“How do I stop dog digging?” This is a frequent problem I see many dog owners face at some point, it can be really annoying to come home to find your garden looking like a minefield due of your dog’s activities, the only way you can truly stop your dog digging is to observe him in the act in order to understand the reason why he does this.
One of the most popular reasons I’ve viewed is that the dog is over-stimulated, he’s built up so much energy during the day that he is means that are natural to him to consume it, an obvious method to rectify this might be to take him on extra frequent or longer walks, or even take him down to the park and play fetch with him, any task you can think of that can keep him up and moving will be advantageous to both your dog and your plants!
Your dog may merely be bored and looking for ways to fill his time via the destruction of your garden, this is most popular if your dog spends a considerable amount of time alone, you must try to remember that digging is an pleasurable activity for your dog and if nobody is actively playing with him and he has absolutely nothing better to do, he will seek his own amusement. A obvious sign of boredom digging is typically comes with barking. If this is the explanation, a advised way to stop your dog digging is to pay him more attention, play with him, take him on walks or supply him with several toys for when you aren’t there, these small actions could help make a big difference in your dog’s behaviour.
If the digging is a seasonal activity, usually taking place in the summer months, then your dog maybe digging this holes for a cooling pit for himself as he’s too hot, if this is the case then you will need to supply a cool shaded area for him in your garden, if you lack trees or other large objects that provide shade after that think about purchasing a small child size paddling pool to relieve your dog, this could be the best means to stop your dog digging.
One cause that is often ignored by dog owners is that their dog may be digging in order to hide bones, this process is innate in them and may feel as if they have to, this can be difficult routine for the dog to break free from as it is a normal process for them. It is essential that you correct his behaviour whilst he is still in the act rather than later as he won’t realize why he is being shouted at, use assertive terminology which he can become used to for example ‘bad dog’ or even equip yourself with a water pistol and squirt him in the face as the digging is occurring, it might take some time, but this is definitely a powerful method to stop your dog digging.
If you have tried all of the activities outlined above and none of them have been effective, then it may be that your dog has too much of a strong link with digging for you to correct, buying a sandbox as a chosen area for your dog to dig may be most helpful to you, for extra usefulness, bury ‘treasures’ and ‘treats’ for your dog to uncover in the sandbox and reward him for discovering them, if you notice that your dog still strays back to digging in areas he should not you could use techniques such as burying water bombs or even the dogs own excrement to give him not very nice past experiences of digging there.
by Ruchi Vasishta