Stop a Rottweiler From Digging
The Tolda Way
When I started looking for my first Rottweiler 13 years ago, I started talking to Breeders. I learned they were descended from War Dogs and Herd Dogs used during the Roman Empire days. They have the strongest bite of any Canine. War Dogs you say? Hmmm. Maybe I should have learned a little more instead of saying, “Hell Yeah, I’ll take that one.” Nowhere on Google or did a Breeder ever mention, they are the Hole Digging Champeeens of the known Universe.
Rottweilers have paws the size of your hands equipped with Claws. I will pause while you look at your hand...... They can dig a 2 foot deep hole by 2 foot wide in about 1 minute. What stimulates a Rotteweiler to dig? Apparently, all you need is a yard. Rottweilers are serious afficionados of holes. Plant that $100 dollar Rose you just got from Lowes and they will immediately dig it up and keep doing so until you get the hole just right or you put up a fence around it. They are quite picky so I would suggest a fence. I have a fence around everything, my yard, my cable box, propane tank, AC unit, and a 12 foot ladder laid on the ground to protect my house foundation. Why the propane tank Terry? Because one of the bitches chews metal but I digress. That’s another tale.
From the hardest working man I ever knew, my father, I learned my work ethic and planning. My father would ponder the project, consider the solution, and invariably come up with the cheapest, most backbreaking, labor intensive way to do anything. In example, how do you dispose of deer guts? Walk a hundred yards into the back 40 and dump them? Put them in the trash? Hell no, you lug them two hundred yards into the back 40, then dig a grave sized hole and bury them. No Terry, 4 feet is not deep enough. It was just right when I couldn’t get out of the hole without help. I prayed he would not get anything every time he went hunting. I am just like him except in reverse, having wound up one to many times on the wrong end of a shovel, I start with the easy way and escalate from there.
This started with Baby G digging out from under our fence. I saw her on the camera. If you own a Rottweiler and a yard, you also need a camera plus a fence. If you are independently wealthy, a 6 foot chain link will do nicely. After dropping 10 maybe 15 grand on the fence, they can still dig under it. I used heavy gauge steel farm fencing with some nice, shiny aluminum posts in the front so the neighbors will think I have a little bit of class. It’s a fairly sturdy fence. The pups are quite impressive when someone walks by. They put their front paws on top of the gate, bark, growl, and slobber like maniacs. They are a fairly effective deterrent against Jehovah Witnesses and I haven’t seen a Girl Scout Cookie Pusher in years. I save a ton on Halloween Candy.
I got G back inside the fence, called her over to the hole and gave her a stern lecture. G is a smart dog and I thought she would grasp the concept. I started filling the hole. She moved over a few feet and started digging another hole. Before I could hit her with the shovel, she ran. Told you she was smart. No more problems that day.
Next day I check the camera. She is outside the fence again running back and forth by the new hole. Apparently she flunked engineering in Canine College. She had dug a one way hole, to shallow on the outside for her to crawl back. She had picked a natural drainage low area where it was hard to get the fence down. Off I went to get a 6 foot steel post with small fence grabbers near the bottom. Drove that baby two feet into the ground, snagging the fence, and put it in the center of the old hole. Hah now dig out.
Next day 2 feet to the left of my new post was a brand new hole. G is outside running back and forth. Yes I saw it on the camera. I called in reinforcements. Hopee, my wife and the brains of this operation, was consulted. She pondered awhile and said, “remember the three oaks we had cut down.” Do you mean the 3 oaks that took us 3 months to cut up and haul out of the yard to the back 40. Yes those oaks. How about we put some of those logs outside the fence and tack the fence to the logs. Put them on the outside so it will be easier to mow and weedwack. I am all about easy. Hell yeah, some 6 footers, 12 inch 300 pound logs will do it. Now would be a good time to buy that Tractor you always wanted if you don’t own one. We put the first two logs about six inches apart in the lowest area. No need to create our own Beaver Dam. For good measure we dragged 60 feet of logs for the rest of the fence. Plan ahead as Pop would say. Satisfied, I looked at G who had watched this whole operation and said “get out now bitch.” I swear she grinned at me.
Next day the grinning bitch was outside the fence again. We dragged 60 more feet of logs for the inside of the fence. Screw the mowing and weedwacking. She now would have to excavate a 6 foot long escape tunnel.
Next day both dogs were inside the fence. Hah, you thought she got out. You are dealing with a Certified Tolda here. I checked the fence anyway. There was a 4 foot hole started but not finished. Great Jumpin Horny Toads, The bitch had a long term plan. I was getting a little annoyed about then but I got the tractor, dragged two outside logs back and put a cinder block in the hole wedging it in with the logs. The cinder block holes were aligned with the flow of water. No beaver dams here. I was getting a little perturbed by being outsmarted by a grinning dog that flunked engineering. At this point Pop would have continued to haul enough logs to deplete a small National Forrest. By hand, he did not own a tractor. I pondered.
If you want to use the Tolda Method feel free. You will need a tractor, half a log truck worth of Oak, a camera, one fence post and a Cinder Block.
Or you can sell the New Tractor, keep the camera, get a Shock Collar and fry her grinning ass like a slab of bacon every time she gets within 50 feet of the fence while sitting in your recliner looking at your new camera. Poor thing won’t go near the fence now, even if you hang Ribeyes off it.
Terry The Fence Tolda.
PS. You think I made this up. Hah, I took a picture. Pop would be so proud of me.
Stay tuned for next post.
How to Dismantle a Beaver Dam
Beaver Dam