Quick And Dirty Tips

I've posted before about "The Dog Trainers Quick And Dirty Tips" podcast on iTunes. Today's podcast was especially interesting - I learned a lot from it regarding digging dogs.

Listen/Read the episode here

I love Earth Dog - I think it's a fantastic way to help your small terrier type dog do what it was bred to do in a humane, safe, and fun way. I have suggested this to several clients - and luckily, in the Boston Area, there is Go Play in Arlington, which often has Earth Dog classes.

But for your big dogs trying to escape heat, or the brachycephalic dogs (any dog with a pushed in face, such as Pug, Boston Terrier, French Bulldog, etc) digging is a way to stay cool. Keep your dog indoors during the heat of the day, provide lots of shade, water, and ice cubes to help keep your pup cool.

There were a lot of other interesting points, ranging from roaming males, pseudo pregnancy cases where digging was a nesting behavior, gate chargers looking for a way to get on the other side of the fence - and how to cope with these digging behaviors.

Like all behaviors, it's easiest to make a plan based on the WHY a dog is reacting in a certain way before just doing a blanket treatment without addressing the cause of the behavior.

So give the podcast a listen to - I really like the things she addresses. You may even find that your questions are answered in her short podcasts!