Hi, my 10 month old GSD pup has started digging in one area of the garden during the last week. She has never dug before, so it seems strange she has started now. She stays in the house with us, she is not an outside dog and because its been quite wet and cold, the only time she is in the garden currently is when she needs a toilet. I keep the door open for her to come back in when she has finished her business. But also what is strange is that she is asking to go out more frequently.

I have had a scan through the internet and it lists

1) Boredom (I know she isnt bored as she is walked a minimum of twice a day. My husband and I give her lots of fuss and attention and play with her throughout the day as well. She has lots of toys scattered throughout the house and both her and my CKC cross play together with the toys at frequent intervals through the day. If she is left, she doesnt chew (although she did chew when she was going through her teething stage, but has grown out of that now)We find when we come home, she is usually relaxing on the sofa. (We let her sit with us on the furniture, although I know some say its a no no, but we have always let our GSDs couch up with us and they have always been sweet natured, very loving dogs with perfect temperaments and no dominance problems)

2)Wanting to escape. I also know this wouldnt apply as we live in a cul de sac on a private road with no through traffic and if my husband is outside washing the car both dogs will happily play outside or just sit there watching him at work. lol. Or if I have to put something in the outside bin, they will follow me outside and then back in again. There has never been any problems or concerns with her running off. Even if she sees a neighbours cat, if she starts to run after it you can call her name and she will stop and come back.

3)Making a nest She was quite young as a large breed having her season. It was when she was nearly eight months. Her season started 10th November. My CKC cross wasnt interested in her at all through her season and the odd sniff was the most interest he gave her. I was home the entire time she had her season however during the times I couldnt supervise them such as through the night, they were separated or put into separate crates. My vet thinks she may have had quite a silent season and this is why my CKC cross didnt show any interest in her. Its also been nearly 11 weeks since she had her season (from the first blood) and I have had her checked over several times by a vet, as a few weeks after her season her mammary glands seemed to be swollen. They still are, to what they were before she had her season. It is a soft swelling. I was worried initially she could be having a phantom pregnancy, however my vet said that it was just her normal development and nothing to worry about and that she wasnt having a phantom. I have taken her to the vets three times since her season because her mammaries are different to before she had her season. (This is my first female, so these things are quite new to me and I wanted to be sure she was ok, I do mother her a little as she has a heart condition juvenille arrythmia,(she has to take Beta Blockers for it) But the vet has assured me its just part of her normal development, so I dont think making a nest applies as she is not collecting toys or anything like that.

4)Digging for bones I know there are no bones buried there.

My neighbour opposite has a rabbit and about 2 months ago it managed to get into our garden. As  my husband let the dogs out in the garden he could see them making a beeline towards something. Fortunately they were more curious than anything else. My husband took the rabbit back around to my neighbours and let them know it had got loose into our garden. It is a mystery how it got in as our garden is fully enclosed by a six foot fence and then heightened again with arched 3 ft decorative panels. The only thing I can think of is that their rabbit may have buried underneath the fence but there are no obvious holes.

Do you think she keepswanting to go out lately into the garden as she can smell the rabbit. But why moreso now and not 2 months ago?

I dont think she has a water infection as she is not drinking more or trying to urinate more. When she is going out, she seems to be sniffing the air and investigating around the garden

Can anyone think as to why she would suddenly start digging when its not something she has done previously?

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to make sure I had put everything down that I could. Ha ha. I think I got a little carried away. But any replies would be really appreciated. Thanks xxx

TBH, when I first started reading that your bitch had her season already, and that is was about 2 months since her season, I thought phantom.   

Also, could it be possible that other animals are getting into your garden, like the rabbit did?  She could just be following a scent to another animal.

But since you took her to the vets, and the vet gave her a clear bill of health (other than the heart condition) then I wouldnt be too worried.  I would just correct the pup every time she digs.  Soon, it should make the pup realize that its unwanted behaviour, and that should correct the problem.

Oh, about phantoms quickly, sometimes the dogs get such a phantom, that you actually think they are pregnant.  Others, just go through the hormonal changes, and have no real outward signs of pregnancy other than swollen nipples a bit.  Could still be a phantom, and if it is, just wait until her "due date" and the digging should stop as well.  (My MP are famous for having phantom pregnancies.)

Hope it all sorts out!

Crespin

I would also suspect a phantom .
change her routine, move her bed , dont let her dig or collect toys etc and most of all give her plenty of exercise .... you could also give her evening primrose oil.

but I would recommend taking her back to the vet if you are concerned about her behaviour change.

Could she just be digging because it's fun? My dogs love to dig holes in the garden and they've both gone through phases. My bitch just turned 1 and had stopped digging holes in the lawn but out of the blue two days ago I went out to find a crater. They just love to dig. Maybe your girl has just discovered the joy of getting her feet muddy? I find burying a nice hard piece of their own poo in the hole stops the activity right away. We usually have an area they're allowed to dig in but it's been more swamp then dirt so has been shut down for the winter. :)

You omitted one excellent reason for digging.....Its fun! Dogs love it :-D
I bet she just likes doing it.

Hi Crespin,

Thanks ever so much for your reply. As she is my first female GSD (I have previously owned males) I have not really had any experience with "phantoms". Initially when she had the swelling it did spring to mind that this is what could be happening, but my vet didnt think it was a phantom. She hasnt any milk. The swelling that she has is moreso surrounding the back two nipples. As you look towards the front of her body there is not really any visible swelling.

What concerned me as well is every so often she will go sniffing and investigating in different rooms and a few times she has lay down in a spot which is unusual for her, such as the kitchen. I dont know whether she may have been warm as it is a bit cooler there but our CKC who always lays in front of my chair didnt seem warm and the heating was on low, so I dont know. I have mentioned all the above to the vet I seen and she said sometimes the change in hormones can make a female act a bit differently. She has seen a vet in the last two weeks. I must admit I do observe her like a hawk and I do mother her a bit because I worry about her heart condition. (Every so often her heart beats prematurely)They know what I am like at the vets as any little thing and I do take her to be checked for peace of mind.

She has been a little fussy with her food lately. Sometimes she will eat it all and even bark for it when I am preparing it. Then other times she will look at it and skulk off as if the food is offensive. Her party trick today when I put her food down was that she turned her nose up and looked like she was sulking. When my CKC cleared his dish (he eats his food like there is no tomorrow and will eat anything and everything) my female nosed into his dish and started licking his dish, althiough there was no food left in there. I then scooped all her food into the empty dish she was licking and she then ate all her food up!!!! Even though 30 seconds previously she had turned her nose up at it. Do you think this could be one of the signs of a phantom pregnancy being fussy one minute and then eating the next?

She does have the odd treats through the day, but I have restricted these whilst she is going through her fussy stage as I dont want her to just fill herself up on these. She is lively and perky though and instigates play with us and my CKC.

If the start of her season was 10th November (first day of bleeding), what would normally be the "due date". Its been nearly 11 weeks since the start of her season.

We do sometimes have squirrels in the area. And a few neighbours do have cats who sometimes venture into the garden if they think the coast is clear. ha ha!! So perhaps she could be drawn to that scent.

I really appreciate your advice. Thanks again

Hi Lori,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, she possibly could be being a bit mischievious, but its unusual for her to suddenly start this, so it did throw me a bit. Its interesting about the burying of the poo in the dirt. The funny thing is that she knows she mustnt dig as if we tell her ba ba ba- we are watching you, she doesnt dig. She is so funny though- she is great

Hi Pinklilies,

Thanks for your reply. Yes I can imagine it would be fine. I can think of when I was a child going to the beach and digging in the sand. That was fun too. So could be the same thing from a pups perspective

As I started reading, my first instinct was phantom too.  Sounds about the right time, and they don't always produce milk, some only have swollen mammaries.  I appreciate what your vet has said, but still can't help wondering if your first thought was right.  One thing is for sure - if it's a phantom, it will clear up all by itself!  Good luck with her.  (Yes I know they say it's wrong, but all mine are allowed on the furniture too.)

Thanks Keronella, yes possibly could be a phantom as yours and previous posts suggest.

I love the quote at the bottom of your page. I always seem to be rushing and going nowhere. It made me chuckle reading that as I could identify. Ha ha.

Thanks for the good wishes. xxx

I really think it could be a phantom, although really hard to diagnose over the internet lol

The first phantom my one bitch had, she looked as if she was full blown pregnant, so much so, the vet couldnt tell whether she was pregnant or not, and suggested a scan in a week or so from that time.  She also produced milk that time.  Thankfully not pregnant!!!!!!!!!!

The second phantom, she acted pregnant, but no outward signs like swelling of the tummy, and such.  She did a lot of nesting and digging.

It seems like every heat this bitch has, she goes through a phantom.  Something common in the breed i have.  Although, the last heat, I am almost 100% sure she was pregnant, just lost the litter from a dog attacking her when she was 3 weeks.

As far as "due date" it would be any day now.  The normal gestation for a dog, is around 62 days from breeding.  Breeding happens usually between day 11-14 of their heat (when they have a pinkish discharge instead of full bleeding - although sometimes not the case in all dogs, some dogs bleed the whole time).  I would wait it out for a bit. 

If you are thinking there is ANY way she could be pregnant, then get her scanned.  For the money it costs, to be 100% sure either way, then its something I would do.  If there are pups, and she doesnt deliver them, and nothing is done because you believe it is a phantom, it could seriously harm your dog, or even kill her.  Better safe than sorry in my book. 

Let us know how she gets on.

Crespin

Thanks again for your message. I took her back to the vets again this evening as I am not happythat her mammary glands are still swollen and when the vet checked her there was a barely noticeable tiny bit of milk. |The vet has confirmed that she is now having a phantom. He said that he cant feel any thing in her tummy. I asked about a scan being done, but he said that he didnt think that was necessary. He said she didnt need tablets as it was only a slight phantom that she is having and she is not distressed etc  Just thought I would update. I hope that this will finish soon love her. This will be the 12th week come Saturday from when she had the first drop of blood. Thanks once again for the advice. xxx

A phantom can be annoying, as they tend to act exactly like a bitch in whelp.  But, you just gotta realize, that at least you wont have little puppies running around after this.

Thank goodness your vet was able to figure out what was going on. 

Soon it will be done and over with.  From my experience, now I dont know about your larger dogs, but it seems that if they have had a phantom once, it will be like that most heats. 

Have lots of blankets, just so she doesnt start digging at funiture or flooring.  If there are blankets, she will most likely "nest" in those.

Oh, and dont be surprised if your bitch starts carrying around stuffed toys or whatever.  Had that happen with an old GSD of my moms.  Apparently carried around this caterpiller stuffed toy, only after her phantom.  The rest of the time, wouldnt go near this toy.