How to Stop My Dog's Excessive Digging

Dog digging can ruin your backyard and garden. Dogs dig for a variety of reasons including boredom, attraction to the smell of fertilizer in the dirt, a search for attention, a place to store food and to attempt to dig under a fence. Stopping digging means being consistent with training techniques and applying the proper technique for the reason your dog is digging.

Things You'll Need

  • Chew toys
  • Garden hose
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Instructions

    • 1

      Exercise your dog. If your dog is tired, it won't have the energy to dig outside. The dog will also be less likely to dig out of boredom.

    • 2

      Give your dog toys other than bones if your dog digs to hide a bone. Sometimes dogs won't hide other toys. Give chew toys and balls instead.

    • 3

      Keep your dog in a crate or confined when you can't watch it. Watch your dog at all times while outside so that the dog doesn't have time to dig.

    • 4

      Spray the dog with a hose as soon as it starts to dig. Make sure you do this every time the dog digs for a few days. After a few days, the dog will stop digging.

    • 5

      Create a special digging space for the dog. If you have trouble stopping the dog from digging and have the space, make a spot that the dog is allowed to dig. Lead the dog to this area anytime it begins to dig. This protects other areas from the dog's digging.