How to Stop a Dog from Digging

Dogs are fun as long as they know what to do and what to stay away from. Otherwise they can end up spoiling your yard, lawn or landscape with their activities. One such activity, which dogs love to perform is digging. For most dog breeds, digging is an instinctual activity. They love to dig for various reasons. While some dogs dig as they get bored, some others want to cool themselves by lying on the mud.

Why do Dogs Dig

As mentioned above, there are many different reasons for dogs digging holes. It can be a natural instinct for certain dog breeds like Border Collies, some terrier dog breeds, gun dogs and Dachshunds. However, dogs engage in digging only out of curiosity or when they get bored. Digging may also be done to find a cooler area, to find some critters, to store food, to seek your attention, to escape or to regulate body temperature. It has been observed that this behavior is mostly seen in dogs, which are left in the yard for a longer time; dogs without any playing options like toys and playmates; dogs of some specific breeds or those frustrated and bored dogs. Whatever may be the reason, they may spoil your garden, lawn or landscape in this process of digging and you may be left with the extra task of cleaning the mud off your pet dog. So, it is better to understand the reason behind this behavior of your dog and then try some method to stop it.

Tips to Stop a Dog From Digging

Now you know that digging is a part of dog behavior. Some people resort to punishment for preventing dogs from digging. However, punishment may not prove to be a good idea, as the dog may tend to repeat digging in your absence. Otherwise too, it is better to opt for some other methods, rather than hurting the animal. There are two options for discouraging a dog from digging. You may either go for some alternate idea to entertain and engage the dog or try some methods that can prevent the animal from digging.

• One method to make your dog stop digging is by providing the animal with alternate entertainment options. You can make your dog exercise with walks and runs and games. You may also bring some toys, which can be entertaining for the animal.
• A little bit of dog training can work wonders. You can train them to stop digging. Show your displeasure, when they dig holes in the garden or lawn.
• You can use sprinklers to stop a dog from digging. You may either start the sprinklers as the dog enters the lawn or the area it digs, or install motion detected sprinklers, which release water in full pressure, once the animal enters the area.
• You can also resort to tasty chew toys, when you are out of home, so as to distract the dog from digging. You may also discourage them by filling the holes they have made in the lawn or garden, with mulch, sticks or pine needles.
• You may try spraying ground pepper powder in the areas, as this can deter the dogs from entering that place. It will be an equally good idea to set up a fence to prevent the dog from entering the garden and dig holes.
• If all the above said measures fail to stop your dog from digging, then it is better to demarcate some areas as digging regions. However, you have to make the dog understand where they are allowed to dig.

These are some of the simple and effective ways to stop your dog from digging. You can adopt any of the above said methods for this purpose and save your garden, lawn or landscape from getting spoiled.