How to stop your dog from digging

Dogs digging around a newly installed sprinkler head

Let’s face it dogs are hard on the landscaping. If you are going to have a dog loose in the backyard odds are you will have frustrations keeping the lawn looking nice.  Compaction and pee spots are one thing, but in my opinion, digging holes all over is another level of destruction.  In my experience, digging seems to be an individual thing with dogs. I have had lots of dogs that never dig, and other dogs that dig constantly. 

The first thing to try and understand is the cause of the digging. Are they digging to get at something; has the ground been freshly turned over, if so, they often love to dig it out to investigate the different scents. I think this is a very natural behavior for them, but really frustrating for me. I’ll go out and fill all the dig holes, pack them down and re-seed them with grass seed and that is the very first place they go and dig up. Arrrg! Second, are they digging out of boredom, or pent up energy? This is very often the case.  It is critical to this process to get the dog out and exercise them away from the yard every day.

Digging can be a really frustrating problem. So, how do you stop them from digging? You do it through negative association using an e-collar. Here’s the difficult thing, you have to be watching them every second while they have the opportunity to dig. (Getting a horse to stop cribbing is achieved exactly the same way.) This is the really hard part, taking the time to fix the problem.

Assuming you’re committed to stopping the problem, here’s how you go about. First, the dog can’t have access to the yard or any digging surfaces when you are not able to watch them. Keep them inside, in the kennel run, or somewhere they can’t dig while you are at work or otherwise not able to keep an eye on them. Second, when you do turn them out in the yard, put an e-collar on them every time without exception. This will have to be second nature; every time the dog goes out, the collar goes on. Then you have to keep an eye on them; preferably from inside where they can’t see you watching.

Building the negative association with the act of digging: When they do start digging wait until they truly are digging, not just idly pawing at something, then nick them with the e-collar on a low setting. If they keep digging nick them again, pause increase the power setting slightly and nick them again. Continue increasing the power until they stop digging. Don’t let them know you have anything to do with the correction, it just happens every time they dig.

It is important to only nick them when they are digging. You want to create the negative association with the action of digging, not the location in the yard. You do this through using low e-collar stimulation and correct timing. You want the setting to be low enough that they just barely cock their head or raise their ears as if saying, “did you feel that…what was that”. It’s almost like they want to try digging again to see if they really felt it. Then ‘dig, dig’ – nick, “yup, I did and I guess I don’t like that feeling of digging.”

Don’t think that just because you caught them once the problem is fixed. Keep up the vigilance of watching the dog when they are out until you are convinced that the problem in cured. You want them to believe that it just doesn’t feel good to dig. I liken this to me riding a tilt-a-whirl. The last time I rode the tilt-a-whirl I remember it made me green. I didn’t have a good association with it. Then, this last summer my kids talked me into going with again. Yup, sure enough, I don’t like the tilt-a-whirl. I don’t think I be doing that again. (Negative association)

If they go back to digging one time and don’t get shocked, you have to start all over again. They quickly forget all the negative association training and go back to realizing just how good it feels to dig. Keep up the vigilance. This is by far the hardest part of the training process. Don’t forget, however, that daily exercise it the critical first step in this process.

 


Comments are closed.