QUESTION:
My Siberian Husky has a problem, he loves to dig. He seems to only enjoy digging in dirt and rarely digs in the grass area.

ANSWER:
Digging can become a very expensive hobby for you and your dog. If only you could get him to dig were you wanted. You could hire him out to a landscaping company to dig holes for planting bushes and trees. After all your excavating, landscaping, Siberian Husky just needs a job.

Dogs dig for several reasons, some are hardwired in their breed traits. We routinely see owners of Terriers, whose backyards look like after an excavation. Some of them dig because; they have nothing else to do, they are bored. Some digging starts when the warm weather is here, since; the earth is cooler a couple of inches down. To cool down they dig a nice cool spot. Some dogs dig for recreation, because it is fun and is a sense of accomplishment. I always think of children at the beach building sand castles. It is a lot of fun and also a sense of accomplishment, because; it stays there after they have left. When a puppy learns that something is fun, they will continue to do this as an adult dog. This is why it is so important to supervise your puppy or new dog, when they are left outside to their own demise. The other most important thing is to make sure that you exercise your dog. Give them physical exercise and mental exercise by doing obedience in the area that they dig. A tired dog is a good dog. If you get your dog to run as fast as he can for 15 - 20 minutes twice a day and you have stimulated his mind through obedience; than he will be to busy and too tired to dig up your yard.

Dogs do not learn in the way we learn. They are more like teenagers; you can no longer tell them anything, they know it all. Teenagers can only learn by the consequence of their behavior. Dogs only learn by the consequence of their behavior, whether it is positive or negative. Positive will increase a behavior and negative will decrease the behavior. This is why if you let the environment correct the dog, they learn very quickly.

One of the oldest procedures and simplest for prohibiting digging is do a little poop patrol in your yard and instead of disposing of the feces, deposit this in the hole. Nothing ruins a persons walk in the park more than stepping in a pile of someone else’s dog poop, nor for a dog when digging and finding their paws have a most peculiar odor. Sometimes you just can’t fight City Hall, for those dogs like the Terrier breeds that were genetically born to dig; we will just build a sand box and teach them to only dig in the sand box. This way you are letting these dogs exude their natural tendencies. For the rest, let’s teach them not to dig. Whatever you do, do not correct your dog after the hole is dug. If you catch them in the act yell loudly ” Aaaaht, what do you think your doing”. You can also loudly clap your hands. Than show them their ball or toy in the yard.

For more insistent digger, you can spread cayenne pepper on the dirt. You can make two layers, the original layer of dirt, than pepper, dirt, pepper and than finally a light layer of dirt. Another is to pour citronella oil in the hole and surrounding area. This procedure will also keep the mosquitoes away and make your yard smell fresh and lemony. Digging is just the symptoms, the root cause is that you are not meeting your dogs physical and mental needs. Give him a job, besides landscaping.

 

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1 Comment to “How Do I Stop My Dog From Digging”

1. ANDREW — July 20, 2010 @ 2:51 pm
   

   
   

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