Hot Diggity Dog!

Got a call today from a woman who was furious because her dog was digging so much that her backyard looked like the surface of the moon!  She'd never had a dog that dug before, so the first step was talking about why dogs dig.

All dogs have the potential to be diggers as digging can be quite adaptive.  If a dog is hot, for example, they may dig a hole in the cool dirt to lay in.  If a dog is cold, they may dig a hole to bury themselves in to retain heat.  If a dog has a prized resource such as a bone, and they want to save that treat for later, they may dig a hole to bury it.  And a lot of dogs dig because they see or hear something below the surface and want to get at it (moles, gophers, etc).

Of course, it goes without saying, that there are dogs that dig because they are bored.  Maybe they saw you digging and planting in an area so they figure that's what must be done there!  Maybe they could hear the neighbors next door in their yard, so they are digging under the fence to escape to the great beyond and greener pastures.

So, the first step then in dealing with a digging dog is to determine why they are digging.  In the case of the client mentioned above, she had a young male terrier.  Terriers definitely have a breed predisposition toward digging!  Add to it the fact that this dog owner has had an ongoing problem with burrowing pests in her yard, and now you know why her yard looks like a lunar landscape!  While she thought she'd taken care of the moles, her dog knew better.  I observed him cocking his head, staring at the ground, moving from spot to spot, and then digging. Just because the owner hadn't seen any telltale mounds of uprooted dirt in her yard of late didn't mean the pesky moles were gone.  Now, she needs to bring in a professional exterminator who uses deterrents that are safe in a yard with dogs.  I also suggested that she embrace who her dog truly is...an avid digger!

If you have a dog that likes to dig, let em dig!  You can't make them stop digging without creating undue anxiety. Instead, provide them with a digging area.  Choose a spot in your yard where it is okay to dig. Or build them a sandbox for digging.  Or, you can even use a plastic kids wading pool filled with dirt, sand, etc. Bury interesting items in this approved digging area; carrots, dog cookies, and bones will work.  Make sure your dog sees you burying those treasures.  Refresh the treasures regularly and make sure the substrate remains good for digging. So, if the dirt gets too hard to dig, add water or change the dirt.  You don't want your dog switching his digging from the approved area to your well-watered and tended garden!

You most certainly can put up barriers to your beloved gardens to keep your dogs from digging there. Just remember, however, that they still want to dig and need to dig, so give them an area where it is safe and okay to do so. If they get in your garden, redirect them to their own digging area.  And if you are using sand in your digging area, remember to cover it at night so the neighborhood cats don't use it as an outdoor litterbox!

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Ozzie investigating a spot in our yard where moles have been digging...again!