Tips on how to stop a dog from digging

Is your precious pooch a digger? Does he or she dig so many holes in the yard it looks like the place has been carpet bombed? If so, read on for a few ideas on how you can stop a dog from digging.

Stop a dog from digging

First we need to understand dogs dig holes for a wide variety of reasons. If you can nail down exactly why your dog is doing so much digging in the yard you’re ahead of the game on stopping the behavior. Maybe your dog is trying to dig his way to freedom for a few hours by plowing the hole under a fence. If so the way to combat this is get out there and take him for daily exercise in the park, walks around the neighborhood, or romps through the forest.

Or one thing you can also do is suggested by Cesar Millan on the CesarsWay.com website:

…make a specific place in your yard where your dogs are allowed to do their digging.  If that is still not acceptable to you, you need to find a way to drain the energy they release by digging.  Exercise is always the best way to drain any dog’s pent-up energy.

A dog will often dig a hole next to your home or other structure because this is a place he can be in the shade on hot days. He may also dig a number of holes for hiding places for his favorite toys or chew bones, especially if you have more than one dog. Female dogs that are pregnant will often dig a hole as a place to birth her litter of puppies. Sometimes your dog will concentrate on one hole and continue to dig deeper and deeper. This is normally an indication you have probable got a rodent or mice living in your yard. All of these reasons for digging can be appropriately addressed once you know the reason for the dog’s behavior. Then it is easy to stop a dog from digging holes.

For those dogs that dig because they smell an underground intruder such as mice, snakes, or other pests the best thing to do is have an exterminator spray the yard with a non-toxic chemical. Exercise your dog daily if they dig out of boredom or to get some exercise on their own. For pregnant female dogs who are digging a hole for their soon arrival of a litter of pups, for heaven’s sake get the dog inside your home or a quality dog box so she and the puppies are not living in the dirt! Dogs that dig because it is their instinct to do so, Beagles and other hounds, can be a bit more difficult to deal with. The best method I have seen used is purchasing a shock collar and when you see the dog digging give him a slight shock, along with the command “No”. Not a dialed up to maximum level shock, just a mild taste of what he can expect if this behavior continues.

Identify why, and then it is relatively easy to stop a dog from digging.

Does your doggy like to dig holes? Please share this article with other dog owners.