Digs to china?

[LilOzzie]

I have a problem with my 7mo old rott digging to china. only problem is he is digging on the concrete. i am worried about him hurting himself. i think it may be due to him chasing shadows but i am not sure. we have been working with him to get him to stop chasing shadows...and he is getting better. just wanted to know if any one out there is have or had a problem like this.

[scooterjohansen]

How long are his claws/ nails?

[sweetkate]

he might be bored. find him an activity.

[HerculesMomma]

My cousins dog is obsessed with chasing shadows. She will sit outside all day long if possible and chase the shadows of the birds flying over head.

They adopted this dog at about a year or a year and a half old. They believe she was left outside most of the time her first year of life and so to entertain herself, she chased the shadows outside. The only thing that seems to distract her doing this is swiming or playing in the water (she's a lab).

Personally, I would talk to the vet about it. I have read it can be kind of a obsessive/compulsive disorder and there may be medication to help with it.

Personally, in the case of my cousins dog, I believe she is a high energy/very intelligent dog and my cousins do little to burn off that energy for her by physically (walking/running the dog) or mentally (obedience training with the dog) stimulating the dog.

So if the digging is truly associated with chasing shadows, I don't think you'll stop the digging without treating the shadow chasing.

Are you leaving this dog outside all day long? How much exercise and/or mentally stimulating things are you doing with the dog?

[LilOzzie]

His nails are short now, due to the digging thats one of the reasons why i am worried. i dont want him to hurt himself via his paws and nails. as far as activity we take him to the dog park 3-4 times a week to run and play with other dogs. also we walk him everyday or at least try too. activity and exercise helped a lot with the shadows, but every now and then he will start up again. he is out doors when we are away for short periods, but mostly he is an indoor dog because we dont want anyone to steal him. when we notice he is chasing shadows we try to distract him with something else to play with. sadly we need more toys. chew toys are all chewed up and squeak toys no longer have that squeak.

...on a side note has anyone heard of dogs being allergic to carpet fresheners? after we sprinkled and vacuumed he started to itch emphatically. we need to steam the carpet, so i guess we'll do it sooner rather than later.