Dogs and Digging
Answered by: Kerry Hackett
Question from: Alycia Lavergne
Posted on: September 29, 2006

Is there a specific herb I can plant or make a spray with to keep my dogs from digging in the garden?

A herbalist always asks what the reason is behind a particular action. So, that is my question to you. Are your dogs digging because they are searching for something particular? because they are eating the dirt or other things as they dig? Because they are bored? Because there is a behavioural issue at the core? Do they dig in the same spot or all over the garden? If in more than one place, do those spots have something in common? When did the digging begin? Could there be a mitigating factor? Pardon the pun, but leave no stone unturned in your search for the cause of their actions. It may be that they are lacking nutrients in their diet. If that is the case, please look at the work of Richard Pitcairn, "Natural Health for Dogs and Cats", "The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat" by Juliette de Bairacli Levy and "The Barf Diet" by Ian Billinghurst. There you will find diet information as well as recipes for your dogs. If there is a behavioural issue, changing to a good, homemade diet will have an effect as will the Bach flower essences, Chestnut Bud, White Chestnut and Walnut. Flower essences should be available at any good health food shop and are dosed as follows: put two drops of each essence on a 50 ml dropper bottle filled with spring water. Put one dropperful of the diluted essence in each of the dog’s food twice a day. Take care to keep the dropper clean as the mixture is not preserved.



Back to | Q & A Index

Copyright © 1997-2024 Otto Richter and Sons Limited. All rights reserved.