Dec 13, Techniques on How to Stop Dog from Digging Holes in Your Garden, Lawn or Yard

Dog Digging problem can be frustrasted sometimes when you discovered there are holes every where in your garden.

If you are looking for effective ways on how to stop dog from digging, then you are in the right place. But first of all, you have to understand the reasons a dog or puppy digs.

Dogs dig for a few reasons as below:- Just dig for fun or discover what is in the ground
There is an unusual smell below the ground, may be there is an animal in the ground (eg: rabbit, rat or even insect)
Dig out of boredom or loneliness
Genetic-influence (eg: Terrier Breed)

It is not difficult to learn which categories your dog falls into. If you dog digs once in a while, most probably, your dog is just digging for fun to find out something in the ground. If your dog does it quite often, it is because he is bored. The reason a dog becomes bored is because he is lack of physical activities (eg: exercise and playing). So, you should spend more time with him and increase his physical activities.

If your dog is terrier-type, you should have known that terrier breed was bred to hunt underground vermin long time ago. But not to worry as genetic factor is not a major influence. Any dogs can still be trained to behave properly.

Personally, I think it is okay to allow your dog to dig once in a while, as long as he is not creating chaos in your garden. If dog digging problem is too much for you, you might want to apply the following suggestion to stop the digging behavior:-

Keep your dog supervised. Put your dog on leash and collar or dog crate when he is unsupervised. ONLY let him to access to your yard or garden when you are free.
If your dog likes certain areas in your yard, put some strong smell items like onion, garlic or pepper there. Your dog will not go close to that area again.
Divide your garden or yard into areas your dog can dig and can not dig. Depends on your preference, you may use wood or brick to build the boundaries. This may requires some work though.

If you do not have enough exercise with your dogs, your dog can be frustrated as he has too much energy inside. His energy needs to be released somewhere. So, the dogs will develop dog behavior problems like biting, chewing and also digging. Below are some suggestions that can help your dog's digging problem:-

Bring your dog for a daily morning walk for 45 minutes to 1 hour. It should be enough for most of the dog breeds. If you own a high energy dog breeds, you have to organize some physical activities again in the evening.
Buy some toys that are able to keep your dog occupied when you are not around. Rotate the toy every few days so that your dog will not get bored.
You may be also seeking help from family members or neighbors to play with your dog when you are not around. If you can afford, get a dog-sitter or dog-walker.