How to stop your dog from digging holes in your backyard or property can be a little bit of work for you sometimes. You need to first figure out why your new puppy or dog is digging holes in your yard in the first place.
Dogs do not dig holes in your yard because they are mad at you, and want to get even. They usually do it for several reasons. The biggest reason is that they are usually bored, and they are trying to entertain themselves.
If you don't stop your dog from digging holes, he or she will not know you do not want them to dig them. In their minds, they are not doing anything wrong.
A dog might be digging holes in your yard or property, simply because they are bored. They could also be digging holes in your yard, if they are trying to get out. They could be trying to get out because there is a mate on the other side of the fence, or they are just so bored, they wanted to get out and experience more enjoyment.
If a dog is digging holes around the fence line, or under the fence, they are most likely trying to get out eventually. If they are digging holes around tree roots, or in the middle of the yard, they might be trying to dig up rodents and small animals. Just because you don't see that little animals head come out of the ground, your dog most likely does.
Some other reasons your dog might be digging holes, is he or she saw you digging up the yard with a shovel, and they think they are helping you. Another reason might be they want some attention from you. When you come home, and you see holes dug in your yard, you might yell at your dog, and not even know it, and to them, that is the attention they way, good or bad attention, they want more of it.
Whatever you do, you should never yell and scream at your dog, especially if your dog dig it long ago, while you were at work. The only time you can really train a dog to not do something, is right after they do it, so they know what they did wrong. If you yell at your dog, and they dug the hole 2 hours ago, they won't have the faintest idea why you are yelling at them right now.
Dogs prefer to dig in dirt that has been freshly dug up. They also like the smell of fertilizer, and will sometimes even roll in it, to get the smell on themselves, this lets others dogs know where they have been, just like when you go to Disneyland, you buy a hat to remind yourself you went to Disneyland, a dog rolls in the dirt, especially if it has fertilizer in it, to cover themselves with the scent.
Dogs will also dig holes in the ground, if they don't have a dog house or a place to get out of the wind and weather. If it is hot outside, they might dig to get cooler. If it is cold outside, they might dig to get warmer. Dogs in the wide, are used to making dens, and they could be making a den in your back yard.
Some dogs are born with the digging genes inside them. Mostly Labradors and Terriers are good at this, and it is almost natural for them to want to dig holes. For this purpose, if you can not stop your dog from digging holes all over the yard, then you might want to build them a place in the yard, where digging is allowed, and the rest of the yard it is not. You would need to teach your dog where it is ok to dig, and where it is forbidden.
If your dog is digging up holes in your yard, you could fill in the holes, and add some of the dogs feces into the pile of dirt you put back into the hole. Dogs do not like to dig into their own feces, or poop.
One of the best ways to teach your dog not to do something, is to take away the distraction in the first place. If your dog is trying to dig a hole to get out, put something up along the fence, so they stop seeing what they are looking at, and the temptation should go away.
Another reason your dog might be digging holes, is he or she is not getting enough exercise, and they are just bored. If you give your dog much more exercise, and even enroll him or her into obedience classes with you, you both will get much more enjoyment out of it, and your dog just really only wants to please you.
If your dog is digging holes in the backyard, and burying bones in them, you could simply stop giving him or her bones to bury. You could substitute the real bones for some toy bones, and get the ones that have treats stuck inside of them, so it takes a dog some time to get it out, and they love spending time playing, and they might not bury them on you.
If you build your dog a sandbox, or a place in the backyard to dog, and he or she goes someone else to dig, immediately tell your dog Bad Dog and take them from the spot they are digging, and take them to the new spot where it is OK for them to dig, and then tell them Good Dog at this spot, and let them dig their.
Just with anything you try to teach your dog, don't get mad if they don't pick it up right away, they will get it eventually. When they dig in the good spot, they want your praise you will give to them. If they still won't stop digging in the yard, you could scare them to quit doing it.
If your dog is still digging holes, you could use the water hose, and each time you see your dog start to dig, you could squirt them with the garden hose, this will let them know what they are doing will give them a bad reaction. You could also fill a tin can with rocks or marbles, and when you start to see your dog digging, you throw the can or rock or marbles close to the dog, without hitting him or her, and scare them each time they start to dig a hole. They will associate loud banging scary noises, which dogs do not like, and they should stop over time.
If you provide your puppy or dog with a nice safe yard, with plenty of protection from the weather, with a nice dog house and bed, and you take care of any rodent problems that might be enjoying your yard also, and you take away most of the temptations why your dog might like to dig out, and give them plenty of exercise and love, and a good assortment of chew toys and other items to play with, you dog will have a much better and happy life!
Vince Stead has written 16 books so far, several on dogs. He was in the navy for 8 years as a Yeoman, and he visited 16 countries, and went around the world in 1986. He was on a destroyer, a submarine tender, a short stint on an aircraft carrier, and 4 years shore duty at a VAW squadron.
He has worked for himself for the last 20 years, and lives in San Diego.
You can find his books at places like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and even his own website at http://www.vincestead.com
You can get every one of his books as a book at regular price, and you also get them as digital downloads for only $2.99 each.
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