Keeping the Dog From Digging Out

[Rob7]

Wondering if any of you all had any ideas to keep my 1 yr old female black lab from digging out of the yard. I have 6' high wood fence that she keeps digging under. She has made a game of it and has escaped twice over the last 2 days. Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks, Rob...

[killinmammals]

good luck...they love to dig. The only way I could keep my lab from digging out of his kennel was to catch him in the act. Other than that its expensive, but I know people that have dug about a 1 foot deep trench around the yard before they put the fence in or inside the fence if its already up and had the trench filled with gravel or cement.

[MsgMills]

Buy a shock collar and train her not to go near the fence...should work in about 4 or 5 training sessions.

[Strutter]

I have a beagle that I believe is half groundhog. I went as far as to bury an electric dog wire and put the collar on him. He did not like it when it hit him and I thought his digging out days was over. Eventually, he wanted out more than he was worried about the shock cause he got out lots of times and now he is in the backyard, which has a 4 foot chain link fence around it, and he is chained to a stake with a 20 foot 3/8 inch coated cable. Irritates the crap out of me to keep him like that but it was either that or scrape him off the road. He's a full blooded dog and he loves to follow his nose whever it takes him I guess.

Rob

[quackrstackr]

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/assets/product_images/fgr2.jpg


My and the neighbors dogs are now sight conditioned to single strand wire and those fiberglass fence rods. I can string wire or just stick a pole down anywhere and they won't get anywhere near it. Haven't had the juice turned on in about a year and a half now.

Run a low strand around your fence for a few months. She'll quit digging under it.

[Multidigits]

Borrow or buy a shocking collar. It'll take about 2 minutes to break him of the habit with one.

[killinmammals]

those shock collars never worked on my lab..he just kinda shook his head and went on. Guess they work for some and don't for others.

[quackrstackr]

I can't dedicate the time to watch out a window for mine to start digging to get him with the collar.

The first couple of weeks the fence went into effect you would hear him get popped at random times including the middle of the night.

Mine knows when the coast is clear, including when he hears my truck enter or leave the driveway.

[Multidigits]

those shock collars never worked on my lab..he just kinda shook his head and went on. Guess they work for some and don't for others.

I've never seen a dog that wasn't effected in a positive way by shock training. I've seen hard core tough as nails coon dogs go to their knees from the shock of the collar. Any dog that wants more of it, is one tugh nut to crack.

[C.L.Button]

Cayenne and Black Pepper ! Sprinkle it heavy everywhere around the fence ! :eek: Dog will hate it. :D

[Bray]

I've never seen a dog that wasn't effected in a positive way by shock training. I've seen hard core tough as nails coon dogs go to their knees from the shock of the collar. Any dog that wants more of it, is one tugh nut to crack.


I think you are talking about the actual shock collars for training dogs and he is talking about the shock collars that go with underground fences. The training shock collars work but I have never seen a dog that wouldn't escape the underground fence.

[Poorboy]

Put an electric fence around the regular fence. After getting shocked a few times he will quit. Later you can take the charger off and then eventually you can take the wire down.. Watch out though you may have to do a refresher when the wire is gone, just depends on the dog.

[kycooner]

if your pens not to big ,go get some big stones ,let him do the digging when he gets a hole just rite for a stone you have ,put it in there,in a bought a week you will be stoned in all the way around.

[loumaw]

Have the vet trim her nails way back. Dogs will not dig with short nails...I've had it done on three dogs and all stop until the nails grow back...

[drakeshooter]

Quackr's suggestion worked best for me. The underground fence thing worked until he figured out all he had to do was run wfo through the shock. I had enough and got some of the yellow/orange fiberglass fence rods and a 10-mile hot box. The dog got hit one time and went and laid down for a couple of hours. After that, he wouldn't get within 5 feet of the fence. After a month I never turned it back on again and the dog still avoided the fence like the plague.

[stevenvalleyagain]

I know this sounds a little crazy, but have you just tried to plain wear your dog out? Most behavioral problems come from too much pent-up energy. My lab use to do the same thing.I bought her a backpack for our morning walks, now she comes home tired, and has no desire for mischeif, at least for a few hours.
If you have DirectTv, I would recommend every owner watch "the Dog Whisperer" on Discovery Channel. This guy is simply amazing. I have absolutely NO problems with my dogs since learning a little from this guy.


stevenvalley

[BOBCAT]

Quacker is correct about the electric fence. I got one from the farm store for livestock and strung it up. Later that after noon my dog reached across the wire to try and dig his hole but of course he got shocked. His paw became entangled in the wire and was lighting his arse up for about ten seconds before I could cut the power. he spent the next two days in his dog house even pooping in there before he would come out. That was 5 years ago and he has never dug since. The wire is still up but the power has been off for 4 1/2 years. HE WILL NEVER FORGET THAT DAY !!!!!!!!!!!

[Gobblergetter2.1]

The stone concept that kycooner posted is what i did when my yellow lab was digging out. Every time he'd dig out, id put a cement block in the whole. Eventually the pen is either covered with blocks, or the dog gives up. After i did this, he started jumping on his dog house and jumping over the fence. Then i moved his dog house to the other side of the fence and cut a whole big enough for the opening. About a week later he started jumping over the fence. I took some rebar and spare woven wire fence and made the fence 2 1/2' taller. Where i live now, i have the pen on a concrete pad so i dont have any more problems.

[maxcam]

If 10,000 volts of fear doesnt bring on a desired behavior that you seek then I would recommend putting two collars on the dog and holding the button a bit longer........My chessie makes a lab look look like a midget and it only took two episodes of him ignoring the warning beep before he relized his lack of attention resulted in bad consequences.....He no longer leaves the yard with or without his shock collar on.......