Hi Everyone, My black lab Tucker is now 17 weeks old and has all of a sudden decided to start digging and destroying everything in sight. I have tried walking him, to start off once a day (it didn't make a difference). I tried morning walks, evening walks and walking twice a day. He has more toys than a toy store which get rotated every 2 days (I have also tried mixing different types and sizes of toys) I have tried treats, kongs and ice blocks. We also have a retriever who is an angel, they appear to ignore each other during the day (according to the neighbours). They both go to Doggy day care once a week and are so exhausted by the time they get home they go straight to bed and only wake up for dinner, so I don't have a problem with no stimulation while I'm at work. Anyway, all of a sudden Tucker has started destroying everything and digging everywhere. How do I curb this and hopefully put an end to it before he and I need to find somewhere else to live.
Hi, How long is Tucker left on his own for during the day? He may have lots of toys but do you ever engage in play with him? The toys become boring other wise. What stimulates them is play with a human, Do you ever do any small training sessions to stimunlate him too? He looks very cute if that is him in the picture.
Hi , it sounds like Tucker is just plain bored if this is what he is now doing . Exercise is great of course, but it doesn't stimulate the brain , only training will do this I`m afraid ! Take care not to over exercise him , he is still just a baby, but add some short training sessions into his routine , keeping them very short , say five or ten minutes long as pups get bored very quickly and then attention wanders ! Just simple indoor or garden training , such as teaching the sit/stay , these short sessions will really help a lot .
Agree with the other comments. Boredom leads to destructive behaviour. Training rather than exercise is the best cure together with play sessions with your puppy. Oh and not leaving puppy in the garden unattended - supervision also helps to prevent unwanted behaviours as you can re-direct with play and training.
He should grow out of it. But if not, I saw this some time ago, make a place where he can dig and hide toys in it for him to find. I don't recommend sand, as all the neighbouring cats will whoop at the sight of a lovely new loo!
Thanks for all the advice, he is never technically on his own, he always has at least me, my flat mate and the other dog. I work 9 hours a day 5 days a week, hence why I decided doggy day care could be a good option for something different for him. I do play with him. Often fetch because he loves it. Admittedly I have laxed a bit on the training since we finished preschool. I will try that again and see how that goes. I thought of sand and then thought the same thing. Thankyou for the advice, I will keep you all posted on how things go.
I did find putting their own poop in the hole discouraged digging, but only in that hole. They made a new hole. When they got to a spot in my yard where a hole was not a problem I just let them dig. My gosh, we discovered one morning that Jet had dug a hole under the cedar hedge and the roots of the end tree were half exposed and the whole tree, about 8 feet tall, was about to topple over. LOL, little monkey.
Anyone got any ideas on "when" they grow out of it hahah im about to pay a LOT of money to get our garden renovated. Im thinking of making a pen area though to stop him accessing grass
I make sure I'm with Mollie whenever she's in the garden, keeping her busy with games and training. She's not allowed there on her own or we'd have no garden left. She's 5 months old.
I have no advice regarding a long-term solution to unwanted behaviours (other than they'll eventually grow out of the puppy/exploring/destroying stage) but I have a small backyard which I like to keep looking nice. When my boy digs in any grassed area, I fill it back in, cut off a piece of galvanised chicken wire, and use tent pegs to cover the area - he can't dig through it. I don't use poo in holes because...it's kind of disgusting
Bella was exactly the same , she has kinda grown out of it now ( at 18 months ) but she was a holy terror in our back garden .She would rip up plants , pull branches and twigs of the shrubs , you name it she did it .All I can say is give your pup time and just remember its just a phase , however be very careful to make sure none of your plants are poisonous to dogs .
