How to Stop a Dog from Digging

Having a dog that digs up your precious garden or one that digs a hole to escape can be a big problem if not dealt with. In order to find out how to stop a dog from digging, you must first figure out why your dog is digging, and then will you be able to find a solution to the problem.

Some dogs were born with a natural instinct to dig such as terriers while for others, digging just becomes something that they decide to do for many various reasons and in this article we will be discussing the causes and solutions so that you will understand how to stop a dog from digging.

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When dogs get bored, they dig: 

When dogs are left unattended outside for a long period of time they become bored and lonely, therefore dogs like to dig to entertain themselves and also because it physically feels good to them and they enjoy it.

Solution:   Spend lots of time with your dog, take your dog for walks or runs, play sports and games with them such as catching a ball or Frisbee, or give them some challenging things to do to keep themselves occupied like leaving outside various toys and treats such as food cubes or Kong’s which you can fill with treats and your dog must roll the toys around and manipulate the toys to get out the treats. This keeps your dog physically and mentally stimulated and with lots of exercise your dog will be too tired to even bother digging. You can also set out some time each day to teach your dog new tricks and practice them each day.

It’s too hot: 

Dogs usually dig holes because the soil is more moist and cool and this is a place they can lay in.

Solution:  Make sure your dog has a nice cool and shady area to rest in and leave plenty of fresh cool water out for your dog to drink when it gets thirsty. If you’re regularly at home during the day then let your dog stay indoors more often, this will obviously stop your dog from digging up the backyard.

Trying to escape: 

When dogs get a wisp of what is outside beyond the boundaries of your home they want more and more and that’s another reason why dogs will dig under your fence to escape. Some dogs escape to find a mate or simply because they are curious and want to explore what’s out there.

Solution:  When it comes to your dog digging holes to escape this is a major problem where you will need to learn how to stop a dog from digging fast or else you could risk losing your furry pal. You could dig a small depth path around the boundaries of your fence and fill it with cement so the dog won’t be able to dig under the fence or just use things like large rocks or bricks as an alternative.

Hiding food: 

Dogs like to usually store away their foods to eat another time like we store away ours in a fridge except they use the ground.

Solution:  Most of the time it is bones that they hide. How to stop a dog from digging to hide away food? The solution is simple, stop giving your dog bones and replace it with toys that they can chew on and feed your dog indoors.

Attention seeking: 

If you do your gardening and the dog sees you digging up your garden it will think that digging is a good thing to do so they normally dig in your presence to try and get your attention.

Solution:  Like the first point, if you want to know how to stop a dog from digging you should spend more time with your dog and play with it and when you are doing your gardening don’t let your dog see you do it.

Still not sure why your dog is digging?  

Maybe none of the above reasons seem to apply to your situation and you are still figuring out how to stop a dog from digging. Here are a few other solutions to your dog digging problems: 

• Some people like to hide a small balloon in the hole that their dog usually digs in and cover it with dirt. When the dog digs there again the pop of the balloon will give them an unpleasant shock and this will discourage them from digging.   

• Leaving a hose or sprinkler next to the hole your dog digs in and turning it on when you catch your dog digging can startle the dog and will discourage them from digging as well.   

• Many people say that this tip works like a charm when they want to know how to stop a dog from digging – Put some of your dogs poop in the hole and cover it with dirt. Most dogs don’t like the smell of their own waste and won’t dig there while there are dogs that just eat their own poop and you shouldn’t continue this if your dog eats its poop.   

• In my personal opinion the best way of knowing how to stop a dog from digging is to have a sand box or fenced off area where your dog is allowed to dig in. Dogs like to dig, it is fun to them. You can fill a sand box with soft soil or sand and bury in there treats for them. Your dog will soon learn that if it feels the urge to dig it should go here to dig because there are rewards. You should also accompany those rewards with praises to show your dog it has pleased you by digging in the right spot.     

Like any other training, learning how to stop a dog from digging requires consistency and as you keep sticking to the plan your dog will soon learn to stop digging in unwanted areas to you.

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