#61. My Dog is Digging in My Yard, What Can I Do??

Some dogs are instinctively more prone to dig, especially those bred to chase vermin such as Rat Terriers, Jack Russell Terriers, Yorkshire Terriers, Cairn Terriers, Miniature Schnauzer & others. These breeds dig to get to the vermin they smell or see, but some other breeds dig for other reasons such as:

1. Boredom: Not enough to keep their mind busy/stimulated, especially for high energy breeds or those breeds bred to do a job.

2. To escape the yard: could be because they are trying to get to a person, animal, or they are a breed that likes to roam.

3. They are too warm: it is cooler when deeper underground. If your dog is doing it for this reason check out my blog post # 58 for some good ideas of how to help keep your dog cool.

4. They see you’re gardening & digging & are just coping with what they see. Yes, this happens.

5. They smell something in the yard that smells interesting, maybe an animal was there previously or you dropped a little food when cooking out.

6. They want to bury a bone or object to retrieve at a later date.

I fostered a variety of breeds & some would try & dig so I did research to figure out some ways to help with this issue & I found different things worked with different dogs but something always worked. I will give you some ideas here, if you have something positive that has worked I’d love for you to share it in the comments.

1. Get a sand box or plastic baby pool & fill it 1/2 way or more with sand. One like this is what I used, has a lid so rain stays out & you can cover it when not using it. https://amzn.to/4kl2Vzm Get play sand for it, will take at least 5-8 bags depending on the size of sand box & to give you a decent amount. This bag of sand from Amazon is 50 lbs https://amzn.to/3IckuV1. If you don’t want or don’t have room for a sandbox consider an under-bed storage organizer such as these https://amzn.to/4lC2G46 or one with wheels to help you move it easier when not using it https://amzn.to/4kl3Xve When your dog is in the house & can’t see you bury some treats in the sandbox, just under the surface at first. Use something that is harder so the sand won’t stick to like freeze dried wild caught salmon https://amzn.to/4eypwal. Or beef https://amzn.to/44xeAp4 I have yet to meet a dog who didn’t like these. Dehydrated Lamb lung is another great choice https://amzn.to/3ToOvTZ of course beef lung is also enjoyed a lot by all my past & current dogs https://amzn.to/4ey6iSt Once you have a few buried let your dog out & stand near to the box & call them to you. Let there nose tell them to smell in the box & let them dig for the treats. As long as they don’t see you put in treats & you do it randomly (more often at first) they will continue to go to the box to look for treats & not randomly dig in your yard. If your dog is toy oriented then you can bury toys in there, again use toys that are rubber so less sand sticks to them. such as this one: https://amzn.to/44qnEff or maybe this one: https://amzn.to/4kr91yq
2. If your dog is digging because of boredom you can stimulate your dogs brain by using puzzle games they have to figure out or snuffle mats they search for treats in. Mental exercise can be much more tiring to a dog than a long walk. Puzzle games like these https://amzn.to/44uVBeN can stimulate their brain https://amzn.to/4lcM1EB A Kong Wobbler that dispenses treats is a great place to put your dogs dinner in & let them work at feeding themselves it slows them down & engages their mind https://amzn.to/4eDUSg8 I recommend if your dog buries things to give these things inside. Snuffle mats use a dogs brain by making them search for their treats in these mats. My dogs enjoy snuffle mats, Kong wobbler & puzzle toys, as both are fairly active so these help use mental energy for them & afterwards they take a nap. https://amzn.to/3Tk65Zl There are many options, I like this one because has grip bottom & a variety of things to hide treats in. Keep the treats tiny so not giving too many treats or use their kibble. https://amzn.to/4lFqnZj
3. If your dog only occasionally digs in an area, a way you can keep them from digging there is to bury some of your dogs poop just below the surface & cover with dirt. Dogs don’t want to dig in poop, & they can smell it even if we can’t.
4. If your dog is digging to escape the yard, first off don’t leave him/her alone in the yard for more than a few minutes at most. I have a chain link fence I had put in as I knew I would foster, so had a 5 foot fence put in. Every 5 inches or so is a curve metal rod that was about 20 inches long & was bent in half so formed a ‘U’ shape & I drove it into the ground along the bottom of the fence. I never had a dog try & dig to escape. I had a fence climber once who was only about 15-20 lbs & she didn’t leave, just like to climb, it was quite interesting to watch. If you have a wooden fence considering putting chicken wire along the bottom & driving a stake along the bottom to keep it from moving or being dug under. https://amzn.to/46bVcR5 or like this: https://amzn.to/46oKdn8

Monitoring your dog is going to be the best way to redirect any behavior you aren’t ok with. Redirection versus correction has longer lasting positive results. We all repeat what we get rewarded for.

I hope you have found this information useful & helpful whether your current dog or a future dog has this issue. If a family or friend’s dog has this issue please share my blog link with them. I think a lot of people get stressed and flustered because they don’t know how to help with certain pet issues & my goal is to help with the things I have experienced or have heard of the issue. I fostered for 20+ years & probably 150 dogs & have had 5 dogs of my own as an adult, so I have come across a variety of things If you are liking my blog please subscribe, buying products I recommend, tell others on your social media pages, Comment & like the post at the bottom. All these things help my blog to be seen by more people. My goal of my blog is to help many pet owners to help their pets to Thrive & not just survive. I have 60 other published posts & you can find the table of content on my home page under the ‘Show” tab in the upper left corner. If you have an idea for a future post please feel free to reach out to me at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thank you & please come back & visit my blog soon, Debbie