juliepoudrier Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 ^^^ Love it! I think I'd prefer a trench to craters... My dogs give me both; they're so generous. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Mine do some digging as well, but fortunately no tiger pits! They all, LOVE, when I'm digging up sod for new flower beds. They tear apart the sod bits. And they all love, clay...especially in the spring. Not sure why, but I know exactly when they have been eating it - nothing like rock hard gray poop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oko Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Hm, I feel like I've been short-changed. My dog doesn't dig unless you start kicking dirt up and saying 'diggy-diggy' excitedly, and even then it's lackluster at best. I mean, no, I've never done that or anything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Hm, I feel like I've been short-changed. My dog doesn't dig unless . . . . Mine don't either, generally, but I am thinking now of getting a couple of kiddie pools next summer to fill with sand so I can hide stuff for them to dig up. I think they would love it and it's something I could set up in the shade in the heat of summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 I wonder at the difference in using sand vs. soil. Maybe it's the horseperson in me and the fear of sand colic that comes with animals on sand, but I'd worry about the dog ingesting a bunch of sand. I realize that soil can be sandy too, but I think I'd ask my vet before encouraging digging in and biting at and potentially swallowing a bunch of sand. Sand doesn't pile up out of the way like soil does, so if the dog is digging for something, I can see where the dog could ingest, unintentionally, quite a bit of sand. It may be that my fear is completely unfounded, but in case I'm not alone in it, I'm putting it out there. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Horses sand colic because of the way their intestines are designed. Dogs don't. They can get an impaction but that would actually be more likely with clay, wads of hair, a LOT of bone, or other items that would stay in a clump even with the actions of the intestines. Sand may irritate the intestinal wall though and especially the anus, not my idea of a fun time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 I wasn't implying that dogs would colic--I actually do understand the difference in anatomy. My point was that the sand might be more likely to be ingested, and that possibility would be something that an owner might want to discuss with their vet before filling a sandbox and encouraging the dog to dig for toys. While dogs will eat dirt, they often just push it out of the way when they're digging. Sand doesn't necessarily stay out of the way, and in my mind that means there's a real likelihood of the dog ingesting an excess amount of sand. Maybe it's not a big deal, but I would ask someone who should know before just tossing my dogs' toys in the sandbox and having them dig. Most digging set ups I've seen described mention soil, not sand. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 I would be concerned about dogs digging in/biting at sand too. I've seen what constant fetching of sandy tennis balls can do to a dog's teeth - even if they don't chew on them. Plus it seems that swallowed sand would be a much greater irritant than dirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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