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Canine Behavior/Digging in the yard

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Expert: - 4/19/2008


Question
Hi jill my 6mon old golden will not stop digging in the back yard it is driving me crazy. Any help would be great.           Thanks Todd

Answer
Since the Golden is a hunting breed, I wonder if there's something LIVING in your back yard??? Moles, etc.?  You might want to look for telltale signs (holes in the sod).  Other than that, many dogs are diggers.  It's a self rewarding behavior, especially if it gets the owner's attention (whether negative OR positive.)

The Golden is a natural candidate for any obedience work.  I suggest you give this dog several jobs.  Learn about positive reinforcement training (go to Karen Pryor's website or read Paul Owens' book, "The Dog Whisperer" -- NOT Cesar Milan!)  One behavior at a time, using unique words, train the dog to perform simple obedience behaviors.  This will make the dog a better companion overall and develop his cognitive skills as well as strengthen his bond to you.  By itself, engaging the dog in this manner might alleviate whatever boredom may be driving this digging behavior.

An old remedy for digging is to bury the dog's own feces in the holes it is creating, providing the dog is going back to the same spots.  I have no idea whether or not this works, as I prefer to replace unwanted behaviors with trained behaviors, but you could certainly try it.

Canine Behavior

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Jill Connor, Ph.D.

Expertise

I have spent my entire professional life rehabilitating the behavior of the domestic dog and I can answer any question regarding any behavior problem in any breed dog. If you are a caring, committed owner and need advice, I'm here for you. THERE ARE NO QUICK FIXES for serious behavioral issues; not only is it unprofessional to offer same, it is also unethical. IF I ASK YOU SUBSEQUENT QUESTIONS, I NEED YOU TO INTERACT WITH ME. More information equals more credible answers and a more successful outcome. If you want ANSWERS THAT WORK, participate in any way I request. I'm quite committed to working on this site for YOUR benefit and the benefit of YOUR DOG. Help me in any way you can.

Experience

30 years of solving serious behavior problems in domestic dogs; expert in dog to human aggression; Internet columnist for ThePetChannel.com for 5 years; former radio talk show host, WHPC.FM, Garden City, NY "Bite Back" (1995 through 2000). List owner, international animal behavior experts, K9Shrinks@egroups.com. Seminar leader: "Operant Conditioning and Learning"; "Aggression in The Domestic Dog"; "Solving Problem Behaviors" -- conducted for various training facilities on Long Island from 1993 through 2000. Former clinical director of "Behavioral Abnormalities" in conjunction with Mark Beckerman, DVM, Hempstead, New York.

Organizations
Member, APDT (UK); Psychologists in Ethical Treatment with Animals

Publications
Harcourt Brace Learning Direct: "The Business of Dog Training" "The Fail Safe Dog: Brain Training, not Pain Training"

Education/Credentials
Ph.D., UC Berkeley

Past/Present Clients
Board of Directors: Northeast Dog Rescue Connection; The Dog Project; Sav-A-Dog Foundation; etc. Pro Bono counselor: Little Shelter Humane Society My practice is presently limited to forensics. I diagnose cause of dog bite, based upon testimony before the Court, for attorneys and insurance companies litigating dog bites, including fatal injuries. I also do pro bono work for bona fide rescue organizations, humane societies, et al, regarding such analysis in an effort to obtain release for dogs being held for death in municipal shelters in the US.

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