Why do Dogs Dig Holes
To keep cool and Comfortable: A dog often digs to make himself a comfortable bed. If a dog is feeling hot or cold, digging hole in your garden or yard helps him find a cooler or warmer place to rest comfortably.
To escape Boredom: When dogs are bored, lonely isolated, they often dig for physical and mental stimulation. Dogs digging for entertainment often adopt a playful mood and are seen alternating between digging and running around the specific area.
For storage: Dogs often dig holes to bury their valuable things such as food, prey, bones, or toys. Placing their valuable items in the hole and then covering them with mud not only helps them to keep their things safe and secured, but also helps them return to eat it later.
To Hunt Ground Dwelling Animals: The desire to hunt little critters that live underground can often make a dog dig persistently in an attempt to get his prey.
Escape Fear: Dogs often tend to digs holes in order get away from the fear of natural calamities such as thunderstorms or to escape the dread of neighborhood dogs.
How to Stop Dogs from Digging Holes
Improve your dog’s sleeping space: Providing your pet with a den like environment can negate the inherit need of the dog to create his own sleeping space. Thus, ensuring that the sleeping area of your dog is clean, cool and ventilated can go a long way in preventing your dog from digging.
Stimulation: The fact that boredom often leads a dog to dig, involving your pet in various physical activities (taking him for long way or involving in different games) or placing some dog toys around him can help him stay busy, thereby getting your dog to stop digging holes in your space.
Confine your Dog: In order to get dogs to stop digging, placing your dog in a kennel, crate or indoors especially when you are not around to supervise him can go a long way in fixing the dog digging problem to a great extent.
Set a Trap: Playing a few harmless tricks on your pet is a great tip to stop dogs from digging holes. One such solution to stop dog digging is to blow balloons in those areas where your dog usually digs holes. When your pet starts digging he will be startled with the noise of the balloon whenever he strikes the balloon during the act digging. This negative association with the act of digging can stop your dog to dig holes in your space in the future.
Avoid external distractions: When a dog is digging near the fence, he is usually trying to get something that is visible outside. Thus, blocking all outside distractions will prevent your pet from getting diverted to the visual temptations, thereby preventing your pet from digging.
A golden rule for correcting any dog behavioral problem is to be consistent and steady. Thus, learning about the right reason for dog digging and consistently applying proper techniques to stop dog digging can go a long way in helping you control dog digging problems in a successful manner. If you learn why your dog digs and follow the tips above, you will be able to handle why and How To Stop Dogs From Digging.