How to Stop Your Dog From Digging - All About Dogs

How to Stop Your Dog From Digging

How to Stop Your Dog From Digging

One of the biggest conundrums faced by dog owners is: how to stop your dog from digging? Why does my dog dig up my beautiful garden? Perhaps taking your dog’s point of view might help you understand! Stranger things have happened!

How to Stop Your Dog from Digging

Your dog, if he/she is like my dog, digging is certainly not an attempt to annoy you or ruin your garden out of spite. Dogs don’t think like humans- and this rationality is definitely that of a human. Dogs are fun loving animals, and they dig for fun. Younger dogs and puppies dig simply because they exploring and playing. Whether it’s soil, sand, mud, stone or grass, they are curious.

Sometimes Dogs Gig to get Cooler

If it’s a hot day, they will dig for cooler ground and sit in it. By the same token, they’ll dig if they’re too cold as well to build a ‘den.’ Then again, maybe they just have a lot of pent up energy and they are looking for a way to express and expend it.

How to Stop Your Dog From Digging – Remove Toxic Fertilizer

They will often roll in it because they like the smell. And, while we’re on the topic if you’re laying down slug pellets be sure to be careful – or not use them at all if you have a dog because they can be toxic and really make your dog sick or can kill them.

You can stop your dog from digging by giving him/her plenty of exercise, removing any buried bones in your yard and discontinuing the use of any smelly fertilizer products, and provide your dog with a place to feel cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

While digging is a normal activity for dogs, excessive digging is not. Sometimes you can’t stop a dog from digging, but you can work with them to control it. If your dog simply will not stop digging, you should focus on getting him/her to dig in the same spot or ‘digging pit’ at all times. In order to start this, dig out a small hole with a spade and bury a few toys and bones in the hole.

You will be surprised at how fast your dog takes to the area.

How to Stop Your Dog From Digging – Fill those holes

If you have several holes in your yard, you should fill them with big rocks. Wedge the rock in the hole and bury a pack of dirt around it. When your dog goes back to try and dig the area, they will become stuck and eventually bored of trying to dig up the same area. This is a great way on how to stop your dog from digging!

If they don’t give up, the owner should walk to them and guide them back to the assigned ‘digging pit’ and encourage them to dig there. If they keep on going back to the lawn to try and dig where the rocks are placed, just put them in a timeout (in the house). They will soon learn where and where they cannot dig.

How to Stop Your Dog from Digging – Fix Pooch Anxiety

When you leave your property, sometimes the dogs know it’s their chance to get away with something, so you have to figure out how to keep your dog from digging when you’re not there! First of all, the dog may just be digging to find you, which is why a lot of dogs will dig at the base of a fence or a gate when you leave the home. They want to find you, and your dog has high separation anxiety when you leave. Dogs are never so happy as when all of their people are home.

They want to make sure you’re okay, and they want to protect you.

This might sound a bit weird, but you simply need to become the ‘pack leader’ and they will be more likely to relax when you are not around. It’s imperative that your dog understands that he/she is not in charge, but the ‘pack leader’ (you) are definitely the head of the house.

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About the Author: Daisy Ridley