Digging Problem
There
are two extremes of opinion when it comes to dogs
and their digging habits: one, that a dog is a dog,
and we should permit him to express his true canine
nature by allowing him free reign over the yard and
flowerbeds; and two, that a flowerbed is a flowerbed,
and no dog should even think about expression his
dogginess if such an expression comes at the price
of a season’s worth of rosebuds.
My own viewpoint tends to favor the middle ground.
Although plenty of dogs do love to dig, and it’s
healthy for them to be permitted to indulge in this
habit from time to time, there’s a difference
between permitting your dog to express his inner puppy,
and allowing him to run rampant in the yard. I don’t
see why a dog should have to come at the price of
a garden, and vice versa: flowers and dogs can coexist
peacefully. If your dog’s developed a taste
for digging, it’ll just take a bit of time (and
some crafty ingenuity) on your part to resolve the
issue satisfactorily.
First of all, if you have yet to adopt a dog and
your concern for the fate of your flower-beds is purely
hypothetical, consider the breed of dog that you’d
like. If you’ve got your eye on a specific mixed-breed
dog, what seems to be the most prominent?
The reason that I ask is simply because breed often
plays a significant role in any given dog’s
personal valuation of digging as a rewarding pastime
– terriers and Nordic breeds in particular (Huskies,
Malamutes, some members of the Spitz family) seem
to particularly enjoy digging.
Of course, when you get right down to the sum and
substance, each dog is first and foremost an individual,
and there’s no guaranteed way to predict whether
or not your chosen familial addition is going to be
a burrower or not. But if you’re trying to reduce
the likelihood of an involuntarily-landscaped garden
as much as possible, I suggest you stay away from
all breeds of terrier (the name means “go to
earth”, after all!) and the Nordic breeds.
Why do dogs dig?
In no particular order, here are some of the more
common reasons that a dog will dig:
Lack of exercise. Digging is a good
way for a hyped-up, under-exercised dog to burn off
some of that nervous energy.
Boredom. Bored dogs need a “job”
to do, something rewarding and interesting, to help
the time pass by.
Digging is often the ideal solution for a bored dog:
it gives him a sense of purpose, and distracts him
from an otherwise-empty day.
The need for broader horizons. Some dogs are just
escape artists by nature – no matter how much
exercise and attention they get, it’s nearly
impossible to confine them. For a four-legged Houdini,
it’s not the digging in itself that’s
the reward, it’s the glorious unknown that exists
beyond the fenceline.
Separation anxiety. To a dog that’s
seriously pining for your company, digging under those
confining walls represents the most direct path to
you. Separation anxiety is an unpleasant psychological
issue relatively common among dogs – but because
it’s so complex, we won’t be dealing with
it in this newsletter. Instead, you can find excellent
resources for both preventing and coping with the
condition at http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/
Curbing the habit
Many of the reasons contributing to your dog’s
desire to dig suggest their own solutions: if your
dog’s not getting enough exercise (generally
speaking, at least forty-five minutes’ worth
of vigorous walking per day), take him for more walks.
If he’s bored, give him some toys and chews
to play with during your absence, and wear him out
before you leave so he spends most of the day snoozing.
An escape-artist dog might need to be crated, or at
least kept inside the house where he’s less
likely to be able to break free.
For those dogs who just like to dig as a pastime
in itself, though, here are a few basic tips for controlling
inappropriate digging as much as is reasonably possible:
Restrict your dog’s access.
This is the most effective thing you can do: if he’s
never in the yard without active supervision, there’s
no opportunity for digging.
Use natural deterrent. 99.9% of
dogs will shy back, horrified, from the prospect of
digging anywhere that there’s dog poop. Even
the ones who like to eat poop (a condition known as
coprophagia) generally won’t dig anywhere near
it – it offends their basic, fastidious dislike
of soiling their coat and paws.
Use nature’s own wiles. If
the digging is bothering you because it’s upsetting
the more delicate blooms in your garden, plant hardier
blossoms: preferably, those with deep roots and thorny
defenses. Roses are ideal.
A more time-consuming, but super-effective way of
handling the issue: roll up the first inch or two
of turf in your yard, and lay down chicken-wire underneath
it. Your dog won’t know it’s there until
he’s had a few tries at digging, but once he’s
convinced himself that it’s pointless (which
won’t take long), he’ll never dig in that
yard again.
Accept your dog’s need for an outlet: give him
a place to dig
If your dog is set on tunneling your yard into a
grassless, crater-studded lunar landscape, but you’re
equally determined to prevent this from happening
at all costs, please take a moment to consider before
embarking on a grueling and time-consuming preventative
strategy.
Setting yourself the goal of eradicating all digging
behavior, period, is pretty unrealistic: it’s
not fair on you (since, really, you’re setting
yourself up for failure), and it’s not really
fair on your poor dog either – if he’s
a true-blue digger, it’s just part of his personality,
and he needs at least some opportunity to express
that.
But a lawn and a dog don’t have to be mutually
exclusive: the most humane and understanding thing
for you to do in this case is simply to redirect his
digging energy.
You do this by allocating him an area where he’s
allowed to dig as much as he pleases. Once this zone’s
been established, you can make it crystal-clear that
there’s to be absolutely no digging in the rest
of the yard – and you can enforce your rules
with a clear conscience, since you know your dog now
has his own little corner of the world to turn upside
down and inside out as he chooses.
But what if you don’t have a “spare corner”
of the yard? What if the whole thing, grass, flowerbeds,
and gravel path, is just too dear to your heart? That’s
OK too – invest in a sandbox, which you can
place anywhere in the garden.
You can even make one yourself (the deeper, the better,
obviously). Fill it with a mixture of sand and earth,
and put some leaves or grass on top if you like -
get your dog interested in it by having a scratch
around yourself, until he gets the idea.
Make sure the boundaries are clear
To make it clear to him that the sandbox is OK but
that everywhere else is a no-dig zone, spend a little
time supervising him. When he starts to dig in the
box (you can encourage this by shallowly burying a
few choice marrowbones in there), praise him energetically
– and if he starts digging anywhere else, correct
him straight away with an “Ah-ah-aaaah!”
or “No!”.
Then, redirect him immediately to the sandbox, and
dole out vociferous praise when digging recommences.
To really clarify the lesson, give him a treat when
digging gets underway in the sandbox – the close
proximity between the correction (for digging out
of the sandbox) and praise/reward (for digging in
the sandbox) will ensure that your point strikes home.
Further Reading
For more information on recognizing and dealing with
problematic behaviors like digging, chewing, barking,
and aggression, check out Secrets To Dog Training.
It’s a detailed how-to manual for the responsible
owner, and is packed with all the information you’ll
need for raising a healthy, happy, well-adjusted pooch:
from problem behaviors to dog psychology to obedience
work, SitStayFetch has it covered.
You can check out Secrets To Dog Training
by clicking on the link below:
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Secrets To Dog Training
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