Vital Pet Health

Paul Manktelow.  Digging behaviour by dogs can be attributed to a number of possibilities.

Certain breeds can exhibit digging in order to satisfy their historical make up. For instance terriers have been bred to flush out prey by either furrowing or digging. Their highly tuned senses have been developed to match this digging desire. Cold conditioned breeds such as huskies dig cooling holes in order to reduce their core body temperature.

Common reasons that may explain this type of destructive behaviour could include bitches digging for a nest, dogs digging to bury or retrieve bones, digging to cool down on a hot summer’s day or to escape confinement. Some dogs may exhibit this behaviour simply because they do have sufficient stimulus within their surroundings or throughout the day.

Digging – Type

Digging needs to be seen as a sign of communication between the dog and its owner. If your dog is digging a cooling hole then you need to provide your pet with cold drinking water and an area that is adequately cool.

For dogs that dig due to a lack of attention then a more regular exercise / play regime needs to be set up and followed. This also needs to be applied to active breeds or young vibrant dogs.

Special attention needs to be applied to dogs that dig to escape confinement. These dogs are clearly unhappy with their living space and

the owner must then look critically at their pets living conditions to see whether things can be changed to the environment dimensions and / or a more stimulating day.

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Digging - Area

The Key to stopping inappropriate digging is to know your dog’s motivations and ensure all their behavioural needs are met. This way the behaviour will not be redirected to a new area.

Digging areas can be designed so that dogs have a suitable place to dig which is acceptable to the owner. This may be a spot that your dog already digs in. If this is the case then all that is needed is wooden borders to establish a clear boundary to that area and the rest of the garden.

Establishing new areas which best suit your garden is also possible. Create borders around the digging area with wood. Apply loose top soil to encourage the dog to dig.

To encourage use of the area place food treats just below the surface of the soil when your dog is watching. Over time the treats can be pressed deeper into the soil to lengthen the retrieval experience.

Once your dog has associated the new area with food treats there may be a greater chance of the dog returning to the area to forage whilst trying to satisfy the need to dig.

Digging – Supervision

During supervision direct intervention like sound aversion can be applied when the dog exhibits unsuitable digging behaviour.

During non supervisory periods it may be possible to booby trap the problematic area. This could be done by placing rocks in the soil or by operating the sprinkler remotely when the destructive behaviour is occurring. Placing impenetrable surfaces such as patio slabs or sheets of ply wood over digging spots may also deter the dog.

A continuation of your dog to dig destructively may require you to house your pet in a living space where digging is not an option. This may be indoors or outside in a pen that has impenetrable flooring e.g. concrete or patio flooring.

Your pet should be supervised outdoors and as soon as the inappropriate digging occurs returned to the new living space. This process will have to be repeated until your pet can stay outside without digging.

It is essential that the dog is adequately stimulated while housed in the confinement area. This should be done in the form of regular exercise, play time, play toys and food treats / chews.

Alternatively a pen may be constructed which allows the dog to dig within it.