How to Stop Puppy Digging – My top Tips
You have spent hours on your garden and everything looks perfect and then you get a Lab puppy.
Your beautiful garden now has lots of mounds of earth and those hand picked plants are now on the lawn and not in the flower beds, and your garden design has been ruined.
Digging is something that lab puppies love to do, it is essential to them. Digging can be somewhat frustrating if you don’t give your Labrador puppy an area to himself, as he will dig holes in your garden. If you keep him indoors, he may try to dig in the floor, on the couch, or on the bed. Digging is part of his nature, and you should never punish your puppy for digging.
So How to Stop Puppy Digging My top 5 tips
The first thing I would suggest is to find a place in the garden where you lab puppy can dig.
The east option is to buy a sand box and either fill it with soil or sand. Then bury some treats and toys inside so your puppy can dig them out. Once he learns this is his special place to dig he is more than likely to go to this area when he feels the need to dig.
When you create a special place for your puppy to carry out his digging , you have to keep the “excitement” going for him. Remember to bury a treat or toy so he always has something to find. Puppies get bored, after digging in the same spot for a while, so he may decide that somewhere in another part of your garden looks better. Also, you must refill the sand or dirt in his special area from time to time.
When he’s older you could try an obedience training classes that will help him to get his digging habits under control.
Option 2 How to Stop Puppy Digging
When you’re working in the garden, you could use a sprinkler, water pistol or a spray bottle. When your puppy starts digging in the loose dirt, squirt him with the water.
Once you have sprayed him hide the hose, water pistol or spray bottle behind your back and he will think that the garden is doing it to him, not you, so he’ll be less likely to dig when you’re not around.
Option 3 How to Stop Puppy Digging
If you have a flower bed that you do not want your puppy to go near use a mixture of chilli powder and water around the plants. Use this mixture to water your plants, your Lab puppy will not like the smell, and will start to avoid the area.
If he is still digging in that area then try using dried red pepper instead another smell that puppies don’t like.
Option 4 How to Stop Puppy Digging
Put a surprise in the hole your puppy has dug. Many puppies start on a hole, leave it for a while and then come back later to continue the digging.During one of his digging breaks, blow up a balloon and bury it in there. When your puppy comes back to dig, the balloon will pop and he wont like the noise.
Puppies like ‘clean’ dirt so when he goes off for a digging break, you could also fill the holes up with dead leaves, rocks, mulch, sticks and other undesirable puppy stuff in the hole then cover it up with a thin layer of dirt; chances are that when your lab puppy starts digging again and finds that stuff in his hole, he will stop.
If that doesn’t work then go out and buy some Bitter Apple Spray
One last option for refiling the holes and one that you would have to be very desperate to use is when you find your puppies digging holes, place his poop inside the hole. Your puppy will hate to dig in his own poop and will choose another area. Keep putting his poop into every hole he digs and he will soon associate the digging with yucky.
Option 5 How to Stop Puppy Digging
As soon as you catch your puppy digging make a loud noise by placing penny’s in a tin and give it a good shake to get your dogs attention. Call him over to you and play a game this will take his mind off his digging.
Don’t make the mistake of punishing your puppy after he has dug a hole. You need to catch him in the act, or he won’t understand what you’re so upset about. Your puppy lives in the present, and the fact that he dug a hole in your garden yesterday doesn’t mean a thing to him.
If you want good results, you must be consistent. Don’t let it slip for a week and wonder why your Lab puppy still digs everything up in the garden.
Good luck and have fun in the garden.
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Filed under Lab Puppy Training by on Dec 3rd, 2009. 1 Comment. 
My Top 6 Puppy Toilet Training Tips
There is an easy way and a hard way to toilet train your puppy, so here are my Puppy Toilet Training Tips
There are key times and signs throughout the day that tell you when you puppy needs to go outside, they are
- First thing in the morning
- After a meal
- When your puppy wakes up after a sleep
- If you see your puppy sniffing or circling
- After a play session
- Last thing at night
So after any of these events this is what you need to do.
My step-by-step guide of Puppy Toilet Training Tips
- Take your lab puppy into area of the garden you have chosen for your puppy to relieve himself. Then you need to give him a command. I always used “busy”, but you can use any command you want to, but remember you have to be happy with the word you are using because the neighbours might overhear you.
- When your puppy is doing his business use the command and your puppy will learn to associate the command with the action.
- Then you need to give your puppy lots of praise, give your lab puppy a treat, your puppy will then understand that he has responded correctly.
- Have a short game with your him before you take him back into the house. If you go straight back into the house your puppy might adopt delaying tactics so he can stay outside longer.
Successful puppy toilet training is all about consistency. If you follow these few simple steps your puppy will be going outside to do his business rather than inside on your floor.
Puppy Toilet Training Tips part 2
Accidents will happen, and yes you will feel like pulling your hair out when you are cleaning the floor for the 3 time today, but you must keep in mind that your Lab puppy doesn’t know he has done anything wrong.
Remember it is not your puppies fault that he has had an accident but it’s yours. 9 out of 10 times when an accident happens it will be because you failed to see the warning signs.
Don’t get to the stage when you you want to yell at your lab puppy it won’t help, only make a fuss of your puppy when he has been a good boy. He will want to please you and wants your attention, shouting wont help, praising will.
If you do catch your puppy in the act or spot him circling and sniffing don’t yell at him. Just calmly take him outside to his toilet area as quickly as possible and give him the verbal command.
When your lab puppy responds give him lots of praise and a treat and you will find that the accidents will become few and far between.
Click Here To Potty Train your Dog Within 7 Days- Guaranteed!
Go to How do I stop my puppy from chasing my cats? from Puppy Toilet Training Tips
Good Luck with your Puppy Toilet Training
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Filed under Lab Puppy Training by on Dec 9th, 2009. Comment.
Susanne,
How do I stop my puppy from chasing my cats?
He is 3 mos old, 30 lbs and wants to”play”. I have tried “No, bad dog” and turning his attention to his toys to no avail.
Please help.
Kimberly
Kimberly
This is what you need to do with Sparky to stop him from chasing cats.
When your cats come nearby, you need to watch your puppy.
As soon as he starts to get the ‘alert look’ on his face (head pops up, ears pop up, sits or stands up), lightly touch his back and say ‘no, leave it.’
The will distract him and will snap him out of this mind set BEFORE he gets into chasing mode.
If your puppy is still focus on the cats and not the correction, then you need to get up, get in front of your puppy (so if he walks further he will walk into your legs) and say ‘no, leave it.’
Snap your fingers and point in the opposite direction. If he doesn’t move, walk into him, slightly pushing him to turn and walk the other way.
This is a challenge for your puppy, because he’s not out to hurt your cats, he’s simply wanting to play. Your cats run and he thinks it’s a game of ‘chase.’ You do need to correct this behaviour now, before he gets bigger and ultimately someone gets hurt.
Another suggestion would be to keep small treats with you when you make this correction. When your puppy is back in the position you want him to be in and his focus is completely taken off your cats, tell him ‘yes, good leave it’ and reward his good behaviour with a yummy treat.
This is a timely process and your puppy will not learn it over night. You need to be consistent and patient and if you are those two things, he will learn.
Before you know it, your puppy and cats will be cuddled up next to each other and when you’re cats walk by your puppy, he won’t be sitting there just waiting to them to pick up speed so he can start the chase.
Just be patient. Their natural instinct is to retrieve. Keep that in mind. Make sure your puppy is getting lots of exercise. A tired puppy is a happy puppy.
Good Luck
Also…consider training classes! This would benefit him tremendously or if you haven’t got puppy classes near you then you could try the secrets to dog training programme.
To read my secrets to dog training review click on this link
Or Click Here and Go To the Secrets to Dog Training Offical Site
Go to Introducing Cat to Puppy from How do I stop my puppy from chasing my cats?
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Filed under Lab Puppy Training, Puppies Problems by on Dec 15th, 2009. Comment.
Introducing Cat to Puppy the Easy Way
Your Puppy and cat could be best friends but you need to take some basic steps when Introducing Cat to Puppy.
This will take time but if you take the right steps when you first introduce them they could be living in perfect harmony.
So how do you introduce your cat and puppy to each other.
Firstly if you use a Lab Puppy Cage or Lab Puppy Crate this will be a great start, confine your lab puppy to his crate or cage and let the cat investigate.
The next phase is to hold your puppy and let the cat come into the same room.
Have some treats at the ready and if your puppy gets to focused on the cat divert his attention by givig him a treat.
Keep going through this routine over a period of days, rewarding your puppy when he responds to you rather than the cat.
I made the mistake of not looking into this when we got Loretta (I have 4 cats yes I must be mad).
The second day I was in the kitchen with her and one on the cats came in.
Loretta was so excited to have a friend the same size she bounded up to one of the cats to make friends.
Tezz (the cat) decided she didn’t like this new play mate and took a swipe at her and cut Loretta above the eye with her claws.
Even though this was not a great experience for any of use, after that Loretta never went near any of the cats.
So after a couple of days giving your Lab puppy treats, try not holding your puppy and given him treats. Give him his food and hopefully he will just ignore the cat.
Work on this for a few more days, and you will find that the puppy and cat will start to get used to one another.
Top Tip: Make sure you supervise them and make sure that there is a door open or there is somewhere out of reach for you cat to escape to if your puppy gets to boisterous.
Good Luck I look forward to seeing some pictures of you puppy and cats getting on together. I hope your Introducing cat to puppy goes well.
P.S. If you want more tips don’t forget to sign up for my 10 day Lab Puppy Training course, just fill in the form at the top right hand corner of the page and I will send my free puppy training tips to your in-box over the next 10 days.
Go to How To Train A Lab Puppy In 2 Days from Introducing Cat to Puppy
Go to How do I stop my puppy from chasing my cats from Introducing cat to puppy
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Filed under Lab Puppy Training by on Dec 15th, 2009. Comment.
Ashley O asked:
My 6 month old puppy bites/chews on us when we play. She doesn’t also hurt or mean to hurt but those puppy teeth do hurt. She is a chihuahua-dashound mix so she is very small with tiny teeth.
Play Biting With Your Puppy: The Safe Way
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Filed under Puppies Problems by on Dec 15th, 2009. 11 Comments.
