How To Stop Your Dog From Digging Holes In Your GardenWritten by Adam G. Katz
First, I need to figure out when he is digging. Since I know dog and his lifestyle, I can rule out several factors such as boredom or puppyhood or gophers, etc... I noticed that every time he would start digging holes he was in yard playing with a friend's dog, unsupervised. So, I first need to MAKE SURE that it was ACTUALLY MY DOG that was perpetrator. A quick look at his feet would suggest that it was. Next, I needed to figure out if he would dig ANY TIME he was left alone in yard or if it was only when another dog was present. To figure this out, I simply left dog in yard alone with access to rose garden several times... and came back to find that he had not dug. So... it stands to reason that only time my dog is digging in yard is when there is another dog in yard. (Who knows why? There could be a million unexplained reasons that only dog knows. All I need in order to fix behavior is knowledge of dog and circumstances). Now, I know that to fix any behavior problem I need to make dog experience a NEGATIVE ASSOCIATION with actual ACT of doing that behavior. In this case, digging in garden. And he needs to experience that same negative association EVERY TIME HE DIGS! In this case, I must be 100% diligent to never leave Forbes unsupervised in yard when there is another dog in yard. Of course, if he was digging by himself, then I'd need to confine him to a kennel run where he cannot dig when I'm not supervising him. Or if there is another dog visiting then I will need to bring Forbes inside, put him in kennel run, or use presence of other dog as a "set up." The next step is to make sure that he associates that negative (correction) just as he starts to dig. There are two ways I can do this: The Lazy Man's Way and Old Fashioned Way. Both methods are based on same principle.
| | How Long Should You Run Your Dog For?Written by Adam G. Katz
Dear Adam:I have a Shepherd/Malamute "Newt." She's great. I have a couple of problems with her but I won't waste your time with them as I have found them addressed at your site and in your book. I "run" Newt in bush, she is either in front of truck or behind it, running as fast as she can. I stop when she slows down and we take a 5-10 minute break. Each time we stop, I open door to truck and let her decide if she's had enough. Lately it's been me who has had enough (she wants to run for longer and longer periods of time) and I tell her to get into truck. My question: Should I limit how far she runs (for her own good) and can it be too cold for a long run? Regards, Sally. Dear Sally: Thanks for question. To be honest... I don't know.
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