I have a VERY active 16 week old 34 pound puppy. Sweetest thing on the planet until he gets wound up. When he does he is uncontrollable, he goes into my wife's flower beds and starts ripping and digging and nothing will deter him. I was looking for some means to keep him out, hoping to find something that can be sprayed or sprinkled on the ground. He scoffs at vinegar, ammonia, and citrus, I think he actually likes vinegar. Anyone find anything that works?

Remote control collar. Ours lets us choose a tone, vibration, or shock at different levels.

Our pup was just like yours sounds. Now, if she hears the tone she comes right to me.

Shock collars can work well, provided he's supervised constantly, for instant consequences.

For something more passive, I've had hit-or-miss success with using cayenne pepper powder in the past as a digging deterrent. Worked for some dogs. But some dogs apparently liked spicy dirt. You can get large containers for cheap at Sams/Costco. But it will need to be reapplied frequently.

Dogs also don't like to dig where dog feces is located. Putting a shovelful of their feces in a hole is a good way to keep a dog from digging in that one spot any further, but unless you cover the entire flowerbed in feces it probably won't work very well in your situation.

Supervision is what he needs at this age. He should not be out on his own to develop these bad habits. Now is the time he needs constant training to learn right from wrong.

We also have a 33 pound 16 week old puppy and she is doing really well now. She would try to dig and tear up the plants in the backyard but constant correction over the last two weeks has resolved that.

Good luck.

He is supervised 100% of the time outdoors. He just dashes into the beds and starts ripping. Pull him out and he just goes right back in. You can scold/spank, (not beating by any means) him and it just makes the situation worse. Literally have to carry him away and use treats to get his mind on something else.... for about 5 minutes. We are taking obedience classes also.

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
Supervision is what he needs at this age. He should not be out on his own to develop these bad habits. Now is the time he needs constant training to learn right from wrong.

Good luck.

^^^^ This

Do not give the pup the freedom to get into trouble. He should be in an ExPen or otherwise confined to a specific area any time he is not being directly supervised by you. It's not mean to him or boring. He will appreciate the structure in his life. Happy to go into more detail...just email me.

Do NOT use an E-Collar on him at this age.

One trick that often works for dogs that dig holes is to put their poop in the holes, so you could try placing some around in the beds, so he sees them as places to avoid.

If you are not already, plan to spend as much time as possible on walks, runs, fetch, obedience, etc. A tired dog is a good dog. I know that's easier said than done, but attempting to provide significant daily physical and mental challenges is step one to dealing with destructive behaviors.

I'd also suggest a rotation of safe toys that can be left out with him each day. Have several, and leave 3-4 different ones out each day. Spend time playing with him, using the toys, so he knows they mean FUN.

Finally, some people claim Zylkene, which is made from cow's milk, is helpful at calming cats and dogs. My vet suggested it for a new dog I have who's suffering some separation anxiety. Too soon for me to say if it's what's making the difference, but he is doing somewhat better. Be sure and confirm it's safe for pups before using.

I was composing my previous post when more info came in regarding it happening while he's supervised.

Have you tried to redirect him to appropriate toys/chews/activities when he starts digging? In other words briefly sold him, and them give him a nylabone, ball, etc., away from the bed.

quote:

Originally posted by 08 Cayenne:
He is supervised 100% of the time outdoors. He just dashes into the beds and starts ripping. Pull him out and he just goes right back in. You can scold/spank, (not beating by any means) him and it just makes the situation worse. Literally have to carry him away and use treats to get his mind on something else.... for about 5 minutes. We are taking obedience classes also.

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
Supervision is what he needs at this age. He should not be out on his own to develop these bad habits. Now is the time he needs constant training to learn right from wrong.

Good luck.

Spanking, striking, none of that is good. You never hit, strike, touch the dog. All verbal,and use of a crate. Crate training is numero uno. You need a shock collar. It’s humane. Start on low, and turn it up until the animal gets the point. Dog training is never the dog’s fault, ever, it’s always a handler problem.

Not a fan of obedience courses either. Reality is train the trainer. Those schools should focus on training the human owner rather than the dog. Training the animal is the owner/handler’s responsibility. I’d never want non-pack humans touching or talking to my dogs.

Try putting black pepper or red Chile powder in the he areas you don't want digging.

Thanks
He is crate trained indoors, helps indoors but not so much outdoors. I think a tap on the nose is more humane than a collar at this point. The obedience training that we are taking is what you suggest. Trainers never have contact with the dog, they teach you how to train the dog. Actually his training is going very well, smart dog, very obedient when you can keep him focused.

He has more toys outside right now that I had most of my childhood. Nothing deters him from the digging until he is physically removed from the situation.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:

quote:

Originally posted by 08 Cayenne:
He is supervised 100% of the time outdoors. He just dashes into the beds and starts ripping. Pull him out and he just goes right back in. You can scold/spank, (not beating by any means) him and it just makes the situation worse. Literally have to carry him away and use treats to get his mind on something else.... for about 5 minutes. We are taking obedience classes also.

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
Supervision is what he needs at this age. He should not be out on his own to develop these bad habits. Now is the time he needs constant training to learn right from wrong.

Good luck.

Spanking, striking, none of that is good. You never hit, strike, touch the dog. All verbal,and use of a crate. Crate training is numero uno. You need a shock collar. It’s humane. Start on low, and turn it up until the animal gets the point. Dog training is never the dog’s fault, ever, it’s always a handler problem.

Not a fan of obedience courses either. Reality is train the trainer. Those schools should focus on training the human owner rather than the dog. Training the animal is the owner/handler’s responsibility. I’d never want non-pack humans touching or talking to my dogs.

quote:

Originally posted by 08 Cayenne:
He has more toys outside right now that I had most of my childhood.

Could be too much of a good thing. Only put out a few toys, and change them each day or two. Figure out which ones are his favorites. Leaving a vast selection of the same toys out all the time removes the value from them.

Maybe outside time for now should be only for doing his business, playing with toys, obedience training, or laying in the sun near a human. If he goes into the bed, verbally correct him, try to redirect him to a toy, and if he doesn't take to it, it's time to go inside for a few minutes. If he completely ignores the offer of toys each time, just take him directly inside for a few minutes. Rinse and repeat. Every time he goes into a bed, correct him, take him inside and ignore him. The beds are fully off limits.

I fully agree that striking the dog is likely to be counterproductive. He's more likely to associate it with you approaching/picking him up, than him digging.

I've had good luck with the vibrating collar. It also has a shock setting but the vibration actually works better. If it can get my aussie under control it will work for any animal.

Personally, when my two were young like that, I went to the local HD and bought a roll of chicken wire and some stakes and physically eliminated their access into certain areas of the yard. Later, when they were better trained/behaved, I removed the barriers. Just another idea.

Best deterrent I found that works for my dogs is a squirt from a spray bottle.

quote:

Originally posted by 08 Cayenne:
Thanks
He is crate trained indoors, helps indoors but not so much outdoors. I think a tap on the nose is more humane than a collar at this point. The obedience training that we are taking is what you suggest. Trainers never have contact with the dog, they teach you how to train the dog. Actually his training is going very well, smart dog, very obedient when you can keep him focused.

He has more toys outside right now that I had most of my childhood. Nothing deters him from the digging until he is physically removed from the situation.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:

quote:

Originally posted by 08 Cayenne:
He is supervised 100% of the time outdoors. He just dashes into the beds and starts ripping. Pull him out and he just goes right back in. You can scold/spank, (not beating by any means) him and it just makes the situation worse. Literally have to carry him away and use treats to get his mind on something else.... for about 5 minutes. We are taking obedience classes also.

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
Supervision is what he needs at this age. He should not be out on his own to develop these bad habits. Now is the time he needs constant training to learn right from wrong.

Good luck.

Spanking, striking, none of that is good. You never hit, strike, touch the dog. All verbal,and use of a crate. Crate training is numero uno. You need a shock collar. It’s humane. Start on low, and turn it up until the animal gets the point. Dog training is never the dog’s fault, ever, it’s always a handler problem.

Not a fan of obedience courses either. Reality is train the trainer. Those schools should focus on training the human owner rather than the dog. Training the animal is the owner/handler’s responsibility. I’d never want non-pack humans touching or talking to my dogs.

My dog was like this, but with 'exploring' the fields across the road. marker flags & a remote shock collar taught her the no-go zone. She can be hauling ass chasing a rabbit & will throw on the thrust reversers, spray grass all over so she doesn't get in the road.

Watching from inside, it took 2 zaps at about level 4 of 7 for her to learn. I zapped my wife more when we were trying it out - I told her she couldn't have the remote unless she was willing to be zapped by it
we keep the remote around & tell her we're getting the zapper if she gets too wild, hasn't had the collar on in years.

Get a cheap training collar from Amazon. you get instant correction, at distance, rather than running after them & yelling (which will probably encourage them).
I'm assuming you've already established that you are omnipotent. Once he realizes you are omnipresent, he won't try to buck the alpha.

Zapping them isn't done to be mean and doesn't hurt that bad - my wife would't let off the button on max when I tried it on... Don't yell or try to intimidate in any way - just be the alpha.

quote:

Originally posted by 08 Cayenne:
Actually his training is going very well, smart dog, very obedient when you can keep him focused.

Is this another Borzoi?
 

Yes, another Majenkir.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by 08 Cayenne:
Actually his training is going very well, smart dog, very obedient when you can keep him focused.

Is this another Borzoi?
 

We need pictures.

Is he on a leash outside? That would allow you to control him. Just because he is outside does not mean he should be allowed full freedom - not at this age.