Most all dogs really enjoy digging around in soft dirt. You want to have a beautiful yard and a beautiful garden and your dog comes along and ruins it all. It is a big disaster that you can hardly keep up with. You want a nice yard but your dog wants to have fun digging around. What is the best way to handle this difficulty?
Dogs are natural diggers. Some breeds are actually bred to dig out certain prey so this digging behavior is instinctual for them. If your dog is a natural digger it may be more difficult but there are some things you can do to contain the digging.
Digging can be good for your dog. It is crucial for him to dig around and engage his curiosity, however, it is important for you to have a decent yard also. You must both be able to find a happy medium in regards to his digging. That may well mean that you want to stop the behavior completely and that is fine.
Dogs sometimes dig because they are bored. They crave entertainment. He may be experiencing separation anxiety because you are away. Maybe he istrying to dig out an escape route so he can leave the yard. He may even be digging for something as simple as controlling his own temperature. He may be too hot and trying to cool off or he may be too cold and trying to warm-up.
You can get your dog to lessen or even halt his digging patterns. First make sure that he has enough time with you and gets plenty of exercise and playtime. You can also make sure that he has toys that he enjoys. Frequently dogs will try to bury bones so if you give your dog bones to chew on make sure you replace them with chew toys or rawhide bones.
You could also try clicker training to stop digging. Anytime you see your dog in the act of digging use the clicker and a command that tells him "no". Reward him when he stops digging. You will need to be persistent but clicker training can work.
You can also try to fill his hole up with undesirable things. You can fill the hole that he has been playing in up with garden mulch, sticks, pine needles and so forth. When he comes back he will dig and find the undesirable things in his hole and he will stop digging. You can also bury a balloon that will pop in his face as he digs. This will not hurt him but it will scare him and he may stop the digging. Some trainers also recommend putting dog poop into the holes as the dog will no longer want to play after he finds his own poop!
Lastly you could attempt to get him to only dig in one spot in your yard. If he is a natural digger and prone to digging this may be a worthwhile solution but it is challenging to contain him to just one spot. With patience and time you can train him to do it though. Be gentle and persistent and you can get your dog to stop digging. - 31845
Dogs are natural diggers. Some breeds are actually bred to dig out certain prey so this digging behavior is instinctual for them. If your dog is a natural digger it may be more difficult but there are some things you can do to contain the digging.
Digging can be good for your dog. It is crucial for him to dig around and engage his curiosity, however, it is important for you to have a decent yard also. You must both be able to find a happy medium in regards to his digging. That may well mean that you want to stop the behavior completely and that is fine.
Dogs sometimes dig because they are bored. They crave entertainment. He may be experiencing separation anxiety because you are away. Maybe he istrying to dig out an escape route so he can leave the yard. He may even be digging for something as simple as controlling his own temperature. He may be too hot and trying to cool off or he may be too cold and trying to warm-up.
You can get your dog to lessen or even halt his digging patterns. First make sure that he has enough time with you and gets plenty of exercise and playtime. You can also make sure that he has toys that he enjoys. Frequently dogs will try to bury bones so if you give your dog bones to chew on make sure you replace them with chew toys or rawhide bones.
You could also try clicker training to stop digging. Anytime you see your dog in the act of digging use the clicker and a command that tells him "no". Reward him when he stops digging. You will need to be persistent but clicker training can work.
You can also try to fill his hole up with undesirable things. You can fill the hole that he has been playing in up with garden mulch, sticks, pine needles and so forth. When he comes back he will dig and find the undesirable things in his hole and he will stop digging. You can also bury a balloon that will pop in his face as he digs. This will not hurt him but it will scare him and he may stop the digging. Some trainers also recommend putting dog poop into the holes as the dog will no longer want to play after he finds his own poop!
Lastly you could attempt to get him to only dig in one spot in your yard. If he is a natural digger and prone to digging this may be a worthwhile solution but it is challenging to contain him to just one spot. With patience and time you can train him to do it though. Be gentle and persistent and you can get your dog to stop digging. - 31845
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