It seems like every time you turn your head, your dog digs another hole in the yard.  How can you stop dog digging before your lawn looks like an artillery practice field?  In order to get your pup to stop digging holes, you need to understand why he digs in the first place.

Why Dogs Dig

Here are common reasons for this dog behavior problem:

Certain breeds, including terriers, labs, and hounds are more prone to digging. He’s bored or lonely. He needs a cool place when it’s hot, or he’s trying to find shelter when it’s cold. Terriers especially like to hunt moles and other creatures that live in the ground. He’s attracted to the smell of the fertilizer you just used, especially if it’s manure. He can’t resist digging around in the soil you just turned over in your garden. If he’s digging under the fence, he may be trying to escape. Canines instinctively bury food.  In the wild, they come back to eat it later on.

How To Stop Dog Digging

Once you’ve narrowed down the reason for your dog digging problem, it’s easier to take steps to solve it.

1. Choose your breed carefully before adopting a new pet.  Although all dogs will dig, you can avoid many problems by choosing a breed that’s less inclined to dig.

2. If your canine spends a lot of time by himself, he’ll more than likely figure out how to occupy himself, usually in ways you find annoying.  It’s up to you to provide something for him to do while you’re gone to prevent a dog behavior problem like digging.  You may want to consider hiring a dog sitter to spend time with him, or take him to a doggie day care where he’ll have other dogs to play with during the day.

3. Provide adequate shelter for him.  During the cold months, he needs a dog house or some kind of shelter from the wind.  In the summer he needs a shady cool area so he can get away from the hot sun.  You may even want to provide him with a wading pool so he can play in the water and keep cool.

4. When you’re working in the garden, put out a sprinkler.  When your canine friend starts digging in the loose dirt, turn on the sprinkler.  You may even want to put it on a timer so that it comes on when he’s not expecting it.  This is very effective, because he thinks that the garden is doing it to him, not you, so he’ll be less likely to dig when you’re not there.

5. Mix some chili powder with water.  Use this mixture to water plants and other areas you want to dog to avoid.  Canines don’t like the smell of chili powder, so they tend to avoid the area.  If this doesn’t work, try using ground red pepper instead.

6. If your pup is trying to dig under the fence, bury chicken wire a couple of inches under the ground.

7. Avoid giving him bones.  Instead give him a toy that you can stuff with food.  He’ll stay occupied for a long time trying to get the food out.

Stimulate Your Dog’s Mind

Spend at least ten minutes a day training your dog.  You’ll enjoy the time spent with your pet, and he’ll enjoy learning new things.  A good dog training course will help you teach your dog what he needs to learn.

Now it’s time to start putting these suggestions into action to stop dog digging problems.

By: Darlene Norris

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