Can you please tell me how I can stop my terrier from digging?

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by 1256
My Boston terrier has been eating mulch ever since she was about 6 weeks old. She got the habit while I was turning the soil with a spade and she decided to get a mouth full and eat it. Then she pulled out the irrigation heads to chew or simply when the water was coming out. I can't garden because she simply gigs up anything that I plant Any suggestions please? Thank you very much , Ben.
  8 answers
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Mar 20, 2016
    Terriers are natural diggers...it is in the breed! Sorry, but I seriously doubt you can change this. Maybe some extensive behavioral classes might help, but it might just make him neurotic!
  • Susan Dye Susan Dye on Mar 20, 2016
    the cheapest and easiest thing you can try is to bury her poop in any hole she digs. if that doesn't work, when you prepare a flower or veggie garden bed, bury chicken wire across the bed. when she tries to dig, she will be discouraged by the wire. you will only be able to plant small plants or seeds or bulbs, but once she gets the idea, you will be able to plant anything. and she will have stopped digging.
    • See 1 previous
    • Shaley Shaley on Feb 15, 2017

      it really works.

  • William William on Mar 20, 2016
    I would sprinkle red pepper in the garden. One sniff and she won't go back. Won't harm her or the plants. You may have to do this a few times before she learns that the garden is a no go place. It's a learning process.
    • See 1 previous
    • 1256 1256 on Mar 20, 2016
      @Thank You William . I certainly will use this suggestion . It definitely might work since she doesn't like foods with a pepper odor.Ben.
  • Elisabet Elisabet on Mar 20, 2016
    My knowledge and experience with dogs is that the LOVE anything poppet (their own or other animals) yes indeed they can be very nasty but we ADORE. them don't we? Pepper idea sounds best I think. I had 2 Siberian Huskies and they ate EVERYTHING Just have to wait until your "Baby" gets old and tired!
  • Meemoo Meemoo on Mar 20, 2016
    Use red pepper flakes they work very well! It keeps dogs and cats away. But you have to replace it every so often especially after it rains. Other options are put a fence up around where you're going to have your garden or use raised beds with chicken wire on the soil or underneath/around the raised area. The pepper worked with my diggy dogs and the wire alond with pepper kept them from digging under the fence to my yard. Good luck!
  • Linda harris Linda harris on Mar 20, 2016
    We have a 4 yr. old golden that still digs up everything in the backyard. I just gave up and let her have the whole yard. She dug up 2 redbud trees, 5 red tip shrubs, and virginia creeper vines on the fence. The virginia creeper berries will cause seizures in dogs. Zoe thinks they are blue berries. They are cut down when they start putting out leaves. She dug a trench about 15 ft. long, 5 in. wide, and 6 in. deep trying to catch a mole. She did catch the mole and ate it. Then found another mole to did for. Our yard was getting dangerous to walk on. My husband tried to fill the trench with dirt, but she dug as fast as he was filling. Then he decided to fill it with her poop. IT WORKS. No more digging. I thought at 4 yrs. old, she would have stopped. We also tried putting chicken wire around the plants, but she pushed through it.
  • Christina Dorrego Christina Dorrego on Mar 20, 2016
    She digs probably because she is bored. A tired dog is a well behaved dog. Same with kids. You could build a dig spot for her, since she loves it so much....pepper the no dig areas and when she goes for those, say no, and IMMEDIATELY plop her in the dig box you made. Have a toy or five in there for her to "find" and rebury. Redirect. Some parts are off limits all the time, but her dig box is hers
  • Sar12826298 Sar12826298 on Feb 15, 2017

    I have an Airedale and a Goldendoodle, both are digging up my backyard, I fenced it in so I could leave them in the yard while I am out. When I got home yesterday, the doodle had dug a huge deep hole under the fence, not enough to squeeze out of but big enough for her head.. I use repellent, poop, and am at my whits end.. think I will now invest in invisible fence across the back.. the poop works but only on that spot..