Hi, Have a female Black Lab/Pit Bull mix. 10 months old. Really curious about this: She just loves to dig holes, either in the dirt or in the snow. Then "guards" the hole for a while, before digging another. Question: a. Why ? b. Characteristic of the Black Lab breed ? All do it, e.g. ? c. Or, just a particular personality trait she has, for some reason ? Thanks, Bob
I don't think it's anything to do with the breed. All the dogs I've owned have loved to dig (crosssbreed, Lab, spaniels) as did my parents' terriers. I have allocated an area of the garden where I'm happy for Molly to dig and simply redirect her to that area if she starts digging elsewhere.
I'm happy for Molly to dig and simply redirect her to that area if she starts digging elsewhere. 192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1
When my pup started digging I made sure her nails were trimmed up. This is how they keep their nails down in the wild, they would dig holes and scratch on objects. Kinda like cats do. I also made sure she had regular walks and was played with a lot. Labs are working dogs with a lot of energy. They need to keep busy. When they are bored they find things to do. And sometimes those things can be destructive like digging up a flower bed or chewing the wood furniture legs in your home! When I addressed both of those with my dog she stopped digging. She may just be digging to dig but those are just a couple suggestions I have. Hope it helps!
Why not bury some things in the area you want her to dig in. She gets positively reinforced for digging in the preferred area. And you satisfy her SEEKING emotion. Multiple rewards for the dog. And good for the owner.
