Spring is here which means it’s time to start working on our gardens and getting our yards ready for summer. As the ground begins to unfreeze, unfortunately this is also the time when dogs tend to start up their digging habits again. Not only can digging lead to muddy paws and damage to your yard, it can also be potentially dangerous if your dog digs up something toxic and eats it or hurts themselves on something sharp in the ground.
Allowing your dog to dig some of the time, but then getting mad when they decide to dig in your garden, is unfair to the dog. They do not understand time and place in the same way we do, so it is very difficult to teach them that digging is only allowed in certain places. If you don’t have the time to make things very clear, specific, and consistent for them and be very strict with the rules, then it is important that you make all digging off limits.
Why Dogs Dig
Digging is a behavior that shows up for a variety of different reasons. A dog will start to dig if they are bored, if they are hunting for prey, or if they are looking for food (something that is in the ground that they don’t have to hunt down and kill themselves).
When we are dealing with a dog that digs, it is because they have been allowed to do it and have made it a habit. Many times it shows up when a dog has been left unsupervised outside and figured out for themselves that digging is a fun thing to do. Whenever your dog is left outdoors without supervision, they will be looking for something stimulating to entertain themselves with.
Correct & Redirect
The best way to stop your dog from digging, is to discourage it all together. If you catch your dog in the act of digging, interrupt them with a correction word to grab their attention (no, uh-uh, psht) and as soon as they stop digging bring them to something else. By taking them to a toy or bringing their attention towards you with training as soon as they stop digging, you are redirecting their attention to something that is more beneficial and constructive to their energy.
Make It Impossible
The most beneficial way to ensure your dog can’t dig, is by taking away the option entirely. Make it impossible for them to do this behavior by supervising their time outside, closing the dog door, and stopping it as soon as it happens. If you aren’t with them while they are spending time outside, and can’t correct and redirect in the moment, do not leave them outside unsupervised. Dogs really enjoy digging, so if this is a habit that your dog has been allowed to learn, you need to manage the behavior and not allow it to keep building.
Digging Because of Prey
If your dog is digging because they are going after prey like gophers, moles, or prairie dogs, the best way to approach this behavior is to embrace and manage. Do this by working on obedience outside in the environment they want to dig in. Have your dog hold positions like sit, down, place, or heel so that they are focusing on you and not on their urge to chase the animals. A great way to work on their impulse control and not letting their prey drive take over is by working on calling them off when they are in that mindset. You can do this by keeping your dog on a leash and practicing your obedience commands.
Digging “Quick Fix”
If your dog has one favorite hole that they like to return to and keep working on, there is a way to deter them from going back to that hole. While there are no real quick fixes in dog training, something that can immediately discourage your dog from digging in the same hole is by filling that hole with their own feces. Dogs are naturally very clean animals, so they will avoid getting in their poop. By taking the poop from your yard and placing it in the hole that they always dig in, and leaving it uncovered for the dog to find, it is a way to make them avoid that hole and find something else to do. This is not guaranteed to work because some dogs will not mind their own poop or they will just start digging a new hole altogether. This is why watching your dog and stopping them immediately is the best way to prevent them from digging.
Whether your dog is digging out of boredom or their prey instincts are taking over, with the proper training and consistency it is something that your dog can learn is an unacceptable behavior.
The Canine Mind 