How do I Stop Dog Digging? This is a popular challenge I see many dog owners face at some stage, it can be incredibly annoying to come home to find your garden looking like a minefield because of your dogs activities, the only way you can really stop your dog digging is to observe him in the act in order to have an understanding of the reason why he does this.
One of the most typical reasons I’ve seen is that the dog is over-stimulated, he’s constructed so much energy throughout the day that he is means that are natural to him to consume it, an obvious method to rectify this would be to take him on extra regular or lengthier walks, or even take him down to the park and play fetch with him, any activity you can think of which can keep him up and moving will be effective to both your dog and your plants!
Your dog may simply be bored and searching for ways to fill his time through the destruction of your garden, this is most common if your dog spends a considerable amount of time alone, you must remember that digging is an enjoyable hobby for your dog and if nobody is playing with him and he has absolutely nothing otherwise to do, he’ll look for his own amusement. A obvious indication of boredom digging is normally comes with barking. If this is the reason, a advised way to stop your dog digging is to pay him more attention, play with him, take him on walks or offer him with various toys for when you are not there, these little gestures might help make a large change in your dogs behaviour.
If the digging is a seasonal activity, normally taking place in the summer months, then your dog maybe digging this holes for a cooling pit for himself as he could be too warm, if this is the case then you ought to provide a cool shaded area for him in your garden, if you lack trees or other big objects that offer shade then consider getting a little child size paddling pool to relieve your dog, this might be the ideal approach to stop your dog digging.
One explanation that is frequently unnoticed by dog owners is that their dog may be digging in order to hide bones, this process is innate in them and may feel as if they have to, this can be tough ritual for the dog to break free from as it is a natural process for them. It is crucial that you recify his behaviour whilst he’s still in the act rather than later as he will not understand why he’s being shouted at, use assertive terms that he can become accustom to for instance bad dog or even arm yourself with a water pistol and squirt him in the face as the digging is occurring, it could take some time, however this is undoubtedly a powerful process to stop your dog digging.
If you have tried all of the exercises talked about above and none of them have been effective, then it may be that your dog has a lot of of a powerful connection with digging for you to correct, purchasing a sandbox as a designated area for your dog to dig may be most helpful to you, for additional effectiveness, bury treasures and treats for your dog to discover in the sandbox and reward him for finding them, if you find that your dog still strays back to digging in locations he should not you could use techniques such as burying water bombs or even the dogs own excrement to give him not very nice encounter of digging there.