subject: How To Easily Make Your Dog Stop Digging Holes [print this page] There are numerous reasons why dogs will dig holes. Many digging is instinct. In the winter a wolf will eat whatever food he kills due to the fact that he may not eat again for a long time. During the summer, he will dig a hole to bury his extra food so if he is short of food later on he can go back and finish off what he buried.
It is this instinct why dogs normally bury a bone within your backyard. Dogs will probably also dig a hole in the summer time to lay on cooler dirt to cool themself down. In the winter he might dig a hole to gain some protection from the cold.
Your dog probably also digs holes for the reason that he does not get a lot of exercising and digging holes burns up a ton of energy. A dog owner may not notice how much energy a dog has and plenty of dogs, especially a larger dog in the city, may not be able to get out and run to burn some of that extra energy off. Make sure your dog gets all the exercise and attention that he needs.
If your dog is left out inside the yard all by himself and he spends his time and effort digging holes, be sure to not yell and give him a lot of negative attention. Dogs are a lot like children. If they aren't getting a lot of attention, they will find a way to get attention, whether the behavior is bad or good.
To a dog that is ignored, attention paid to them for bad behavior may be more welcome than being ignored for one more day. Giving him negative attention for digging holes might just make the matter worse.
If you catch your dog in the act of digging, just plainly tell him no and you will most likely be shocked at how useful that is. If you don't tell him no, because of his instincts, he has no idea that he shouldn't be doing it.
Many holes are dug up once we are not around the area. That is for the reason that numerous dogs dig holes out of boredom. Spend lots of time with your dog. If you are around, he is not likely to be bored.
If your dog is still digging after you have firmly told him to stop,(without yelling and screaming), put a wooden stake in the center of the hole he has dug, tie him to the stake with his leash and leave him there for twenty minutes.
It may take a few more holes, but after you have a lot of holes with stakes in the middle of them, your dog will relate the stake to the hole and being tied to the stake and the hole digging will stop.
