Ask the Trainer

Doggy Digging Disaster

"My 8 month old Husky, Riley, is digging up our whole backyard. We have a huge fenced in yard for him to run around in but when he's out there alone all he does is dig, dig, dig. We are getting frustrated since he is ruining the landscaping. We need help!"

Digging is an extremely natural behavior for dogs and they never understand why we humans hate it so much! It is important to let dogs dig as it releases a lot of anxiety or frustration that they might be feeling.

The best thing to do for a digging dog is to give them a "safe spot" where digging is allowed. I recommend using a sandbox as dogs often enjoy digging in them. Bring your dog outside and bury a biscuit for them to undercover. Let them eat the biscuit as a reward. Continue to play this game with them for several weeks.

Your dog can never be left out unattended during this training as you need to catch him in the act of digging each time he chooses another location. When you see him digging, say "NO" and bring him to the safe digging area. Encourage digging and reward. Remember that anytime your dog digs in a non safe spot and you're not paying attention, you lose 80% of all your previous digging training!

Along with this training, remember that digging is often a sign of boredom and that just because your yard is enormous it doesn't mean your dogs will self exercise. Dogs are pack animals and they love to be with others. Keep your dog well exercised and give them lots of mind stimulating activities. Take your dogs dinner and throw it all around the back yard so that he has to work and find each piece of kibble. Throw some marrow bones out in the yard so your dog can chew his anxieties away instead of digging. Also, doing obedience training or teaching tricks will stimulate his mind as well.

Good luck!