Dog Digging

You come home from work one day only to find out your dog kindly started some excavation work in your yard. You find out your dog dug out all your favourite flower bulbs. You are mad and frustrated, but there is really nothing you can do since this seems to have happened a while ago. You forget about it altogether, but a week later you find an enormous hole like if your dog was trying to dig his way to China. The problem is getting annoying at this point and you are thinking about what to do.

It is a pretty hard task to correct a dog after a mishap. Dogs have short term memory so if you sold your dog upon coming home he will not have any clue what your anger is all about.

He might think you are mad just because he is acting normally and he may consequently lose trust in you. He will think you just get mad at him at times for no apparent reason.

So you must work a bit on psychology. There are a few options that you have on your side to stop or at least reduce the whole digging ordeal. Hopefully, your dog will get the message.

10 Ways to Let Your Dog Dig that Digging is not Allowed

1. Catch him in the act. It may take a couple of times to let them get the message but it ultimately works. You will have to hide somewhere and patiently wait for the dog to do the act. However, when disciplined, some dogs may think they are not allowed to dig in that specific spot and that it is OK to dig in other spots. So you need to catch him in the act digging just about anywhere. However, if you are out all day, it takes only one unreprimanded dig to bring back the pleasure of this annoying behaviour.
2. Bury a balloon in his favourite digging spot. This is a great way to discourage digging. The dog will hear a loud pop once his nails hit the balloon. The pop will startle the dog and the dog may associate the whole digging ordeal with something not pleasurable. It may take a few pops for obstinate cases. Prevent your dog from eating the deflated balloon.
3. Buy a scat mat. A scat mat is a small mat that will produce a tiny electric shock that will startle and annoy the dog. The shock is not painful; it is similar to the one we get when we open a car door. You can bury the mat under a thin layer of dirt in his favourite digging spot. This method works with the same principle as the balloon.
4. Buy one of those motion sensor sprinklers. The sprinkler goes on when it detects motion in certain areas of the yard. This should work great, especially for those dogs that are not too fond of water. There are some dogs that love water and this may not work, however, it may work both ways, they may be distracted and start playing with the water rather than digging.
5. Do not let your dog watch you gardening. Seeing you dig up dirt is like telling him, Hey, look, this is fun and OK to do. Also, keep in mind that your dog is attracted to freshly watered dirt.
6. Keep your dogs occupied. Many times digging is a sign of boredom. Make sure your dog is exposed to lots of mental stimuli during the day. Provide toys, bones, or play a game of fetch. Kongs are great for keeping your dog occupied during the day.
7. Place some chicken wire under his favourite digging spots. Many dogs do not like the feeling of the wire scraping against their paws. Plus the chicken wire will take away all the pleasure of digging.
8. Place your dog’s faeces in his favourite digging spots. Dogs do not like to be near their faeces, so think about touching them! However, a few dogs like to eat their faeces and finding their own in their favourite digging areas can make a nice surprise and encourage further digging.
9. There are some products that promise to stop the dog digging behaviour. They may work in some cases but not in others. Most of them are sprays that repel dogs because of their odour. They can be found in major pet stores or in garden centres.
10. Last but not least, sometimes the easiest solution is to simply fence off the areas you do not want to be dug. Dogs have an instinctive pleasure in digging, it is sort of in their genes and they have done it throughout history.

Dog love to dig. Whether it is for boredom, stress, to hide a treasure or simply to make a nice place to cool down, it may be challenging to make them stop. Digging is not really bad behaviour, it just becomes bothersome when it happens in places we do not want them to dig.

Sometimes, it just takes a compromise to make both dog and owner happy. Creating a nice digging area for them to dig in can be a great gift, your dog will get to dig, and you will get to appreciate your garden once again

Disclaimer: All remedies suggested are not to be used as a substitute for professional veterinary advice. If your pet is sick please refer to your veterinarian for a hand on examination. If your pet is exhibiting behaviour problems please refer to a professional pet behaviourist.