Stop Dogs Digging

Stop Dogs digging

There are two ends of the spectrum when it comes to voicing an opinion about dogs and any digging behaviour they may exhibit. One camp believe that a dog is a dog and should be able to express how dog-ly he is by digging if he so wishes, and if trashing the garden, flowerbeds and anything else he deems himself duty bound to dig up or rip to shreds, is the result, then so be it.

The other party, however stand firm in their belief that gardens are for looking pristine and any dog going near the rose bed or vegetable patch with anything like that digging glint in his eye, should be pegged to the washing line till the urge has passed.

I try to find the middle ground on this one. Lots of dogs love to dig, two of our three are the same, and I thinks it’s good for them to be allowed to display this natural behaviour when appropriate, but there’s a big difference between letting them trash the joint to an unrecognisable form of a previously lovely garden and them being able to express their inner puppy tendencies.

There are ways of enabling both dogs and gardens to exists peacefully side by side, and one doesn’t necessarily have to come at the expense of the other. You will have to take a certain amount of time, effort and brain power to mould your dog’s taste for digging to come to a result where both dog and garden are catered for.

If you haven’t yet got your dog, and the future welfare of your flower beds are a concern, then it’s hard to predict whether your dog will dig or not and your worries at this stage are purely hypothetical, however; it would be a good idea to consider what breed of dog you are after.

Some types of dog are more prone to digging than others. It would be advisable to keep away from all kinds of Terriers; after all, the name does indeed mean ‘go to earth’! Nordic breeds are another type that likes to root up the ground with breeds such as Malamutes, Huskies and various members of the Spitz family all thoroughly enjoy digging up the terra firma!

Whilst there are types of dog that are more likely to dig, as with any living thing, dogs are firstly individuals and by having their own brains, any dog may or may not decide that it used to drive a JCB in a former life.

So, what causes a dog to dig?

There are several reasons, and they come in no order of preference or likelihood.

A dog may dig because he is bored. Boredom will cause any dog to look for something to fill his time and occupy his brain. A bored dog needs a ‘job’ to do, a purpose and digging up the flowers and dragging them round the garden ticks all the right boxes. To a dog, digging up the garden is something he feels genetically drawn towards and to him, it is an interesting and rewarding way to help the time to pass- ‘Wow! Would you look at the size of that hole!’

Lack of exercise is another reason why a dog may turn his attention to digging up the garden. It’s a very good way for an under-exercised and hyped up dog to get rid of some of that nervous energy.

Some dogs just want to get out more, and see more stuff, so they are literally trying to dig their way out so they can go off on an adventure. These dogs tend to be quite the escape artists and would probably persist in their efforts irrelevant of the exercise and attention they may receive. For these dogs, it’s not so much the digging that fulfils the need but what lies beyond that drives them on.

Other dogs suffer from separation anxiety and if the dog feels that it’s the walls around him that are separating him from you, he will just try and find the most direct route to you and if that means digging right under them that’s what he’ll do. Separation anxiety is a complex, distressing issue which is fairly common among dogs and is rather beyond the scope of this article. If you do need or want further information about this topic and how to deal with it, some excellent resources can be found here - Secrets of Dog Training.

For the majority of the reasons why a dog decides to dig, there are some fairly obvious solutions. You dog needs at least 45 minutes a day of vigorous walking. If he’s not getting this, give him more. Physical exercise not only works the body, but the constant bombardment to the senses of everything that’s going on around him provides a massive amount of mental stimulation; that alone has a hugely tiring effect as well as being a nice thing for your dog.

If your dog is struggling with boredom issues, get him some toys and chews to play with when you’re not there. Having said that, don’t just chuck them out in the garden with him, but teach him how to play with them first, so he learns to associate them with play. Make sure he gets his walk, or at least a play session before you leave; with a tired brain, he’s more likely to spend large chunks of time asleep instead of redesigning the garden.

The dog who is constantly trying to escape is a bit more tricky. He may need to be confined to the house during periods of absence or kept in a crate. It’s vital that you train your dog to accept being crated prior to this.

Stop Dogs Digging

When it comes to the dogs that just LURVE to dig, what can you do? Here are a few tips to help things go in the right direction. The most effective strategy is to restrict your dog’s access. If there is always someone with him in the garden, there’s no opportunity for digging; assuming the supervisor isn’t asleep in a deckchair!

Use a gift from nature; 99.9% of dogs will keep well away from digging near dog poop. Even the dogs that eat their own poop won’t dig near it. Most dogs have an inbuilt dislike of getting coats and paws soiled.

Another way of using nature to your own benefit, particularly if your more delicate plants are getting a bit of a hammering, is to plant sturdier plants. Deep rooted varieties and thorny ones often work well.

A more physical undertaking, but a method which is extremely effective, is to carefully slice and roll back the top inch or two of turf and lay chicken wire beneath it. Your dog will only need to come across it a couple of times in different locations to quickly grasp that his efforts aren’t going to get him far.

All this is fine and dandy, but at some point you will have to accept that your dog needs to express this trait in some way. Yes, you could go to endless work and expense trying to eradicate all opportunity for your dog to dig if you really are determined to not let man’s best friend turn your beautiful lawn into something from the set of Starwars, but a word of warning- you are setting yourself an unrealistic target; it’s a battle you will fail, and your dog will still dig. Let’s face it, do you really want to stop your dog from doing something that gives him so much pleasure?

It would be far more effective and beneficial for you both, not to mention the garden, if you can avoid this becoming a battle. Allocate your dog an area where he is allowed to dig to his hearts content. This way, man, dog and garden can all co-exist in the same space.

Once this area has been allocated to your dog, it must be made crystal clear that any digging is only to be done in the dig zone and nowhere else in the garden. This will clear your conscience slightly and enable you to reinforce your rule with vigour because you know that your dog is not being deprived in any way.

You can even use this strategy if you have no spare corners to allocate to your digging dog. Use a big sand box, or sand pit, or even make one. The deeper the better here really. Fill it up with a mixture of sand and soil, put some leaves and grass on the top and show him what it’s for-have a dig round in it yourself. If he’s a digger, it won’t take him long to get the idea.

Using this option, it’s vital that the boundaries are made perfectly clear. Dig-zone is ok to dig, elsewhere; not an option. You will need to spend some time supervising him to start with, and you can help him along by burying some tasty smelling bones or toys, and vigorously praise him when he does the right thing. If he does start digging elsewhere, he needs correcting straight away with a ‘no’ or ‘hut-hum’. This will soon be enough to remind him of where he’s going wrong. Take him straight over to the dig-zone and lay on the praise when he starts doing it right.

In order to really make him see how beneficial it is to your dog to be digging in the right place, when he starts digging in the dig-zone, give him a treat. The closeness between the correction for digging in the wrong place, and then the rewards for digging in the right place, will get the message home very quickly. As with all things related to teaching your dog any new lessons, consistent and persistent effort on your part will pay dividends for so much longer if you can just see it through.

Further reading

If you want more information on spotting and managing other problem behaviour issues such as barking, aggression and chewing, you might want to have a look at Secrets To Dog Training. It’s a really detailed manual for any responsible dog owner covering all kinds of information to ensure your dog stays healthy, happy and well adjusted. You can also get a free six day course sent straight to your email box - one lesson a day, from here. You can also get a free report exposing some of the myths behind dog training issues from here.