dogs that dig

[priscilla]

hello,
Does anyone know how I can get my dog to stop digging up the grass. She digs huge holes all over the lawn, and I don't know how to make her stop? Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Karen]

How old, what breed, when does she do it? Is she outside for long periods of time?

Maybe she has a career as an excavator in mind?

[rotten_two]

dogs dig. it is a natural canine behavior. you will likely not be able to "train" it out of her. the more appropriate question is how can i manage my dog's digging? :) the "solution" i see implemented most often and with the most success is to give the dog a specific area where she can dig! make sure that she understands the boundaries of the digging area (place rocks or wood aounrd the area -- it does not have to be a huge area). then encourage her to dig like gangbusters in that area & you can dig with her until she gets the jist. you can even put it on a verbal cue such as "go dig." this way you can manage where and when she digs.

[Kona & Oreo's mom]

Oreo digs when she's bored, which means I need to keep her busy with other things if I want to keep my yard. :) A long walk to tire her out before she stays by herself, a stuffed Kong, and plenty of toys work well. Good luck!

[priscilla]

she is not outside for long periods of time. She is a border collie shephard. We bought her a sand box for her to dig in, but maybe it's not big enough. She can dig to the bottom and then maybe she's bored. There is a spot of dirt where there used to be a garden. I wonder if I put railroad ties, around that, then that could be her "sand box". If the land lord says it's oK. But I'm sure he wouldn't rather have her digging up the lawn. Thanks for the help and ideas.

[WWFanz]

Kody likes to dig holes under the privacy fence to try and get to the beagle around the corner. We basically just put a log in the hole. He still trys to dig sometimes, but if we fill the hole, he'll just dig it up again.

[Andiphant]

Here is a solution I heard of and tried with good success. Before filling the holes back in put in some of the dog's feces (it doesn't take much). It sounds gross but that is the point, the dog won't want to dig there because of the bad smell. Don't worry though, if it is buried at least 6 inches down or so you won't smell it. I've done this in several of Huey's favorite spots and it has worked wonders.

[My Peanuts]

Harley started digging up the yard when we got him in August. We never had a dog that did this and my dad loves our lawn. We sprayed him with a spray bottle full of water and he stopped. We will see if he remembers not to dig this Spring. So far so good. I guess you should find something that the dog is already afraid of (so you don't cause new fears) and use that. I don't mean hitting or anything like that obviously. Maybe just yelling or making a loud noise will help.

[Kathleen]

I watched this decorating show there they did this backyard and had a digging spot for the dog to dig in as it was a digger too.
Suggestion the decorator made was bury toys in the sand so that it has something to hunt for. They don't want to just dig sand and nothing at the bottom. they need to find things.

Our dogs are lucky as they have 2 acres to run in and bush to dig and do what they like, they can be all dog on our property.

Dogs dog bored and some dig to get out and get somewhere, to do something. You got to keep dogs busy.

Also when he digs where he's not too, tell him LEAVE IT and take him over to his sand box and start digging yourself. before you take him outside, bury things for him to find and enjoy, he will love it so much.

WE tell our dogs to LEAVE IT if they do start digging in the garden after something they smell. WE did that since they were little puppies as our puppy trainer told us that one. It works too.

[Brooke]

Here is a training article I wrote as well as some other added some suggestions to it.
http://dogden.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=Questions&action=display&num=1074744458

Good luck