Help! My Dog is Digging Up My Yard!

There are several reasons leading a dog to becoming a back yard excavator. Sometimes it’s their breed: Northern breeds are avid diggers, instincts telling them to dig to get away from the heat. Or terriers digging to get those varmints. Suburban varmints are rabbits, squirrels, moles—oh my!

Sometimes dogs have an unfulfilled life, are bored and give themselves the job of landscaper or escape artist. Yes, you have a “nice back yard,” however that’s not enough for dogs. They need to be walked daily, sometimes long walks—check out the correct distance for your dog’s breed and age. Dogs need to be mentally stimulated by taking them out into the world. Maybe you can start a dog training class or visit the local dog park, or better yet—all of the above! 

HOLES HOLES EVERYWHERE!

 

Once your yard has holes, don't repair the holes with your dog around. If your dog started digging after watching you gardening…that might be part of the problem. Your dog is part monkey: Monkey see…

Refill the holes with dirt and cover the patched holes with wet straw or hay. There’s something about the smell that tends to keep dogs away. You might have to reapply the straw/hay if it blows away.

Create a special place for your dog to dig. Instead of a sandbox, a "dig box." This boundary lets your dog know that this area has the seal of approval for all his digging needs. You can start the new digging habit in the digging box by burying a bully stick, treat-filled Kong or other treats that get your dog motivated to dig. Once he starts—praise the behavior. 

If your dog continues to dig where he shouldn’t, don’t give him attention by punishing him—it hasn’t worked and he’s enjoyed the attention he’s gotten from you, even though it’s negative attention. When he’s digging in the wrong place—merely call him over to the digging box in an excited, happy voice and get him to dig there instead. He will be rewarded time and time again with your attention whenever he’s digging in the right place. Also, if you “catch” him digging in the digging box, make sure to praise him and give him lots of attention. 

Dig?

YOU Are the Key to Dog Training Success

Oftentimes, the dogs who make little to no progress are the ones where the clients make little to no change in their behavior. Or they pick and choose what part of the training prescription they want to follow.

What!?!? That seems rather bold. Could it not be the dog? Or what about the trainer? Hmmm?

Touché! However, it's pretty easy to spot the dog owner I'm referring to. If I were a fitness trainer this might be the equivalent conversation of a client not getting the physical results they were hoping for: 

“I ate one healthy meal like you suggested, and then I ate fast food the rest of the week because I was so busy. I don’t know why I’m not losing weight! Ugh!” 

Or

“I haven’t been doing the full workout; I’ve only been doing push-ups. My arms are looking great but my stomach and legs are still flabby! What’s wrong with my stomach and legs?” 

I know this sounds ridiculously silly, however some clients experience this disconnect. They’re disappointed with their dog’s lack of progress and shift blame to their dog. (Or trainer?)

On the flip side, I’ve had clients who are extremely motivated to change their dog’s behavior. A week after our initial training session we meet again and even I’m blown away by the radical shift in their dog’s conduct. As the weeks go by, not only is there a rapid shift with the dog, but the owner has changed. They’re more calm and confident with their dog. 

The owners start relaying my spiel back to me: 

“Once you have the right tools and know how to communicate with your dog, it’s just so easy.” 

Or

“I realized I was shouting at him and joining in [his energy], now it’s just so calm [in our house] and he listens.” 

I love having my own philosophy plugged back to me, and nothing makes me happier than seeing dogs and owners working effortlessly as a team.

I had a client who was being bitten by his dog. Even though he understood and agreed that my training methods would probably result in positive change, he and his wife didn’t want to interact with his dog differently. I appreciated his honesty, however--what did Einstein say? 

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

There are many parts to correcting unwanted dog behavior (see equation below), but in order for lasting effective change, the owner must change how they interact with their dog.

Dog Training Success = Right diagnosis + Correct Training Rx + Timing/Consistency/Energy

*There are rare cases where a dog has a medical condition or is so aggressive that owners cannot and should not train their own dogs. I am not referring to these extreme cases here. People who have aggressive dogs should seek help from a professional trainer and/or talk to their vet.