Digger Daisy
August 1st 2008 01:09
It has been almost two months since Daisy arrived and she has settled into a quiet, contented life with only the occasional disaster.
You wouldn't believe how deep a hole she can dig in the back lawn. It was a shock to see it, like a car crash without the tragedy. The yard looks like a war zone without the casualties.
I can barely see the bottom of the hole. I think I can hear conversations about the Beijing Olympics - in Mandarin. To excavate that deep, her face must have been in there too. And you should see how far she spread the dirt. Talk about soiling the environment. Pity she didn't strike oil or find diamonds.
I was only gone to the shops for 30 minutes. Is this a statement that she feels abandoned? Is she bored? Is she showing off to Scratchy? "Hey, you, Big Brindle, what's say we get down and dirty!"
Anybody have a book on teaching dogs not to dig? I don't. I need it to plug the hole in my library.
You wouldn't believe how deep a hole she can dig in the back lawn. It was a shock to see it, like a car crash without the tragedy. The yard looks like a war zone without the casualties.
I can barely see the bottom of the hole. I think I can hear conversations about the Beijing Olympics - in Mandarin. To excavate that deep, her face must have been in there too. And you should see how far she spread the dirt. Talk about soiling the environment. Pity she didn't strike oil or find diamonds.
I was only gone to the shops for 30 minutes. Is this a statement that she feels abandoned? Is she bored? Is she showing off to Scratchy? "Hey, you, Big Brindle, what's say we get down and dirty!"
Anybody have a book on teaching dogs not to dig? I don't. I need it to plug the hole in my library.
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Comment by Bron
Saw your post on the facebook People Who Love Greyhounds group.
One suggestion we often give at work (I'm a vet nurse) is to provide dogs who love digging with a "sand pit" or a little garden bed just for them to dig in. You make this special spot more exciting than the lawn by burying toys, treats etc. in it and, for the first few days, taking your dog over there, creating a sense of excitement and encouraging them to unearth the goodies beneath. The philosophy is that digging is a natural dog behaviour and it's just the location that's usually inappropriate and needs to be readjusted!
Another tip is not to react too dramatically when you come home and find a hole, just in case the digging turns into an attention-seeking behaviour (even yelling and dancing around in a rage can inadvertently 'reward' the dog's behaviour!). You act like the lawn holes are totally boring and uninteresting (and fix them when she's not around), then make a BIG fuss when she digs in her own spot.
Hope this helps,
Bron
Comment by Chris Champion
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This helps a very great deal! Why is it that the answers to problems are often such that one thinks oh, why didn't I think of that before!
I did think of another solution today when I went out shopping - I took the dogs with me. But I like your ideas much better.
Many thanks for taking the time to help.
Regards,
Chris
Comment by Bron
Comment by Chris Champion
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On behalf of the greyhound lovers of Australia, of the dedicated GAP program volunteers everywhere, of the dogs, and of the mums and the dads and the kids who love them, please let me say this ... don't forget the great sand pit advice
Thanks again Bron,
Chris
Comment by Carolyn Cordon
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Daisy would get on so well with one of my Pharaoh Hounds - Holkschter La De Da. Between the to of them, they'd easily get to the Beijing Olymics in tim efor the opening ceremony. Our backyard has gone form slightly drought-stricken to absolute bomb shell, thanks to La De.
I've recently self-published a book about gardening from a dog's point of view. It's not based on La De completely, but when I asked for help with a title for it, my husband, Graham, said 'Dig It!. So that's what it's called 'Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs'. There's dogs who prune, mulch, compost, rid the garden of pests and lots more.
It won't help you fix your dog's wayward ways, but you might get a giggle out of it. And the illustrations are cute.
check out the blurb. www.sallyodgers.com/digit.htm
I've know so many dogs, who love to garden, it's a shame not to get out there with them and dig around in the earth!
You've got to smile otherwise you'll cry your heart out!
Comment by Chris Champion
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Daisy gets on with anybody and anything, but a fellow digger would be special. I can just imagine them settling down over a nice bone and discussing techniques, depth records, nail restoration treatments etc
I looked up Pharaoh Hounds after reading your comment. That national dog of Malta, no less, and good-looking and intelligent to go with it. They sound like great animals to have around
Regards,
Chris
Comment by Carolyn Cordon
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They're not like schnauzers though - Schnauzers want to please you, pharaoh hounds want to please themselves.
Comment by Chris Champion
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With a name like "Pharaoh Hound", the fact they like to please themselves comes as no surprise
Is that a Pharaoh Hound in your signature graphic? It's a striking image. I can just see it on the wall of a Pharaoh's tomb.
Regards,
Chris
Comment by Carolyn Cordon
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One story is that the Phoenician traders, several thousand years ago, took Pharaoh Hounds from Egypt and left them/sold them around the islands of the Mediterranean. This is the interesting story.
The other, boring story is that a couple of hundred years ago, dog breeders created a breed that looks like dogs from Ancient Egypt. This is what scientists have said just recently. As I said, Boring!
Either way, the dog known in the Dog Showing world as the Pharaoh Hound, is called the Kelb tal Fenek (rabbit hunter) in Malta, where it is the National Dog breed and very important to farmers.
Like any sight hound, they have a strong prey drive, and a good sense of their importance!
Comment by Chris Champion
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I have to admit that, until my recent conversion to greyhounds (I was a devotee of German shepherdism before that), I didn't know what a sight hound was. Now I know that they include disparate breeds such as whippets and borzois and are often ancient breeds and, invariably, attract intelligent owners ...
Comment by Carolyn Cordon
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I think the reason I'm not one of the top people in my breeds is because I can see the funny side in the whole showing scene. It's fun though - you sit around all day with your friends, eating and drinking, trot around the ring for a few minutes with your dog and then go home again. Sometimes you get to take ribbons and trophies home too!
But if you've got schnauzers you have to fiddle around with their hair and scissors, combs and brushes, so it's harder work. I'm a bit of a klutz with scissors, so my schnauzers are never as 'just so' as the big winner's schnauzers. And I just don't care as much. I'd rather stay home and write a poem than go to a dog show.
I'm off to the Adelaide Royal in a few weeks though, with two pharaoh hounds - that's always really boring interspersed with some fascinating bits of people watching and conversation. We're stuck there from 8.30am to 5.00pm, and then everyone can go home again. All for the chance of saying you got best of breed at the Royal!
Ya gotta laugh!
Comment by Chris Champion
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Please give my love to the Royal Adelaide Show, Carolyn. I attended every one of them I reckon in the 1960s and 1970s. I guess show bags cost more then threepence these days.