My 7 month old is literally digging up the backyard, I'm talking about some serious holes out there. She actually enjoys eating something underneath the top of the soil, I'm thinking it's the roots of the grass. Anyway, I'd like to know if there is anything I can do to discourage this behavior. I'm out there with her as much as possible and she's not out there by herself much at all. When summer gets here or late spring, we're thinking about having our yard regraded with new grass laid down but if she's going to continue to do this, I don't want to waste the money.
My husband and I caught her doing it the other day, she was actually digging in the mud, and when we tried to get her to stop, walking towards her, she'd eat and dig faster, as if it was the best food in the world and we were going to take it away from her.
Anyway, she is not allowed out in the yard without supervision anymore, and that's a shame, having a nice fenced in yard for her to enjoy and not being able to leave her alone for 5 minutes to run in the house or answer the phone.
I'd say it was boredom but she gets a good amount of exercise every day. I take her on two long walks every day, work with her on behavioral training, she goes out on adventures twice a week for 5 hours, I play tug and ball with her, etc, etc.. Why is she doing this? Do all GSD's do this?