springer digging holes grrrrrrr

[jayney 12]

help we have an 18 onth old springer spaniel bitch who has just recently taken it upon herself to dig huge craters in our garden, no atter how any ties she is told off and the holes refilled she does it again and again, does anyone have a pet friendly painless way of stopping her, she is a lovely dog but i could quite easily throttle her at the moment ( tried covering the area with pepper it didnt work) thanx in advance

[hammerman]

We had a nightmare with our springer digging. It got to the point where i had to go in the garden with him every time he went out there and the moment he started digging, he got told off.

He soon got bored with it and decided swimming in the koi pond was much more fun !!!!!

[lankeela]

Exercise, training and mental stimulation so she is happy to relax when at home, rather than finding other things to do.

[jayney 12]

hi thanx for your replies, but she is exersised daily on the beach near our home for at leasr an hour every day and as for relaxation she just does not know the meaning of the word she is constantly scattering around like a demented hamster very excitable, i have tried being very stern with her and she looks guilty when told off but as soon as i walk away from her she goes back into scatterbrain mode again

[woofgang]

sorry, but an hour a day of free running is just the beginning. Springers are working dogs and can run all day. She needs a mental work out as well as a physical one. Train her to do anything and give her training every day, short sessions building up to longer ones...
I have two seven and a half month pointer crosses (weimaraner/GSP) and have had weimaraners now for ....gosh...just added it up, more than 20 years. Working breed gundogs are lovely to have around, smart, loving, gentle and fun but they must be worked in some way or they will go crazy and so will the owner!

training suggestions, basic obedience, agility, hunting for items/people, retrieving (of course) you can also use a kong for feeding which gives much pleasure to the dog and engages the brain as well as the stomach.

Finally, digging is a dog thing and they do enjoy it...could you give her her own digging area? Bury toys and chews in it so she hits paydirt when she digs there and when she digs elsewhere, stop her and take her to her own bit

[woofgang]

another thought, how recent is recent? Our last bitch would dig about 60 days after the end of her season, she never had any phantom pregnancy apart from that....even in a spayed bitch it can be hormone related