How To Prevent Dog Digging

I have learned about an easy and effective way to stop your dog digging in the yard and garden. I went out shopping with a friend of mine the other day. When we got back, we were unable to drive through the front gate. The crazy pack of dogs he keeps in his fenced in yard had dug an enormous hole, at least 2 feet deep, with a diameter of probably 5 feet. Because we are living at the beach the digging is pretty easy for the dogs.  This was not the first time my pal’s dogs have done something like this. It was clear time to teach these old dogs new tricks, and stop their digging.

There are more than one reason why a dog may be digging in the yard or garden.  Perhaps your dog is digging because he wants to escape, or maybe just for something to do, or just trying to dig down to some cooler soil below . I will mention some ideas for stopping your dog from digging in your yard or garden. Because my neighbor’s dogs had dug up right in front of the gate, it was probably a mass escape attempt.  At other times his dogs have dug huge holes which are nowhere near the gate, apparently out of boredom. It is also very hot at the beach, so the dogs will also dig up recently watered areas of the yard to get at the cooler soil underneath. The need to prevent these dogs from digging up the whole place at my friend’s house was long overdue.

We used a tip from my favorite dog training book to build his dogs a separate play area, where they could hang out and dig to their heart’s content, without messing up the rest of the yard. My friend’s yard is all sand, so it was only necessary to enclose the desired area with fencing to make the acceptable digging area. He also was thoughtful enough to his pets to provide shade cloth above for protection from the heat. My neighbor even put in a wading pool and some chew toys. He really loves his dogs. He keeps his dogs in their enclosure while away, and they are having a pretty good time, and no longer digging up the yard while he’s gone.

Even if you don’t live at the beach, you can make the same kind of area in your own yard to prevent your dog from digging. Inside the  area that you have chosen to enclose just put in a sandbox with some loose soil mixed with sand. Pick an area to enclose that has some shade  (or add some shade cloth) and in addition to putting in a sandbox for digging purposes, be sure to put in his water bowl and some chew toys to keep him busy.

Not only have you stopped your dog from digging up your yard in your absence, you now have given him a fun place to be while you are away. If you later notice your dog is only digging in his new area, you can try letting him loose again even if you are not at home, and it is quite possible he won’t dig up the lawn. However, if he was digging for the escape reason, you should keep him his play area while you are away. If you follow this tip, you’ll have stopped the yard from ever getting dug up again.

Tags: Boredom, Diameter, Dog Training, Dogs Digging, Enormous Hole, Escape Attempt, Eve, fencing, Good Time, Holes, Neighbor, Old Dogs New Tricks, Pack Of Dogs, Pets, Play Area, S Yard, Shade Cloth, Soil, These Dogs, Training Dogs, Wading Pool