs, I certainly don't advocate being too harsh but you have to show them who's boss. My stepdaughter trained Ozzie the Labrador this way, taking him to puppy-training classes and being patient with him whilst giving him a slap when he needed it. He's turned into a super dog, still likes to play but does as he's told when he's told. I think the answer is to spend time with the dog and try to reward good behaviour, but be strict when you have to be.
Paul
Shoot the badgers ?
Here's the evil ratbag!!
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Ha ha, would never put him as one of the 'diggers' :) and why he's allowed on the bed? ;)
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He's gorgeous - all the cockerpoos I've come across have lovely, lively characters and that's just how he sounds :)
He is lovely and a real joy to live with. to be fair to him he only does a bit of digging. It's the badgers that are causing the real problem and he is just joining in. I have ordered some chicken wire so as suggested above I will try bending into an L shape and pin it in.
Thanks all!!
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Good luck and keep the pictures coming!
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