Do you have a badly behaved budgie
or a misbehaving mutt? Animalbehaviourist Dr Kate Mornement shares
some handy hints to help get common
pet behaviour blunders under control.PETS | Behaviour and training
Photos: Zoo Studio, Madrabothair/BigStock.com, graphicphoto/BigStock.com74 http://www.petsmagazine.com.au
DIGGITY DOG!
Q:
Dear PETS, my dog Ryder digs and digs
and digs. Holes in the vegie garden.
Holes in the grass. Even under the fence!
Do you have any advice on how we can stop
this behaviour?
Clara, via emailA:
Hi Clara, as annoying as it is, digging is a
normal behaviour for dogs. They dig for
diff erent reasons including to bury food, to fi nd
food, to explore and to keep cool. Some dogs dig
more than others to the point where it is excessive.
Digging can also be done as a dog attempts to
escape from under a fence.
While you will not be able to stop Ryder from
digging completely, there are some things you can do
to help reduce it. Begin by giving him an appropriate
outlet for the digging, such as a small sandpit. In it,
you can hide treats and toys to encourage him to
dig there. Place chicken wire on the ground in areas
where you don’t want him to dig. This can be an
eff ective deterrent as dogs don’t like the feeling of
digging on the wire. Provide Ryder with additional
environmental enrichment including exercise and
interactive toys, and use high-value treats to reward
Ryder every time he digs in the sandpit. With time
and repetition, he should start to dig in the sandpit
more than in other areas of the garden.Many dogs enjoy digging.s
WRITE TO Dr KATE
Does your puppy pee in all the wrong places?
Does your kitty scratch the new couches? If you
have a question about your pet’s behaviour,
write to our resident animal behaviourist,
Dr Kate Mornement from Pets Behaving Badly
(petsbehavingbadly.com.au
question to ). Send your
Naughty or nice/PETS
Bag 154, North Ryde NSW 1670 , Locked
question to or email your
[email protected]
with the subject heading “Naughty or nice”.^
Stay tuned, as your question may be answered
by Dr Kate and published in the magazine.WWWWWWWWWWRITTE TO
DNAUGHTY
OR
nice
Animal behaviourist Dr Kate
Mornement with her canine
pals Joseph the Labrador and
Archie the Boxer.