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dogs and cats

How can I make a dog dig where I want?

Pearl Sutton

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posted 3 years ago

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My neighbor has a black lab who LOVES to dig up moles (she's also a squirrel and rabbit chaser.) I have some planting areas I'm planning to break up better. I saw someone here who has a dog that digs trenches....

Is there anything I could put in a line where I want her to dig a trench that would rile her up to dig right there? If I had mole scent I'd use it, not sure what else might be worth trying.

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thomas rubino

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posted 3 years ago

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Gosh Ms Pearl, I thought you were explaining not asking!

How about smashed up milk biscuits where you want her to dig?

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Staff note (Pearl Sutton) :

I changed the subject line to make more sense

Heather Sharpe

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posted 3 years ago

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What a great idea! I have wondered the same thing. I don't know if you eat meat, but if you do, maybe drippings from cooked meat would be inspiring if poured over the areas you wanted the dog to dig?
Of course, the ideal solution would be convincing the moles to dig underneath the spots you wanted the dog to dig, hehe.

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posted 3 years ago

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excellent idea!

I don't know about dogs but I had to quit using fish emulsion years ago as the raccoons would dig wherever I applied it.
The worst was when they dug into every pot of moringa ...eight in a row and by the eighth I think it dawned on them that there was no buried fish as it was dug much shallower than the rest.

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Pearl Sutton

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posted 3 years ago

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Heather Sharpe wrote:
Of course, the ideal solution would be convincing the moles to dig underneath the spots you wanted the dog to dig, hehe.

Moles digging on command would be fine too! They are busy excavating the yard up, hopefully after the grubs. The area I want dug probably has more worms than most areas of yard, I probably need to poke and see if the moles have already been there.

Douglas Alpenstock

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posted 3 years ago

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Use a thin steel tube to inject a drop of pork fat 6-8" deep at short intervals. Drippings from pan fried ham, sausages, chops mixed with a little boiling water. Or anything from venison.

Edit: I recall that the syringes used to inject butter into turkeys prior to roasting have a great long steel needle. That would work.

Carla Burke

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posted 3 years ago

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Pearl, since you don't cook meat, I'm going to bet your best option, if you can handle the... loverly aroma, lol. Will indeed be that fish emulsion. But the worse it stinks, Tha more the dog will love it. So, there's some other something I remember folks in here talking about, that you let rot, then smear it on trees, to deter deer - but, I can't remember what it's called. I'm betting that would work, too.

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Pearl Sutton

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posted 3 years ago

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True, I don't normally cook meat. I am capable of it, and if that ends up being the best idea, I may do so. I wonder though, if using something like a can of sardines would incite a dog to dig... I like the idea of using a piece of pipe to poke something down, and sardines run through a blender might be an interesting experiment. And if I need to, cooking meat is less work than digging it all myself :D

And now my head is singing a line from Chicago's "Saturday in the Park" "Can you dig it? .. Yes I can!!"

Marty Mac

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It has been mentioned, and in my eyes it may be a sin. How ever Bacon grease will do the trick. It also will talk dogs and other critters to dig up a partially roted stump.

I can think of so many things I would rather use bacon grease for but hey ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

After you get your bacon fat I don't think you would have any problem giving your waste product to a neighbor or friend. Think of the welcome to the nieghborhood gift of fresh cooked bacon. You could immediately rise to Saint Pearl!

Douglas Alpenstock

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Yes, fish juice is also irresistable to dogs. If you've ever seen your dog roll in rancid fish bait, you will understand ...

thomas rubino

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Ha Ha My dogs used to like rolling in cow pies... maybe bury a few of them :-)
Sorry couldn't resist!

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Pearl Sutton

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I just talked to the lady with the dog, asked her what she thought of sardines for bait. "I don't know, she's never had a sardine, I think they are gross.... well, she probably WOULD like them, they are gross smelling!" So we may try that soon.

She also said "You have interesting friends that will discuss things like this with you!" Why yes, yes I DO!! I thank y'all for being my interesting friends :D

Douglas Alpenstock

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thomas rubino wrote:Ha Ha My dogs used to like rolling in cow pies... maybe bury a few of them :-)
Sorry couldn't resist!

Yup, I remember that from my farm days. They were outside dogs, so nobody cared.

Carla Burke

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Cow pies, road apples, or anything dead and decaying...

Steve Harvey

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Positive reinforcement is the best way to train a dog, The only thing I can think of is to put a rope in a straight line on the ground and have a human dig along the rope with the dog watching, and when the human has done the task worship them with positive words and treats after the dog has witnessed this about 1ooo times they may be able to slightly replicate this task. Good luck!

Lorinne Anderson

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Is there a favorite toy? Bury that and say "dig"... pretty sure the dog would pick that up quickly and then you could use the dig command when and where you wanted.

Lorinne Anderson: Specializing in sick, injured, orphaned and problem wildlife for over 20 years.

Tereza Okava

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1) only the best of friends will eagerly brainstorm with you about the best way to inject the earth with All the Stink.

2) digging seems to be an individual drive (unless the dog is trained to do so). We rented a house that came with a pack of dogs and my shepherd-pit pup ended up being the digger. He unearthed every poor old pet that had been buried on the property (sigh, many calls to the landlord about the new set of bones and hair that had been unearthed. "Oh, that was Fifi," "that must have been Buddy" etc) and even dug up the front yard to get at grubs in the grass. I ended up having to staple chicken wire onto the entire front yard and even that was not entirely effective.
My dog, a few drops of bacon grease (and maybe a sardine buried shallow as a nice reinforcement) would definitely encourage him. If this lab is a natural digger, I'd try poking a hole in the ground and pouring in something nasty. Once he gets started, reward him like crazy. And it might take a few days, since digging is hard work and he might not go as deep as you want (or dig in a line).

Mark Reed

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posted 3 years ago

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I would be afraid to infuse the soil with a scent attractive to dogs. I think it might cause them to scrape at the ground with their teeth and also to ingest a lot of dirt. Probably not at all good for them. Seems like they would be interested only in the smell on or near the surface, they would not think to themselves something like "hey I bet there is something good down there" and would actually do very little digging. There is probably a way to train a dog to dig but I don't believe a smell on the ground is it.

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Douglas Alpenstock

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After the digging is done, the question becomes "how do I switch this off?"

Pearl Sutton

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Mark Reed wrote:Seems like they would be interested only in the smell on or near the surface, they would not think to themselves something like "hey I bet there is something good down there" and would actually do very little digging.

I'm liking the idea of poking a pipe down and pouring some deep...
The neighbor said she offered the dog tuna the other day, she ate it, eventually, but wasn't excited. Sardines might not be it.
And she eats cat poop, dirt is possibly an improvement.... :D

Pearl Sutton

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Douglas Alpenstock wrote:After the digging is done, the question becomes "how do I switch this off?"

OOOH, good point.....
I might be doing my own digging. She just looks so happy when she's digging for moles....

Catie George

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I like Ian Dunbar's suggestions for this. In one of his videos he suggests creating a digging pit for your dog, and hiding bones and other high value items in it periodically. He suggested deliminating the pit with some sort of marker so the dog knows where to dig for the prospective jackpot.

Some flagging tape and a few stakes might work for your trench.

Here is an article where he suggests burying kongs, but meat or (raw! Never cooked!) bones would be easier.

https://www.dogstardaily.com/training/digging

Lorinne Anderson

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Just a thought...would infusing the ground with a scent or edible potentially create an attraction for rodents or other "unwanted" carnivores that could be drawn to the location LONG after the digging was finished - including the dog?

Lorinne Anderson: Specializing in sick, injured, orphaned and problem wildlife for over 20 years.

Douglas Alpenstock

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Offhand, I think the massive infusion of biochar (right, Pearl?) would de-stink things in short order.

Pearl Sutton

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Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Offhand, I think the massive infusion of biochar (right, Pearl?) would de-stink things in short order.

It would to a human's nose, not sure about a dog nose. I don't smell the moles she chases....

Alex Riddles

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Bone Broth?

Caitlin Mac Shim

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The dog I had as a child used to hang out with me and get involved in all the holes I was digging (had great plans to make it through to the other side of the world). Anyway so because I was digging, she got in there and started digging too. I was rapt about this and praised her and said ‘Dig! Dig! Dig!’ and she got very pleased with herself and got stuck in properly. Anyway after that, whenever my brother or I wanted her to dig (my poor parents the place was covered in holes) we would just chant ‘Dig! Dig! Dig!’ and clap and cheer her on and she would Love it and dig along with us wherever.

My point is that she wasn’t digging for food or a smell, but for being told she was a good girl and cheered on and clapped and for the sheer joy of it. So, if I wanted to get that Lab to dig I’d wait until she was digging somewhere and praise her and say ‘Dig! Dig! Dig!’ and give her some highly valued treat (whatever she loves most). Do that a couple times then take her to where you want her to dig and try and get her started (you might need to demonstrate). If she loves to dig already I reckon she will catch on quick. As soon as the digs cheer and clap her and give her a treat and get her to do it again. When she’s really got the idea, you start to wrangle more dig for less treat. When she’s tired make sure you let her stop before it’s not fun anymore, and give her a BIG treat. She will LOVE you forever lol.

Mo Green

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I used this to train my beagles to siff trails...but mostly just because it was fun to let them loose and watch them head off beagle braying.

I used a supple plastic bowl with tight snap on lid. ALF & TAZ loved "weeenies". That & "cookies", "ride", "dog school", & "dirty paws" (a towel down/foot wipe w/massage & belly scratch!

Put hot water / broken up chunks so the WEEnie juice flavors the water. The longer it is in there the stronger the scent. I would initial get dog(s) used to using this for play going out while dog is inside and can't watch as you lay out a WEEiejuice trail w/ occasional chunck of WEEnie on too for reward of being on track (mindful if your layjng a trail to not have trail cross another juice trail all though that is funny to watch.) Anyway train your dog at the end of trail it will have spot (this case a ditch) where you have lots of juice and Weenies stuck into the ground. You push a stick into ground making it deep enough to depth of trench you want and put a really big peice of WEEnie down it.

Do not practice anywhere near your garden initially so not yo confuse their nose later. After awhile you will just only have to say, "Find the WEEnie." I would get video because digging AND WEEnies has to be dog Nirvana. If you follow this with Dirty Paws and end with belly scratches (do not miss ears please) fond memories will be had by all. Having a video of this will be great to play back during the snow/ice times too. Mo

Heather Staas

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Yes actually! If you have a dog that like to dig already. I can get my dogs to dig where I want one of two ways: starting with snow, I encouraged and rewarded them for digging where I put the shovel. They caught on quickly. Now I can put the shovel at a spot on the ground and they will dig in front of it. Move the shovel, move the digging.

The second was also with snow. Kicking at snow piles playfully, and they will start digging at it too. Then reward it and make it fun, put a name to it. Great for getting them to spread piles.

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Faye Streiff

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Many years ago when I was still using dried blood meal in my garden, I sprinkled it under a row of sweet peas. Dog dug up the entire row, about 60 feet long.

With appropriate microbes, minerals and organic matter, there is no need for pesticides or herbicides.

Joe Banks

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My family used to have a lab that would dig wherever you wanted, you just pointed at the spot and said "wassAT??" Not sure it would work on an old dog, though.

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