Why do dogs dig holes in the ground and how to stop them from doing it?

Why do dogs dig holes?

Digging holes is normal behavior for animals. Wild dogs also dug holes in the forest to spend the night or give birth to puppies in a safe place. This was passed down from ancient ancestors to domestic animals.

Reasons why dogs dig holes in the area:

1. Hot weather. The dog's instincts tell him that the deeper the hole, the cooler it is. If there is a shaded place in the yard, then there will be no problems. A protruding tongue and difficulty breathing means that your pet is hot.
2. Early birth. The female is about to give birth and thinks that the babies will be safe in the pit. More often, these actions mean a false pregnancy.
3. Little physical activity or excessive boredom. The pet does not walk freely much, sits on a chain for days or rarely goes outside.
4. Hunting instinct. Dogs consider this process part of urgent work. This is especially true for terriers and dachshunds.
5. Attractive smell. Fertilizers dug into the beds are of interest to pets. When there is a lack of fiber, it is found that animals eat fertilized vegetables or soils that have certain minerals.
6. Sexual hunting. Males living on a chain dig holes near the kennel - a sign that there is a bitch nearby who is in heat. If a girl is digging, she runs away in search of a male dog. These are instincts and difficult to unlearn.
7. Inventories. Wild dogs buried food supplies in holes so that in “hard times” they would not starve. In a domestic animal, this is either instinct, or the owner does not feed it well.

Digging holes on the site is called instinctive, and digging due to lack of movement and boredom is called impulsive.

Some dogs like to dig up the floor, carpets, and furniture of the house. Thus the animal can:

• ask for a treat;
• make people pay attention;
• show that something hurts;
• show that he is stressed;
• afraid.

In this case, it is better to show the dog to the veterinarian.

How to stop your dog from digging

The obvious way is to rid the animal of excess energy by forcing the dog to exercise. Most healthy dogs need 30 to 60 minutes of fairly vigorous exercise each day. Play various games with her, let her go for a walk, do not walk the same routes with her.

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To do this, select a separate area for him, add sand or soft soil, bury his toys there, and as soon as he digs them up, praise him and treat him with a treat. If he is digging elsewhere, tell him in a firm voice and take him to a prepared area.

This procedure will have to be carried out for quite a long time, but most animals are retrained.

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Weaning your pet in two steps

To cope with this problem, you first need to find the source of the problem, eliminate it, and then begin to correct the pet’s behavior.

Eliminating the source of the problem

Once you determine the exact cause, you can begin to fix the problem. There are many methods, but each requires time, patience and effort from the owner. The problem cannot be solved in one day. So, what can you do to stop your dog from digging holes in your yard?

1. Hot weather. Set up a special corner under a tree or in the house, pour cool water over the paw pads.
2. The bitch is about to give birth. Set up a den outside and put your favorite toys there.
3. The dog digs a hole and lies down in it. Set up a safe place near the owner.
4. The dog doesn't get enough exercise. Extend walks outside the area depending on the breed, pay more attention, run.
5. The pet eats fertilizer in the garden. This means that he is catastrophically lacking fiber in his body, improve his diet, buy vitamins and talk to a veterinarian.
6. The dog digs the ground and whines. Contact your veterinarian, your animal may be in pain.

During or even before weaning a bad habit, the owner must:

• teach the dog the simplest commands: “No”, “Place”;
• punish an animal if it recently dug a hole and was caught at the scene of a “crime”;
• buy balls, toys;
• pay enough attention;
• Take your pet for walks outside the fenced area every day;
• equip a sun lounger, a secluded place on the site.

If possible, designate a certain area where your pet will be allowed to dig. The best place would be a piece of grassy surface. But some dogs refuse to move to a new area. To do this, you need:

• dig well, loosen the soil;
• it is advisable to fertilize;
• fence with a net or fence;
• make holes yourself;
• put your favorite toys.

Another playground can be made in an “abandoned” sandbox with soft sand. This is the easiest way to wean an animal from a bad habit.

In hunting dogs and male dogs, having smelled the scent of a bitch in heat, it is much more difficult to destroy the desire to dig. This is inherent in nature.

Behavior correction

In what cases is an animal scolded or punished:

1. You caught him at the crime scene.
2. It does not follow the “No” command and does not respond to the owner.
3. When you approach the pit, the dog grins, growls, and rushes.

You can't scold when:

1. The actions took place a long time ago, the dog will not understand why he is being punished, it will only ruin his psyche.
2. The dog digs instinctively.

Another option on how to stop a dog from digging in the yard is to bury something that the pet hates to smell. It could be:

• the dog's own feces;
• peels from oranges, lemons;
• red pepper, chili;
• tobacco powder.

Useful video on the topic: how to stop a dog from digging holes?

Reasons for a dog digging holes in the yard: signs on how to wean your pet from the activity

Often the behavior of a four-legged friend raises a lot of questions. And if hunting for your own tail or looking at the wall only leads to bewilderment, then the lawn, flowers and other plantings suffer from digging the earth. There are many reasons why a dog digs holes in the yard, which must be identified in order to solve the problem.

Reasons why a dog digs the ground

Digging is a familiar and natural process for a dog; an animal can do it for many reasons. But the owners rarely like this behavior. And in order to eradicate this bad habit, you need to understand why the dog does it.

Dog digs a hole

Boredom

When owners go to work, pets may express separation anxiety. Digging becomes an interesting and entertaining pastime for them, helping them forget about the tedious wait for their owners. Interesting toys or special puzzle games that allow you to use the animal’s mental activity will help wean you off this process.

For your information! Winter is not a reason to forget about your dog living outside. Lack of communication with the owner can lead to a deterioration in her behavior.

Hunting instinct

For many hunting breeds, digging in the ground is instinctive; this is important to consider when choosing a pet. Their paws are equipped with strong pads and powerful claws to prevent injury during the process, and their delicate sense of smell is capable of catching prey underground. Even a small puppy can spend hours digging, which the owner will not like.

Terriers are put in first place when it comes to digging soil. They were bred for the purpose of hunting not only terrestrial, but also underground animals. However, not all terriers have a passion for digging. Borders, Norwich, Yorkies and other representatives with short legs are especially guilty of this habit. In most cases, these are small decorative dogs, the harm from which can reach large scales.

Digging as a hunting instinct

An honorable second place is occupied by dachshunds, which are excellent burrow hunters. Nowadays they are increasingly chosen as pets, but their instincts remain on a subconscious level. Therefore, you should be prepared if your dachshund tries to dig a hole in the sofa or dig up the garden plot.

Body needs

Four-legged friends are carnivores whose main diet is offal, meat and other protein products of animal origin. But, despite this, their body should also receive fiber, which plant foods are so rich in.

Important! If your dog digs and then eats roots or plants obtained during the process, it is necessary to introduce fiber-containing foods into his diet.

Lack of physical activity

All breeds of dogs (herding, sledding, guard and decorative) need physical activity. If an animal lacks them, it can direct its physical activity in a different direction, which rarely suits the owners.

What to do if your dog digs the ground? First of all, remember the last time your pet was on the training ground, hunting or on a long walk. If it’s been a long time, it’s worth starting to involve the animal in an active pastime.

The desire to stock up “for a rainy day”

Regardless of whether a dog needs food or not, he may subconsciously save food for a rainy day. Such animals, carrying a bone in their teeth, run throughout the territory in search of a secluded place, and having found it, they dig a hole and hide their supplies in it. And if some stop there, others can run every hour to check the safety of the buried food.

Dogs bury bones for a rainy day

The desire to establish a rookery

If a dog digs a hole and then lies down in it, most likely it is making a rookery for itself in this way. When experiencing heat, the dog removes the top layer of soil, approaching the cooler one below.

Note! This process is especially relevant for hot summers. In this way, the animal looks for a cool place.

When the cause of the behavior has been identified, you can lay a damp cloth on the animal in the shade or place a shallow container of water. If you have an alternative method of cooling, your pet will be more likely to stop digging.

Attractive smells

One of the reasons for digging a garden may be previously applied fertilizers based on blood or bone meal. While humans find their smell disgusting, dogs find it attractive. They can dig the garden for a long time in search of aromatic delicacies.

Escape attempt

Dogs can often dig holes near the fence for the purpose of escape. They are driven at this time by the instinct of reproduction. If a male dog senses a bitch in heat, even a high fence may not stop him. In such cases, to solve the problem, it is recommended to find a mate for him or, if the animal is not valuable for the breed, castrate.

Digging as a way to escape

The appearance of offspring

Pregnant bitches, if they are close to giving birth, can dig the ground intensively. In this way, they create a den for themselves to raise future offspring. To prevent such developments, owners are advised to prepare a comfortable and spacious doghouse for the dog.

Why is it so important to identify the cause?

Why does a dog eat its own feces: what to do and how to wean it off

If an adult dog or puppy digs the ground, you should not take it personally and regard it as sabotage. In most cases, animals do this on a subconscious level. After all, the direct ancestors are wolves, this is how they escape the heat, look for food, and prepare for offspring.

Wolf digs the ground

Nature is nature, but this behavior harms the land, so it is important to identify the true cause and make attempts to correct the behavior.

11 methods to stop your dog from digging holes in the yard

The dog is coughing as if choking: why and what to do

What to do:

• teaching the dog basic commands: “Ugh!”, “Place”, “No”. When she starts digging the ground, you should call the animal and say the command “Fu!” or "You can't." After several such repetitions, the animal will become ingrained in its subconscious that digging is prohibited;
• The dog can only be scolded at the moment of digging or immediately after the prank. If more than an hour has passed since that moment, the dog simply will not understand why the owner was angry;
• pay attention to the animal. Many dog ​​breeders mistakenly believe that if they have a plot of land, there is no need to additionally play with the dog or take it outside. Even if the dog lives outside the city, he needs regular walks outside the home: in parks, training grounds, with other dogs;
• during the absence of the owner, the dog must be provided with a sufficient number of toys;
• In some cases, a bored animal can be weaned from digging holes by buying him a friend. Two playing dogs will rush around the area, forgetting about their previous leisure time;

Dogs digging holes in the yard

• if the dog digs the ground and eats plant roots, a simple solution would be to introduce zucchini, pumpkin, carrots and other fiber-rich vegetables into the diet;
• if digging holes is associated with natural instincts, you can allocate a small area of ​​the yard for the animal where this will be allowed. When the dog begins to dig in this place, he should be praised and encouraged. Over time, he will understand and learn the limits of what is permitted;
• You can stop your dog from digging holes with a balloon. So, a bone is placed in a pre-prepared shallow hole, and an inflated ball is placed on top of it. All this is buried with a small amount of earth. When the dog, sensing the smell of meat, digs the ground, he will catch the ball. It will burst, making a loud enough sound that it will frighten the animal and discourage it from digging;
• Often a pet has several particularly favorite places on the site for digging. They can be equipped with automatic water sprinklers that will scare away the dog;
• Drastic ways to eliminate the problem are concreting the area and laying tiles. They are suitable if you do not plan to use the land for a garden or vegetable garden;
• One of the effective ways to solve the problem is to bury a cloth soaked in ammonia, kerosene and other substances with an unpleasant odor in the dog’s favorite places.

Note! You can already pour black or red pepper into the dug hole.

Signs and superstitions

Why dogs can’t have chocolate: what to do if they eat it

The dog has been next to humans for many centuries, so signs and beliefs are associated with its behavior.

So, if a dog dug a hole and lay down in it, someone in the family will get sick. To prevent this from happening, the animal was cajoled and allowed into the house only with clean paws. Digging holes all over the yard meant that the dog was eager to escape.

To hold it, the owner was recommended to take a tuft of wool from the neck.

For your information! Some peoples believed that a dug hole near the booth promised death to one of the household members. The hole that the dog dug near the owner's house also promises trouble. To avoid such troubles, people tried to appease dogs and treated them with special trepidation.

Finding the cause of digging is the first step towards solving the problem.

In the modern world, few people believe in omens. Often the owner is looking for the real reason and wonders what to do if the dog digs holes in the yard. And, having found the answer, it is quite possible to adjust your behavior and live in harmony with your four-legged friend.

Source: https://gafki.ru/sobaki/pochemu-roet-yamy-vo-dvore.html

Tips from a dog handler

What to do if the dog, even after re-education and the owner’s efforts, continues to dig? Experts shared their little tricks on how to fix the problem:

1. If possible, dig up the entire area and lay a fine iron mesh at a depth of 20-25 cm. After the first attempt, the dog will understand that it is in a hopeless situation. Make sure the mesh is tight and not sharp. The dog may accidentally get hurt. The mesh can also be replaced with stones.
2. If a dog, especially a hunting dog, is looking for a mole in a hole, try to distract his attention. For example, place a balloon in the hole. The dog will start digging, the toy will burst, and he will get scared. The desire to rummage will immediately disappear. The main thing is that he has a good psyche and does not become afraid of extraneous sounds. Under no circumstances should you kill rodents using chemicals - the dog will be poisoned.
3. Install sprayers in places where the animal usually operates. Every time you see him at the scene of a “crime,” turn on the water. The first or second time he will be afraid to approach and will unlearn the habit.

As a last resort, contact a dog handler, he will help determine the exact cause and eliminate the problem using special techniques and methods. It will teach you to see the owner as a leader, the leader of the pack.

How to stop a dog from digging holes in the yard

The strange behavior of animals sometimes causes bewilderment even among experienced dog breeders. Animal psychologists are already accustomed to questions about why a dog digs holes in the yard or why an animal hunts poultry even if it is well fed. The answer to this, in principle, is one - instinct. It is he who makes a pet sometimes shock its owner.

If your furry pet digs holes in the garden, there is no need to be upset, this is due to its nature. Suffice it to remember that the wild ancestors of dogs, wolves, created shelters for themselves where they bred their offspring.

In addition, the reason may be completely banal, for example, the pet is hot, and in this way it cools down. Or the animal belongs to those breeds for which digging a hole is their favorite thing. These include terriers, huskies and dachshunds.

But you should not put up with behavior that causes inconvenience to the owner. This article will tell you why dogs dig and how to stop them from doing it.

Reasons for this behavior

In fact, there can be many reasons why an animal digs holes on a site. They depend on the breed of the dog, the time of year, and even how shaggy the four-legged friend is. Next, each reason will be examined in detail, which will allow the owner to better understand the psychology of his pet.

Construction of a rookery or cache

If a dog digs a hole only in hot weather, and completely ignores the ground in autumn, winter and spring, then the reason for this is that it is creating a comfortable bed for itself.

Having removed the top layer of soil, the pet gets to the lower, cooler layer, which saves the furry friend from overheating.

To avoid this, just spread a damp cloth near the booth or place a trough with cool water in the shade so that the dog can cool off in it.

For some dogs, their instinct is to hide food for a rainy day. For these purposes, a hole is dug in the ground, where the animal hides a bone or a piece of bread “in reserve.” And then he checks it ten times a day, fearing that someone might steal.

Curiosity

A dog is an extremely inquisitive animal that receives a huge amount of information from smells. The ground contains many interesting things for your pet, which he searches for, thereby stimulating his brain.

Therefore, gardeners should avoid fertilizing their beds with bone meal; for their four-legged friend, its smell is the best motivation for digging. Another reason why a dog digs is a lack of physical labor.

This behavior is typical for sporting individuals.

Search for a partner

If your furry friend prefers to dig holes under the fence, then the reason for this may be the search for a sexual partner. Moreover, this is typical both for females during heat and for males if there are females somewhere nearby. This problem can be solved either by timely mating of the animal, or by sterilization.

Loneliness

Four-legged pets are in many ways reminiscent of small children. If they do not receive the required amount of attention from the owner, they can deliberately “become naughty,” thereby attracting the owner to their person. They dig holes, overturn flower pots, peel off wallpaper, in a word - they play dirty tricks, in the hope that their loved one will play with them more.

So, having discussed the main reasons that prompt your pet to dig up the beds, let’s move on to the question of what to do in order to get rid of this behavior.

Methods for solving the problem

An owner who is faced with the dilemma of how to wean a dog from digging holes in the yard should start from the fact that there are only two methods for correcting a bad habit. Either completely eliminate the reason why the animal wants to dig holes, or teach it to do it in a certain place.

Behavior correction methods

Having understood and decided on the reasons that prompted your pet to such “dirty” actions, you can take certain measures. There are a great variety of methods, but they are all based on an integrated approach to the problem.

It is worth remembering that in a few days it is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of the current situation. You need to be patient and be prepared to spend your time eradicating the problem.

Collaborative communication

First of all, you need to start by spending time together. The main goal is not to turn communication with your pets into an unnecessary routine or work. It is important to make sure that the dog receives as much communication and attention as possible from its owner.

When an animal is given enough attention, it will be confident, not cowardly, shy or fearful. In most cases, dogs start digging in order to attract the attention of their leader.

It is worth noting that this almost always works.

Walks and toys

Joint walks and new toys will help relieve your animal of boredom. If you are not paying enough attention to your pet for serious reasons, you need to think about how to entertain your dog. Owners are often advised to get another dog. Communication with their relatives will help them become more independent from their owner.

Sufficient physical activity is not just a method of distracting a dog from committing unwanted actions, but also a vital factor in the education of all breeds of dogs, and especially hunting breeds.

Note! If the owner does not know how to entertain an overly active dog, dog experts recommend playing in the water. The exercises are not dangerous for fragile joints, all muscle groups are involved and the animal really gets tired, which will allow him to eat after the games and immediately fall asleep.

Socialization

One of the skills that helps a pet exist in harmony with the outside world is socialization. It may be that the dog simply cannot understand that digging holes is something out of the ordinary. In such cases, you need to make the animal understand as correctly as possible what is normal behavior and what should not be done.

It is not recommended to encourage your dog's bad behavior , but try to be patient and attentive. You can punish a dog when it is truly unavoidable.

Punishment can only be carried out when the dog is caught by surprise committing the “crime” of digging. After a hole has been discovered, and the owner is 100% sure who did it, there is no point in scolding the animal.

Punishing a dog after an act has been committed will not help in solving the problem, but may, on the contrary, worsen the situation. The dog's anxiety increases, and as a result, the animal begins to dig and dig even more.

Create fences

In order to protect the planting area from vandalism, you can surround the area with stones that will be difficult for the animal to move. You can bury a small mesh (chain-link) in the excavation areas.

The feeling of something metal under its paws will be unpleasant for the dog and it will stop doing such things.

Elimination of causes

If a dog digs holes to escape the heat, then it is necessary to create conditions in which he will have this opportunity without digging up the earth. If you live in an apartment, then during hot weather you need to keep your dog indoors with air conditioning. If you live in a private house, then you can prepare a container in which the dog can rinse.

If you are the owner of a dachshund who digs the ground in search of mice, then you need to call a service that fights rodents. Then both you and your pet will be calm.

If the reason for this behavior is a lack of exercise, then you just need to walk more and play with the animal. You can also take part in various sporting events. Then this bad habit will disappear on its own.

To prevent the dog from digging the ground in search of a partner, simply mate or sterilize the animal.

If you walk more with friends who have dogs, then your pet will not need live communication and he will not develop such behavior.

The most drastic way would be to bury wire mesh around the perimeter of the site. A dog in the process of digging up the earth will certainly stumble upon it and stop its actions.

What can I do to prevent my dog ​​from digging up beds and flower beds?

When an animal is so keen on digging holes that it jeopardizes the future harvest and causes significant damage to plantings. In this case, the owner should listen to the advice of professionals on how to wean a dog from digging beds. To solve the problem, you can use the following recommendations:

• it is necessary to regularly restrain the animal with prohibiting commands when attempting to dig holes and trenches. If the animal stops its actions, it should be called and rewarded;
• boards, bricks, curb stones, etc. should be placed at the border of crops and plantings. When walking through the garden with your pet, you need to praise him if he does not step over the fence and stop attempts to go beyond the fenced area with a stern voice;

• If the dog stubbornly continues to damage the plantings, then you can resort to radical measures. An inflated balloon should be placed in the favorite place where the dog most often digs. A sharp sound will cause a negative reaction in the pet at the time of digging and will discourage digging in the beds;
• An effective method in the question of how to wean a dog from digging flower beds is this. In the area where valuable plants are planted, it is necessary to place an irrigation system and equip it with a motion sensor. As soon as the pet approaches the plantings, cold water will cool the fidget's ardor;
• The use of electric or vibrating collars can help solve the problem. An unpleasant signal, which is given when an animal acts undesirably, quickly weans the dog from digging the soil in the flower beds.

We recommend reading about how to train your dog to sit. From the article you will learn about how to arrange a place for a puppy/adult dog, how to accustom it to a new place, and the “Place!” command.

Learn more about how to train a dog to crate.

Having discovered a tendency in his pet to dig holes, the owner must understand the nature of this phenomenon. A common cause of undesirable action is the natural instincts of reproduction, home protection and feeding factors. In some cases, identifying it will help the owner correct the pet’s behavior and wean it from a habit that is destructive to plantings.