Stop Dog Digging | Dog Behaviour

How to Train Your Dog Not Dig Up Your Yard

6 Ways to help train your dog not to dig

Let’s face it – Dog’s love to dig, period. To a dog, digging ditches and holes is “a very natural, highly enjoyable behavior,” says Debra L. Forthman, Ph.D., a certified applied animal behaviorist at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia. Check out the tips below that we have compiled from several licensed veterinarians.

1. Give your dog more exercise. The more active your dog is the less likely that he will muster up the energy or the desire to spend hours digging in your yard. And try to choose the physical activities that your dog likes.

2. During the winter time, you may notice that your dog does more digging than the rest of the year. A dog’s natural instinct is look for earth’s warmer places and during the winter time a dog can sense that by digging he will get to a warmer area, and he is right. So the next time you notice that the digging is increasing more when it is cold outside be understanding and don’t scold him too much.

3. Refrain from doing any type of gardening work when your dog is around. When a dog sees you digging in the yard he will think that it is ok and will continue to dig those unwanted holes.

4. If you do not mind having your dog neutered or spayed then you may want to consider having the procedure done as it will reduce their drive to mate. Without the drive to mate, you will have far less holes in your yard.

5. It is not good just to scold your dog because you caught him digging in the yard. Immediately replace his digging activity with another. The activity could be something as simple as playing fetch or chewing on his favorite toy.

6. Dog experts all agree that some dogs absolutely love digging so much that they will never quit. For those situations, it would be advisable to give the dog his own area to dig. The area does not have to be big; around 3-4 feet by 6 feet should do the trick.