Digging up my lawn

[Whinpin]

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Hi All
Not been on the forum for a long time. For those of you who do not know me I have 8 month old Whippet called Rosie.

She is doing OK we have had ups and downs with her she has tried our patiences on many occasions. That is the life of a dog owner I guess.
She can also be so much fun which out weights the bad.

I have a question if anyone can help please why is she digging up our lawn? What can we do to stop her? She is not bored she gets walked twice a day a plays with my daughters lab nearly very day. So lots of racing around.

 

[JudyN]

Could you give her an area somewhere else where she is allowed to dig? Then whenever she tries to dig 'her' hole, redirect her to there, and praise her for digging there. Also try to block off the area on the lawn, with a big plant pot, dustbin lid, whatever you have to hand.

But unfortunately the odd crater is part and parcel of dog ownership - they can dig quite a sizeable hole by the time you've managed to redirect them!

 

[Inka]

Could be several things... 8 month old 'teenager' sweet one minute a horror the next so simply having fun, if she found she gets enjoyment from digging then a simple digging pit, like a cheap kids sandpit, hide her toys in it so you can save your lawn and it is not then a dog being bad, frustrating you and getting repremanded...she can just enjoy her game, could be she is missing some trace elements in her diet and 'soil' is the way she found to get them, brewers yeast tablets (BYT) purchased from any chemist/health food shop and most supermarkets have all the vitamins, mineral and trace elements a dog needs they LOVE them so great as treats.... BYT 'cured' lawn damage overnight with several dogs I know....young pups, teenage pups and old dogs tend to flush out trace elements more than other ages...so worth a try

 

[Whinpin]

Could be several things... 8 month old 'teenager' sweet one minute a horror the next so simply having fun, if she found she gets enjoyment from digging then a simple digging pit, like a cheap kids sandpit, hide her toys in it so you can save your lawn and it is not then a dog being bad, frustrating you and getting repremanded...she can just enjoy her game, could be she is missing some trace elements in her diet and 'soil' is the way she found to get them, brewers yeast tablets (BYT) purchased from any chemist/health food shop and most supermarkets have all the vitamins, mineral and trace elements a dog needs they LOVE them so great as treats.... BYT 'cured' lawn damage overnight with several dogs I know....young pups, teenage pups and old dogs tend to flush out trace elements more than other ages...so worth a try

 

[Whinpin]

Thank you good advice I will try the BYT. Also the sand pit is a good idea may try that too.

 

[Hemlock]

Get one of those sandpits you can close overnight, or you'll have every cat for miles using it as a latrine. That apart, dogs really love their own sandpit to dig in.

 

[Inka]

Get one of those sandpits you can close overnight, or you'll have every cat for miles using it as a latrine. That apart, dogs really love their own sandpit to dig in.

Yes, that is why I said a kids sand pit as they have lids, but pleased you added that. I take the lid off and fill it with water as a mini pool in hot weather, so the dogs have double joy

 

[excuseme]

I sometimes pop a "poo" into the offending hole. Other times I will repair the patch and cover with a piece of weld mesh while the repair grows through. This does not happen very often, mostly if we have an adolescent.

 

[Whinpin]

Thank you all some really good advice. I will try all the suggestions.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

Could be several things... 8 month old 'teenager' sweet one minute a horror the next so simply having fun, if she found she gets enjoyment from digging then a simple digging pit, like a cheap kids sandpit, hide her toys in it so you can save your lawn and it is not then a dog being bad, frustrating you and getting repremanded...she can just enjoy her game, could be she is missing some trace elements in her diet and 'soil' is the way she found to get them, brewers yeast tablets (BYT) purchased from any chemist/health food shop and most supermarkets have all the vitamins, mineral and trace elements a dog needs they LOVE them so great as treats.... BYT 'cured' lawn damage overnight with several dogs I know....young pups, teenage pups and old dogs tend to flush out trace elements more than other ages...so worth a try

Inka do these BYT work the same with grass eating? Is that a reason for this behaviour too? When I take Roxy in the garden/out for walks she spends a lot of time eating grass like a horse

 

[Inka]

Grass contains an abundant source of fiber or roughage, for instance, it contains phytonutrients and is high in potassium and also chlorophyll. Grass are also a pretty good source of digestive enzymes.... so yes dogs eat grass as a benefit especially new growth broad grass... mainly for roughage/to keep their gut in order to help them digest food, sometimes to make themselves sick, you just have to make sure there are no herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers on the grass your dog nibbles on.

BYT have all the vitamins, minerals and trace elements a dog needs, the same ones that are added to kibble, kibble is processed so kibble fed dogs often like eating fresh grass for roughage, as I feed raw/bone ( along with limited additions of veg/fruit) I give BYT to my dogs to be sure they get all they need, as I am not purchasing ready made raw/bone with added vitamins. minerals, trace elements and as said particularly young pups, teenagers and older dogs tend to flush these out of their systems quicker.

I looked after a friends dog for two weeks ( she is a lawn digger), so my friend was concerned she would dig my lawn. I gave her the BYT daily as a treat and so as she didn't get left out ( soft or what!!!) Anyway she never touched my lawn, she returned home and within a week she was back to lawn digging... so it was a 'sort of' AhAh moment I suggested BYT, she got some and never had any further lawn digging, until the other week she said, "Maddie started on the lawn again and then I realised I out of BYT and had not been giving them to her, so got some the next day and back to no lawn digging"...I have suggested it to several frustrated owners of lawn diggers and in all cases it seems to have worked in the same way

My mini has always loved to graze right from being a tiny pup and still does now aged 14yrs old, I often 'ask her' if she thinks she is a lamb...and some dogs seems to graze more than others...noticed all the dogs are eating more grass at the moment which is likely down to wanting more fluid as it is hot ( even though they all have water with electrolytes in it , at home, in the car and when walking)

 

[JudyN]

Bear in mind that there are some possible side-effects of brewers yeast you should be aware of - on reading this thread I had a quick google as Jasper's taken to occasionally chewing on rotten wood, but it can interact with some medications, and might not be good for a sensitive stomach. I haven't looked into this in great detail and it might be very safe for the majority of dogs, but do your research first. (Inka, you might know more about this?)

Some dogs, I'm sure, just eat grass because they like the taste - it might not indicate any deficiency or digestive issue.

 

[Inka]

Any supplement can be dangerous to use in large amounts side affects can be bloating/gas but only from giving large quantities however you are giving 1-3 depending on size of dog...not the whole lot.

Brewer's yeast can interact with some types of anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications. It should not be given if your dog is immunocompromised, prone to yeast infections, or has yeast allergies. It is also inadvisable for dogs with colitis and other types of bowel disease.

 

[Inka]

Jasper's taken to occasionally chewing on rotten wood

Not sure ...... however rotten wood contains sodium (salt) there have been some detailed studies with regards to gorrillas and eating/licking rotten wood, it was found they have a sodium deficiency. I think the research study was from a biologist at Cornell University

Dogs need salt for their cells to function,( but too much salt is toxic) kibble manufacturers add sodium so they get about 0.5% daily again these can be flushed out of their system if for example they are drinking excess of water.... again as I feed raw/bone in their drinking water if I don't use electrolytes ( in the summer/hot weather) I mix in half a teasp powdered glucose and quarter teasp salt

 

[JudyN]

Thank you Inka

 

[Hemlock]

Anyone who wants to read in more depth: Cindy Engel has written some fascinating books on animals (and humans) self-medicating

 

[Inka]

Anyone who wants to read in more depth: Cindy Engel has written some fascinating books on animals (and humans) self-medicating

Called "Wild Heath: How Animals keep themselves well and what we can learn from them
ISBN-10 : 1800492782"

 

[Baranduin]

The simple answer is that dogs like digging. It may be there are moles beneath the lawn. This used to drive mine to distraction, digging everywhere. Another, a sight hound, just loved digging, removing newly planted things and generally being helpful. In the first instance the digging will not stop, but in the second she grew out of it by the time she was 4.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

Thank you @Inka - She has allergies and sometimes a sensitive tummy so might research first before deciding to put her on brewers yeast. Although I noticed that the training treats I use with her (Barker & Barker little liver treats) contain it anyway. She doesn't have them everyday so not a constant source for her but it's something?
Like @JudyN said some dogs just like the taste of grass and mine will eat anything and loves food so I'm sure she's probably just doing it because she's greedy and likes it! Haha