Why Do Dogs Dig?
The number one reason dogs dig is boredom. We bring them home and stick them alone in the back yard for hours, they get bored and so they dig. Dogs also dig for food; crickets, bones, worms, plant matter or even just chasing a smell that has enticed them to dig. The desire to leave the prison yard may be an incentive for your dog to dig; this urge to escape is particularly obvious if your dog is digging near an exit point (gate or fence). The reasons your dog may be seeking to escape could include boredom, enticing play barks from the dog across the road or the call of the haughty bitch down the road, which is often too great a temptation to ignore.
Your dog may also dig due to anxiety; this may be because your dog is not adjusting to being left alone (isolation anxiety), or struggling with separation from a particular person or people (separation anxiety) or sounds, smells or individuals they can see, which can cause general anxiety. Separation anxiety is the rarest form of anxiety, and is, in nearly all cases, owner-caused. Isolation anxiety is more common, and again is often owner-caused through not allowing your dog to experience structured 'alone time'. General anxieties are the most common, and have a variety of environmental causes, and can, in most cases, if caught early enough, be eliminated with appropriate desensitisation training. In all cases, anxious dogs will present with other symptoms and unwanted behaviours, not just digging.
Most, if not all cases of digging can be corrected with good training, and, if you catch the problem early, can be prevented the same way.
How Do I Prevent My Puppy Digging?
If your dog has not started digging you are off to a great start, as you don't need to break a habit as part of the training process. Before you begin training, you have to decide if you want your dog to dig in a designated 'digging zone' or not at all.
No Digging Allowed
If you don't want your dog digging at all, make sure they are never outside without being 100% supervised. To begin with, have your dog on a tether or lead every time you go outside; every time they go to dig, give a double tap on the tether/lead (only hard enough to get the focus from the digging/distraction back to you). At the same time, use a clear, sharp correction sound like 'ARGHH!' so they understand they are not to dig. You can expand this correction to other areas at the same time; chewing, jumping against the fence or attempts to go over the fence, and pulling on plants for instance.
After about 8 weeks of training (this will be dependent on the individual dog, but there will come a point where you are no longer correcting your dog for attempting to dig), your dog may be released from the tether/lead for short periods of time, but they will still need to be supervised 100% of the time they are outside. If they attempt to dig, put them straight back on the tether. As they prove them-self, let them off the tether for longer periods of time, but keep up the supervision. If they go to dig, use the correction sound to enforce the 'No Digging' rule.
Once your dog has proven them-self 100% of the time while off-tether and under supervision, start allowing them unsupervised time; come inside for 5 minutes at a time. Again, this is about your dog proving them-self and you bulletproofing the training. Increase the time your dog is alone slowly; don't go straight to 30 minutes, because it is likely they will dig and begin forming the digging habit. If there is any sign of digging during these unsupervised periods, immediately revert to supervised-only off-tether time, or reduce the free time. Go back to slowly increasing the free time as your dog proves them-self.
Eventually, you are looking to have a happy, calm unsupervised dog in your back yard without the need to dig.
A Designated Digging Zone
If you want your dog to dig in a designated 'digging zone', provide them with a clearly defined one; a sandpit, a kiddie pool or clam shell filled with sand and/or soil are great options for this. Put some toys and bones in there, and cover them. Lead your dog into the 'digging zone' and begin to teach them they can dig in that area. You can use your hands/feet to help them uncover and find their toys and bones: never underestimate the power of encouragement.
When your dog is outside the 'digging zone' they must be on a tether or lead. Every time they go to dig, give a double tap on the tether/lead (only hard enough to get the focus from the digging/distraction back to you). At the same time, use a clear, sharp correction sound like 'ARGHH!' so they understand they are not to dig. You can expand this correction to other areas at the same time; chewing, jumping against the fence or attempts to go over the fence, and pulling on plants for instance.
After about 8 weeks of training (this will be dependent on the individual dog, but there will come a point where you are no longer correcting your dog for attempting to dig), your dog may be released from the tether/lead for short periods of time, but they will still need to be supervised 100% of the time they are outside. If they attempt to dig, put them straight back on the tether. As they prove them-self, let them off the tether for longer periods of time, but keep up the supervision. If they go to dig, use the correction sound to enforce the 'No Digging' rule.
Once your dog has proven them-self 100% of the time while off-tether and under supervision, start allowing them unsupervised time; come inside for 5 minutes at a time. Again, this is about your dog proving them-self and you bulletproofing the training. Increase the time your dog is alone slowly; don't go straight to 30 minutes, because it is likely they will dig and begin forming the digging habit. If there is any sign of digging during these unsupervised periods, immediately revert to supervised-only off-tether time, or reduce the free time. Go back to slowly increasing the free time as your dog proves them-self.
Eventually, you are looking to have a happy, calm unsupervised dog in your back yard without the need to dig.
How Do I Stop My Dog Habitually Digging?
This is a really common problem, and as it has not been addressed early, you now have the added challenge of correcting an ingrained habit.
There are a number of ways to correct this problem. Some people put their dog's poop in the hole their dog has dug, then fill it back in. This will work with some dogs, and they won't dig in the same spot, but be aware; if you do this, your dog will likely just move to another area and dig another hole. Even if this begins to work, by the time your dog gets back to the original hole, the poop will have disintegrated and they will most likely dig in the same spot.
Another option is to create a designated 'digging zone' (which we have talked about above); a sandbox, clam shell or kiddie pool filled with soil and sand where your dog is taught it is free to dig. Again, this will only work with some dogs, and there is a large risk that your dog will dig in other areas whenever they are not supervised.
Yet another option is to put wire over the lawn (chicken wire, concrete reinforcing wire), then cover it with topsoil and grass. This can be extremely effective, but is time-consuming and can be expensive.
My Approach to Digging
My preferred option is tether training. I tether-train my dogs and give them no free access outside. As soon as my dog goes to dig, I use a double tap on the tether and a correction sound (a clear, sharp, 'ARGHH!'). I also correct my dog if they display other unwanted behaviours (biting plants, furniture etc.). The only time my dog is allowed outside is when they are tethered to me.
Once I can trust my dog to behave 100% of the time on the tether, I alternate between tethering and free time, beginning to allow them outside in short bursts, gradually increasing the time off-tether while maintaining 100% supervision. Once they are behaving 100% of the time off-tether under supervision, I begin to leave them alone for 5 minutes. The time my dog is left alone increases gradually, until they are 100% trustworthy and will not behave in a destructive manner, even when off-lead and unsupervised.
This approach is more time-consuming and means more work, but good training lasts forever. If I were to allow a 'digging zone', I would combine tether training with teaching them to dig in the designated zone.
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