How to stop him from eating a tree?

[Sigurd's Mom]

We have this one tree in our yard that has a large hole in it which I believe houses squirrels. Sigurd has been attacking this tree for about a year on and off, and recently it has gotten worse.

He gets in this daze, I can call him, throw balls, get treats galore and it's like I'm not even there. I went out this morning to call him off, had to walk up to him and he STILL didn't hear/pay attention to me while talking beside him. I touched him on the neck and I startled him (he jumped with surprise). He's ruining the tree and he is shaving his teeth down doing this.

Treats aren't working, bitter apple spray isn't working, balls/rewards aren't working... what to do? He is SO intense.

[jocoyn]

Fencing aroud the tree?

[Sigurd's Mom]

Originally Posted by jocoyn

Fencing aroud the tree?

I'll try that... what kind of fencing? I don't really know much about fencing, lol. I'm guessing I would get a taller type fence and fence away from the tree, not touching it...

[jocoyn]

Definitely not touching but away from the base. Height depends on motivation. Cheapest would be 2 inch x 4 inch welded fence at least 4 feet, maybe 5 feet high with metal drive in posts...you can get at any home supplies store like lowes, home depot

[ksotto333]

Fencing was also my idea..if the tree is healthy and doesn't need to come down..

[PaddyD]

You could wrap some chicken wire loosely around the tree a few times. Since it is loose it won't hurt the tree. You can staple it to the tree in a few places. If it can survive squirrels living in it then it can survive a few staples. Check on it every few months. When Sigurd has lost interest you can remove it.

[GSDAlphaMom]

Lowe's has what I call landscaping fence (not sure what it's really called) that I use around my landscaping. It's easy to use and blends right in with the landscape.

It is green wire, 3' high comes in 10' sections. It is NOT the chicken wire looking stuff. A 10' secion is actually 5 fence sections hook together. They each have an arch on them. I looked online to see if they had any pictures of it but didn't find any.

If you talk to Lowes' they should know what you are talking about. It also comes in 12" height (may help clue the Lowe's person into what it is). You just push it in the ground. I think it's around $12.

[PaddyD]

Originally Posted by GSDAlphaMom

Lowe's has what I call landscaping fence (not sure what it's really called) that I use around my landscaping. It's easy to use and blends right in with the landscape.

It is green wire, 3' high comes in 10' sections. It is NOT the chicken wire looking stuff. A 10' secion is actually 5 fence sections hook together. They each have an arch on them. I looked online to see if they had any pictures of it but didn't find any.

If you talk to Lowes' they should know what you are talking about. It also comes in 12" height (may help clue the Lowe's person into what it is). You just push it in the ground. I think it's around $12.

That's a good idea and I was going to recommend it but I was concerned about the wide spaces between the wires that would allow a dog to get his mouth into.

[GSDAlphaMom]

If it's cirlced out around the tree a couple of feet he won't be able to reach it. It works great at keeping my dogs out of my landscaping, it blends in, is easy to use, and cheap. Only drawback is if you have a puppy....they fit right between the wire!

[Sigurd's Mom]

Thank you so much for the suggestions, I really appreciate it!!! This forum is always so helpful! I'll check out Lowe's soon and look at the landscaping fencing and the chicken wire. The wire might work well, as I think I will have to get something higher than normal as he sometimes jumps up in the air and tries to chomp on the tree.. it sure is something to see. I took a picture of his damage... I hope the tree is able to recover and stay alive and healthy once I put up the fencing.