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How do I stop my puppy from digging up garden plants?

My puppy is a Border Collie x Kelpie and she is about 10 months old now. She's been digging up my father's small fruit plants and he's getting really annoyed and wants to give my puppy away because of the trouble caused. She lives in our backyard most of the time and sleeps inside. We try to walk her as much as possible, usually 2-3 times a day. Is there any way to stop this behaviour? Please help!

Public Comments

1. you cant stop the dog to dig holes... ever :) my dog s 2 yrs old and he still does that
2. separation anxiety is common in dogs. That's her way of letting you know she does not like being left out there by herself. My dog is the same way and she is 8 years old. She never grew out of it. I keep my dog indoor and give her as much attention as possible. Although when i leave for more than 3 hours i keep her crated, cause if i dont she will show how much i have upset her by using the bathroom multiple times and chewing on things.
3. Puppies love freshly dug soil, it's easy to re-dig. I have a plastic clam shell, a few of them actually. I just dug the dogs holes bigger (they put them there for a reason so it's easier to just go with the flow, than to tell them to go dig somewhere else that doesn't suit the purpose...) anyway, I make the hole big enough for the shell to fit in, with the top level with the ground, dont make the mistake of filling it with water when it's "in" the ground, coz that keeps the soil around it cool and they just dig a trench around it! Fill it with Sand! it's real easy to dig in and rake back in without making a mess of the lawn... but make sure you drill plenty of holes in the bottom so the rain water can drain out the bottom... otherwise it just ends up a slush pond and then it all comes inside and all over the nice clean carpet (weird word... car and pet should never have been put together) what all this does is gives them somewhere to dig, in a place that suits them and is not as ugly as having 90 random holes and plants spread from here to africa. Hey even your freinds kids will be occupied when they visit... if the dog will get out of the sand pit!
4. If this dog is one that you want to keep, and you really care about her, then prepare to spend quite a bit of time fixing this problem. This is very correctable. Personally, I am not accustomed to keeping my dogs in the back yard most of the time. As puppies, they spend most of the time at my side. I watch their every move. If you spend the first two years in a constant training mode, you will have a nice dog for the rest of her life. If you work, or go to school in the day, then you will need to make arrangements to make sure the dog gets attention a couple of times during the day. In the mean time, you will need to fix her own area in the back yard, where she will be away from trouble. Make sure she has plenty of water, toys, shelter, her own chew toys. When you get home it's time to plan out some learning activities for this dog. The more jobs you give this dog, the happier she will be. A Border Collie/Kelpie mix will take some effort on your part. Sounds like this dog is simply bored. Good luck.