Stop Dog Digging
Posted on May 27th, 2010 by admin
“How do I stop my dog from digging?” This is a frequent dilemma I see many dog owners encounter at one stage, it can be extremely frustrating to come home to find your garden looking like a minefield because of your dog’s actions, the only way you can genuinely stop your dog digging is to watch him in the act in order to figure out the reason why he does this.
One of the most typical causes I have seen is that the dog is over-stimulated, he’s developed so much energy throughout the day that he is means that are natural to him to consume it, an obvious approach to rectify this could be to take him on extra frequent or longer walks, or even take him down to the park and play fetch with him, any activity you can think of which will keep him up and moving will be beneficial to both your dog and your plants!
Your dog may simply be bored and looking for means to fill his time through the destruction of your garden, this is most popular if your dog spends a substantial amount of time alone, you must try to remember that digging is an enjoyable action for your dog and if no one is playing with him and he has nothing else to do, he will find his own entertainment. A clear indication of boredom digging is generally comes with barking. If this is the cause, a recommended 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 aren’t there, these small actions might help make a significant difference in your dog’s behaviour.
If the digging is a seasonal activity, usually taking place in the summer months, then your dog maybe digging this holes for a cooling pit for himself as he’s too hot, if this is the case then you should provide a cool shaded area for him in your garden, if you lack trees or other big items that offer shade then consider purchasing a little child size paddling pool to relieve your dog, this could be the perfect approach to stop your dog digging.
One reason that is commonly disregarded 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 challenging ritual for the dog to break free from as it is a natural procedure for them. It is critical that you correct his actions whilst he’s still in the act instead of after as he will not understand why he is being shouted at, use assertive terms which he can become used to for instance ‘bad dog’ or even equip yourself with a water pistol and squirt him in the face as the digging is going on, it may well take some time, however this is undoubtedly a well-known technique to stop your dog digging.
If you have tried all of the activities mentioned above and none of them have worked, then it may be that your dog has too much of a solid link with digging for you to fix, buying a sandbox as a specified area for your dog to dig may be most beneficial to you, for extra usefulness, bury ‘treasures’ and ‘treats’ for your dog to discover in the sandbox and compliment him for locating them, if you realize that your dog still strays back to digging in locations he shouldn’t you could use techniques such as burying water bombs or even the dogs own excrement to give him an unpleasant encounter of digging there.
Hope this helps you to Stop Dog Digging for life!
By
Ruchi Vasishta