How to Stop Your Dog From Digging

Dogs and digging go hand in hand. Where you have one, you will likely have the other. Digging is a natural instinct for dogs and there are a number of reasons why they may perform the activity. Fortunately, it is possible to stop your dogs from digging or at the very least, train them to dig in a specific area.

Identifying the Cause

The first step in stopping your dog from digging is to try and determine why the dog is digging in the first place. In some cases, the dog may simply like to dig. But more often than not, there is a reason behind the digging. If you can determine what this reason is, you will have a better chance at being successful in stopping the behavior.

Don't Know What to Do with Your Dog's Digging Problem? Learn From The Dog Training Expert.

There are three main reasons why a dog digs. These reasons include:

• Boredom
• Hiding Food
• To create a “den” for a cooler area to lie

Fortunately, there are easy ways to combat all of these issues. Over excitable dogs that have an incessant amount of energy may be digging out of sheer boredom. If your dog is digging because it is bored, the best way to combat this is to provide other activities for your dog. Take the dog for more frequent walks and provide toys for them to play with, and chances are a great deal of the digging behavior will cease.

If your dog digs to hide food, the best way to stop this is to not provide materials for it to bury. Feed your dog in a secured area where he is unable to carry the food to the yard for burial. Avoid giving the dog bones and other treats that it will want to take and bury. Instead, give the dog their treats indoors or remain outside with them until they eat the treat.

If your dog is digging a den to lie in to cool off, you will need to provide your pet with more comfortable conditions. If you live in a relatively hot area, your dog may dig a large hole to lie in since the ground offers a cooler resting spot. To stop the digging, try bringing your dog in during the hottest part of the day, provide them with a small pool filled with cool water, or purchase a cooling pad for them to lie on, and they should stop digging.

Other Alternatives to Prevent Digging

If none of these issues applies to your dog, or you are simply having a difficult time getting them to stop digging, the best option is to provide one area in your yard where your dog is allowed to dig. This can be a small area that you cordon off, or you can even build a sandbox area that the dog can dig and play in.

Bury toys and treats in the area, and allow the dog to see you do so. Take the dog to the area and “help” them start digging. When they start digging to uncover the treat, praise them for digging in the correct spot. If you see them digging in the wrong area of the yard, go to the designated spot and call them to you, to show them that is where you want them to dig. It may take a bit of time and you will have to be patient, but eventually your dog will learn where the “correct” spot is for digging and you will no longer have problems with them digging in the rest of the yard.

Don't Know What to Do with Your Dog's Digging Problem? Learn From The Dog Training Expert.