Can I Get My Dog To Stop Digging Holes In The Ground?

Support Your Dogs Digging Habit

When you get yourself a puppy, you will quickly find out how much that they truly enjoy digging. Digging is a natural instinct that is also a favorite past time to all dogs. The more sporting that the dog’s breed is, the more that they love to dig.

Furthermore, digging is also a way for the dog to relieve stresses. You will find that when you invite a new baby into the home that a puppy will dig more often. As the dog’s anxiety levels increase, digging is a way for the dog to relieve stress.

While this digging behavior may prove to be a nuisance to most people, you still need to support them in this venture as it truly is a way for them to relax. It is important that although you can prevent him from digging in certain areas, you do need to give him a location in which he can dig without getting punished.

Below are a set of instructions that will help you train your dog not to dig and claw in areas that you do not want him to, as well as creating a place of his own where he is free to dig at his heart’s content.

1. If you see your puppy digging in any area other than his digging spot, be sure to correct him with a firm “NO!” And then guide him to his proper digging location. This is the same protocol that you would use when housebreaking a puppy after he makes a mess in the house. Eventually, your dog will seek out his digging area when he feels the urge to dig away.

2. Every day, go back to your dog’s digging area and instruct him to start digging by giving him a command. This command could be as simple as “Sparky, Go Dig!” After a while he will immediately begin clawing at the dirt in wild anticipation for the fun that lay ahead.

3. In that spot that your dog loves to dig at, take the time to bury some of his toys in the area as well as things like bones and more. Make it a game that you both can play with you burying the items and the puppy digging them up. This will definitely prove to be a fun game for the both of you.

4. For starters, you need to find the spot in which your dog loves to dig more than anything else. This digging spot could be inside of your home, at a park or even in your back yard. Knowing where your dog loves to dig can help you to remedy the digging issue.