Dogtalk: Stop the Digging!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Stop the Digging!

Dear Jan,
My Bichon puppy loves to dig up rocks in the back yard. What do you suggest? I don't want my spring lawn to be all messed up when it finally gets green!
--Iona

Dear Iona,
Dogs dig for various reasons, and each reason can be addressed individually. Let's talk about the dog who digs indiscriminate holes just for recreation.

First, don't scold her for this behavior, because she just won't understand why you're disciplining her. Instead, teach her to CHOOSE not to dig.

Imagine that you see a delicious bonbon sitting on the counter in your kitchen. You just have to have it, so you grab it, bite into it, and discover that the middle is full of mold. YUCK!! You decide not to eat it! The next day, you see another bonbon that looks nice and fresh, so you bite into that one too...and...you guessed it....it's moldy like the first one. So you go the the candy store and BUY some fresh bonbons. You bite into it and....oh no...it's MOLDY TOO!! At that point, you probably have lost your desire to eat ANY bonbons for a LONG time...maybe even forever. As far as you know, every bonbon you ever bite into is going to be moldy in the middle.

We use the same principle for teaching our dogs to stop recreational digging. When your puppy isn't looking, shovel up some of her fresh dog poop and dump it into the hole she has most recently dug. Sprinkle a little dirt over the top of it to disguise it. Then just wait...and watch. Next time your puppy is outside, she'll probably return to the scene of the crime with plans to resume her digging. As soon as she does, she'll discover her own poop in the hole, and she'll probably walk away from it in disgust.

She'll go dig another hole somewhere. Watch her, wait until she's not looking (or inside) and scoop more poop into the new hole. Sprinkle dirt over the top, and then wait once again for her to return to the hole to resume her project. She'll discover her poop in this SECOND hole and walk away in disgust. She is learning that every time she digs a hole, she unearths her own poop, and that's unpleasant enough to make her drop the habit. Just like you and the bonbons.

You need to sneak around filling holes for about three weeks to make sure she's totally out of the habit. I guarantee you will slow her digging or eliminate it altogether. Do keep in mind that she's just a puppy, and digging/grass pulling, etc., is all a new and fun activity. By next summer she'll probably lose her fascination with landscaping.
--Jan

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Axiom Archive

Consistency = doing things the same way 100% of the time, with the eventual goal of achieving the same results 100% of the time.
Be consistent with what you allow your dog to do. Consistency = same thing 100% of the time. 99% is not good enough.
Before you give your dog a command, have a plan to enforce it without repeating it. If you can't enforce it without repeating, don't give the command.
Your dog can read your body language better than you can speak.
Before you can teach your dog anything, you must earn his respect.
The best trainer your dog will have ever had is its own mother.
A dog's destructive behaviors are caused by improper human management.
"Dog training" is actually about teaching people how to act around dogs.
The quality of a dog's "Sit" can tell you a lot about his state of mind.
Out of respect to your dog, learn his language.
Eye contact with your dog is like an invisible leash.
Leashes and collars are communication devices, not restraint devices.
If it would be impolite for a child to do it, it's impolite for your dog to do it.
Get your dog off unemployment and help him have some self respect.
Dogs don't love "loveable" leaders; they love strong leaders.
Your dog's behavior in your presence is a reflection of his relationship with you.
Your dog's respect for you must be earned; it can't be bought.
Never ask your dog to do frivolous or demeaning things that could cause him or her to question your judgment and fairness as a leader.
Words are a human invention; sounds are natural occurrences. Dogs respond to sounds, not words. Make sure your commands "sound" the same each time you give them.
When it comes to training, make the wrong behavior difficult and the right behavior easy (thank you, Ray Hunt!)
People who physically resemble their dogs are usually pretty well matched for each other.
Dog training is a never-ending journey. Forget the destination and enjoy the trip.
Teach your dog to think, not just react.
Training doesn't change your dog's personality; it merely brings out the best of it.
The pack leader LEADS on walks.
All dogs and kids need boundaries, rules & limitations.
Survival tips: Pay attention to your leaders, show respect to them, and learn to exercise self control.
Learning to be your dog's leader is 10 times harder than training your dog.
Any dog can be housebroken with the right training and guidance from a human.
Never use your official recall command (i.e., "Come" or "Here") to call the dog to something he doesn't like.

When you're about to issue a command, always ask the dog for the command that's easiest for him to do correctly and easiest for you to enforce. (Don't ask for a "sit" if a "down" will do. Don't ask for a "stay" if a "curb" will do.)
Your dog is more "human" than many people.
Listen to what your dog is saying to you.
Who rescued whom?

About Jan Manning

Life takes unexpected turns and leads us into work we were each meant to do. Jan never set out to make a meaningful career out of dogs. But 8,000 dogs later, Jan has established herself as one of the best dog behaviorists in the Pacific Northwest. Her understanding of dogs, and her ability to improve the dog/owner relationship, rivals that of any specialist in the world. Her approach most closely resembles that of Cesar Millan, "The Dog Whisperer," although she'd never heard of Cesar until a couple years ago. Jan has been "whispering" since 1993, refining her techniques over the many years and thousands of dogs.

Retiring, but not rusting

On Nov. 3, 2007, my husband Don closed the gunshop he'd owned in Yakima, Washington, for 30 years. Several months earlier, I'd sold my 15-year dog-training business. Don and I were setting our sails for RETIREMENT!

To commemorate the closing of Shooters Supply, which had been a Yakima icon for three decades, our good friend Phil Lamb presented my husband and me with a bottle of Glennfiditch Special Reserve and a few words of advice scribbled on a note card. He wrote, "Retire, but don't rust."

Wise words. Good advice. "Don't rust" is more than just a catchy phrase. I consider "not rusting" a moral obligation. None of us should ever really "retire" from using the skills, talents and gifts we've accumulated. We have a duty, a responsibility, a mission to use those skills to help others live better lives. That's a responsibility from which there is no retirement. Ever.

It took me a good 10 years to realize that I'd been led down the "dog-trainer career path" for that very reason. It's not so much about helping dogs as it is helping people to fully enjoy their dogs, which were put here on earth by God to bring us joy and pleasure. Dogs are one of God's purely fun, pleasurable gifts to us. They enrich our lives. They teach us patience and grace, self discipline and self control. They relieve our stress. They teach us to love and to accept love. They teach us humility and compassion. They make us better human beings, which is the ultimate challenge for all of us.

After many years in central Washington, Don and I are now living in a quiet, secluded Montana river valley. This blog will help me stay in touch with many of you I've met through the years, and hopefully many more I have yet to meet. Updates will happen at least every other week. Look for articles and insights on a variety of training and behavior challenges, plus some good information on nutrition and health. I'll also be reviewing new dog products, from toys to grooming devices.

In between blogging and playing outside in our Montana paradise, I plan to conduct some small group obedience classes in the local community on a strictly volunteer basis. I'll be available for professional consults (for a fee) on a VERY LIMITED basis. I would rather just "give back" to the dog community, while enjoying a bit more down-time than either my husband or I has had in the past 20-odd years.

Stay in touch. Feel free to forward this site, or refer others to it. I invite you to send me your questions on anything dog-related. If I can't answer it, I'll refer you to someone who can.

Now, let's go walk our dogs!

Dogtalk

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Stop the Digging!

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Retiring, but not rusting