Most dog owners have experienced the digging dog behavior at one time or another. For some dog owners their landscaping and lawn look like craters on the moon. And just where does all that dirt go? There never seems to be enough dirt to fill in the hole. 

The first question to ask is why is your dog digging? There may be several reasons for this behavior. The dog may be trying to evacuate the yard of small varmints such as moles or mice. He may smell something below the surface of the soil. He may be trying to bury a toy, bone or a biscuit. He may be trying to dig a very large hole in order to lay down in it to satisfy a den instinct. He may be bored and has nothing else to do with himself. He may not be getting enough exercise and he is frustrated. As you can see, there are many reasons why a dog will dig holes.

Frankly, I have observed many dogs with this behavior and most of them are bored or they really need more exercise. These two reasons for digging can easily be addressed by spending more structured time with your dog before he has the opportunity to do his digging thing. What I mean by “structured” is to engage the dog in meaningful play or better yet, obedience training exercises.

Lost dogs have one or two games they prefer to play. When you see your dog start digging, call him away from the digging and begin to play with him. Fetch or some other game should re-direct the dog’s attention away from the digging and focus your dog on something more productive. This requires supervision. Obviously and unsupervised dog is another story but we will get to that discussion later.

Another technique which can be used to engage your dog is to clip a leash on the dog and begin to work your dog through some obedience exercises. This is actually more structured than the play and it requires more effort on your part, but it is very effective. Each time your dog begins to dig, if you snap the leash on and work your dog for 10 to 15 minutes, you will be amazed at how it will curb the digging habit. Dogs do not like to work; like children, they would prefer to be playing. If you make your dog work every time it starts to dig, he will begin to avoid the digging so he can avoid the work of structured obedience. It is helpful to spend some time playing with your dog at the end of an obedience session. The play time will serve as a reward for a productive obedience session.

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Contact Information

Tom Beitz is the owner of the Academy for Puppies and Dogs and is an authorized dealer for Pet STOP Hidden Dog Fences. Tom can be reached at (716) 628-0651 to answer your questions or he can be found on the web at www.smartdogtrainer.com . E-Mail: Tom@Smartdogtrainer.com

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