There's no one reason that dogs love to dig, but there are ways to curb the behavior.
If your dog is digging—whether it's holes all over your yard or an escape hatch under the fence—it's important to identify the reasons why your dog is digging before addressing the behavior. Some pet parents are simply trying to understand the strange, sometimes random-seeming digging behavior. Others are desperately trying to save their garden. And still more are hoping to keep their dog from escaping under the fence.
While there are many reasons why your dog might be digging, understanding the basics of why dogs dig is the first step in managing the habit. Jennifer White, a behavior rehabilitation specialist from the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center, offers her advice on how to help keep pets (and your yard!) safe.
Why Do Dogs Dig?
Dogs don't dig with the intention of destroying your yard—they're following their canine instincts. "Some wild dog relatives, like foxes and wolves, dig dens to raise their young," White says. With these canine relatives instinctively resorting to dens for protection and comfort, it's not surprising when we see our domestic dogs sharing some of those behaviors.
"Our pet dogs share the desire to sleep in and under things that resemble a den," says White. "They often dig at the ground and circle before lying down, as though they're trying to make a softer resting place."
RELATED: 13 Dogs Who Can't Resist Digging in the Mud
Some dogs simply love to dig and tend to do so when they're trying to stay warm or cool, as digging a hole or den to rest in can protect them from hot or cold weather. But often, dogs dig for entertainment (it's just fun!), to bury things, or even to hunt down animals. "Dogs may also dig when they're anxious or to escape a yard," White points out, "so identifying the cause of your dog's digging is an important first step to addressing the behavior."
How To Stop a Dog From Digging
Managing and reducing your pup's digging habit requires understanding into why they're digging, as the best way to address the behavior varies based on the reason. Here are some common ways to identify what makes your dog dig and how to counter the behavior.
Digging Holes to Lie InIf your dog digs a hole, circles a few times, and lays down in it, she's digging for comfort. White points out that our dogs' ancestors would dig holes to sleep in. The same goes for today's companion canines—especially if there's no shelter with a milder temperature to offer than the air outside.
"If you suspect your dog is too warm or too cold, consider providing an insulated dog house in cold weather or providing more shade in hot weather," White says. You can plant a tree to create more shade, or simply encourage your dog to spend more time inside when it's hot or cold. In extreme heat, many dogs enjoy standing or sitting in a shallow pool to cool off, too.
Digging in BedDigging doesn't end when your pooch comes inside. Their natural instinct to dig for comfort is also why dogs dig on beds and couches. If a dog looks like she's nesting by digging to move around blankets and pillows, it's likely she's just trying to make their resting spot a bit more comfortable. Your pooch could also be trying to change the temperature of their bed, so a cooling mat or a heated bed may help curb the behavior.
Digging for FunA pup that simply seems to enjoy digging, and randomly digs deep holes at all times of the day, whether you're home or not, is most likely just digging for fun. Some dogs just enjoy a "good dig," and often don't differentiate between digging in a barren dirt area or the vegetable garden you've worked so hard on.
If you have areas of the yard you'd like to protect, White suggests putting up a low fence to keep him out, and supervising him when he has access to the area. "This will allow you to interrupt the behavior right away, and redirect him to a more appropriate spot, if one exists," she notes. "Reward your dog with praise and a treat or two when he performs a desired behavior such as digging in an appropriate place or simply leaving your flower beds alone."
With dogs who clearly enjoy digging as a hobby, it might be best to give them a designated spot to dig and bury things in. White suggests building a digging pit. Bury some treats and treasures for your dog to discover on his own in the designated spot to make digging in the correct area fun and reinforcing.
Digging While AloneSome dogs only dig when left alone for long periods of time, which may indicate that they're bored. They might also bark or chew while you're gone. White recommends beating those boredom blues by giving your dog some more stimulating things to do. "Playing fetch or tug and going for longer sniffy walks can not only provide physical stimulation, but more importantly, offers quality time with you," she notes.
Giving your pup plenty of chew toys and food-dispensing toys to keep them busy will help take their mind off your absence and help engage the mind of your canine best friend. "Break up long days by hiring a dog walker or taking your dog to doggy daycare once or twice a week, if he enjoys the company of other canines," White suggests.
Digging To HuntIf your dog is barking and whining, and inexplicably focused on the ground, they are likely fixated on a rodent trail. Hounds are especially known for this behavior and are inclined to dig when hunting. The best way to address this is with supervision, White explains. "Interrupt fixated hunting behavior before your dog starts to dig and distract her with play, if possible."
You can also move indoors, and redirect your dog's attention to play or stimulate their nose with a food dispensing toy. It would also be useful to find ways to deter the ground critters from coming into your yard and eliminating your dog's desire to chase them down and dig them up.
Digging Under FencesSome dogs have a keen sense of adventure and will try to dig under a fence to escape a yard, possibly due to boredom. The best way to curb this type of digging is with plenty of exercise. The goal with increased activity is to wear your dog out a bit more, so games like fetch and tug can help burn off extra energy, as well as going for a run or long walk together.
White also recommends a little DIY ingenuity to help keep your dog enclosed. "Reinforce the ground near your fence by pouring cement or burying chicken wire to discourage digging," White says. And since male dogs who are not neutered will often seek out neighborhood female dogs in heat, she advises pet parents to consider neutering to reduce the likelihood of roaming.
If your dog exhibits behavior like whining, pacing, and panting before you leave the house, he or she might be digging to escape because of anxiety. Anxious diggers often chew and bark at entrances and exits. If your pup is showing signs of severe separation anxiety, White strongly recommends consulting with a qualified professional to find the best way to relieve your pup's anxiety.
"A Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) or a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or Associate CAAB) and your veterinarian [can provide] guidance in helping your dog feel more relaxed when left alone," White suggests.
RELATED: How to Find a Trainer or Behavior Expert With the Right Experience for Your Pet
Should You Scold a Dog for Digging?
No matter the type of digging your dog is engaged in, there are plenty of ways to help address it—and it's always a great idea to seek help from your veterinarian or a certified behaviorist who can help you understand your dog's behavior.
Most importantly, it's essential that you avoid scolding or punishing a dog for digging and reinforce positive behaviors instead. Since digging often happens hours before you find the resulting evidence, it's difficult for your dog to understand why he's being punished. Scolding and punishing a dog after the fact is unlikely to curb the behavior and will instead scare or upset your pup. Instead, try to understand what's causing your dog to dig, and adjust your pup's environment to keep them from all of that unnecessary excavating.
RELATED: 5 Choices That Make Your Dog Happy
If your dogs are like mine, they are veritable Houdinis when it comes to escaping from your yard. I have one dog that is a true escape artist. He loves to burrow under the fence, jump over the fence, or just plain push through the fence, and it drives me crazy.
If you’ve got a dog like that, you need to know these tricks for stopping your furry friend from digging under the fence. Before we look at that, let’s examine some reasons why your puppy pal might be trying to escape.
Why Is Your Dog Digging Under the Fence?
There are several common reasons why your dog might be trying to escape your yard. In order to learn how to stop a dog from digging under a fence, you need to find the root cause. Let’s look at a few of these:
Dogs Dig Holes for Entertainment
If your dog’s digging under the fence or in your flower beds, he might just be doing it because he’s bored and looking for some fun. This is particularly true if you leave him alone for long periods of time or if he’s not getting enough enrichment.
Your dog might be looking for some entertainment if you keep him in an environment that doesn’t have any toys that he can use to keep himself busy. This is often the case with puppies that have boundless energy and are always looking for something to do. As it turns out, your dog likes playing games too!
Your pooch might also simply be one of several dog breeds, like certain terriers or beagles, that’s bred to dig. That means it’s in their nature to dig holes, burrow into the ground, and bury bones, toys, or even food. For some dogs, it’s their job and they’re anxious to be a good digger.
He’s Hunting After Prey
A lot of dogs will chase after burrowing animals and critters like small rodents or even insects. Some dogs have an extremely strong prey drive — beagles and dachshunds are one example — and they will stop at nothing to get what they’re hunting.
In this case, the digging usually focuses on a single area such as at the base of trees or shrubs. They’re not actually trying to escape the yard, but that can happen if they’re digging in the wrong area.
He’s Looking for Attention
Your dog needs mental stimulation. When understimulated, he will often dig holes or try to escape simply as a means to get your attention. Sometimes bad attention is better than no attention at all.
When this is the case, he will often even engage in digging behavior right in front of you. He’s letting you know he wants you to spend time with him.
Your Dog’s Digging to Escape the Yard
Of course, a common reason your dog might be digging is to simply escape. This doesn’t mean he’s not happy at home, but he might see other dogs or animals outside the yard or he may just want to roam.
This is a common reason for digging behavior if your dog is not neutered or spayed. Dogs that are not fixed will be attracted to other dogs when they are seeking a mate.
Some male dogs have even been known to jump through a window to get to a female dog in heat. What’s more, 70-76% of dog bites are from unneutered males! That could be a real liability for you if your “intact” dog is escaping your yard.
Another common reason for wanting to escape is if your dog suffers from separation anxiety. For many dogs who are very attached to their owners, it’s difficult to be apart, and they can suffer several symptoms associated with that separation anxiety they feel when you leave.
So what’s a dog owner to do to get their best friend to stop digging?
Strategies to Stop Your Dog’s Digging Behavior
As a good pet owner who wants to keep their dog safe from harm, you want to stop your best friend’s digging behavior so he can’t escape and so you can have a nice yard, too!
There are several strategies recommended by the Human Society to help you do just that. Before learning how to stop a dog from digging under a fence, let’s look quickly at what doesn’t work.
What Doesn’t Work
Punishing your dog after he has done anything wrong doesn’t work. He can’t make the association between why you’re punishing him and something he did in the past. Even showing him what he did while you punish him won’t work.
Dog’s minds just don’t work like that, and you might make the situation worse by causing anxiety in your beloved friend. It also won’t work to try and fill the digging pit with something like water or tie your dog up near the hole he has dug.
Dogs aren’t going to make the association between his digging behavior and these tactics. What works best for how to stop a dog from digging under a fence is positive reinforcement.
How to Stop a Dog From Digging Under a Fence: What Does Work
Now that you know what not to do, let’s look at a few things you can do that will work.
1. Figure Out Why Your Dog’s Digging
The first thing to do is to understand the reasons behind your dog’s behavior. Is he one of the dog breeds for which digging is part of his nature? Is he young and has too much energy? Is he suffering separation anxiety when you leave? Or is he trying to escape for some reason?
Once you know the reasons why your dog’s digging under the fence, you can implement the appropriate strategies to resolve the situation to everyone’s benefit.
2. Set Up a Digging Zone
This works particularly well if your dog is a natural-born digger and the usual deterrents aren’t working. With this strategy, you’re giving him a place where it’s okay for him to dig and he can’t escape. That way he has an outlet for his behavior, but you can still keep him safe.
You can teach your canine friend where to dig by covering the digging area with loose soil or sandbox. Then bury items like toys or other safe objects in the dirt for him to find. When he finds them, give him plenty of praise.
If your dog digs in an area where he’s not supposed to, tell him, “No dig!” using a firm, loud voice or make a loud noise. Then take him immediately to the digging zone and praise him for digging there.
You can also make the areas where he’s not supposed to dig unattractive by doing something like covering them with chicken wire or large rocks. Once he knows where his digging spot is located, you can remove those covers and restore your landscaping to its original state.
3. Make Sure Your Dog Gets Plenty of Exercise
If you feel like your dog is digging for entertainment, you’ll want to make sure he gets enough exercise. You should walk him at least twice a day and play with him using active toys like a frisbee.
It might also be a good idea to consult with a dog trainer and train your friend to do some different tricks or activities. This keeps him entertained, and if he’s a younger dog, it helps expend some of that excess energy.
When you’re not around, make sure your dog has some safe toys or a treat dispenser to keep him busy. That gives him something to do besides digging under the fence or in other parts of the yard.
4. Humanely Fence Burrowing Animals Out of Your Yard
If you feel like your dog is hunting, then you’ll want to take humane steps to keep those burrowing animals out of the yard. You don’t want to use any kind of toxic substance to kill them because that can be harmful to pets too.
You might try something like a capsicum mixture to ward off those pesky rodents. That can keep them out of your yard and help curb your dog’s digging behavior. You can also use a chain-link fence or bury chicken wire down at least six inches around the perimeter to keep them from getting in.
5. Praise the Good and Ignore the Bad
If your dog is digging to get you to pay attention to him, then you might want to spend more quality playtime with him and take him for walks at least twice a day.
If you know you’re giving him enough attention, then you’ll want to turn to other methods to curb his digging. First, ignore his negative attention-seeking behavior and effusively praise him when he’s good.
This will teach him that good behavior is what gets him the attention he craves. Make sure he has plenty of dog toys and spend time playing with him using those toys. That way, when you leave, you can leave the toys and he will associate them with you.
6. Make Sure His Environment Is Safe, Appealing, and Free of Escape Incentives
If you think your dog is just trying to escape, then there are several steps to prevent that from happening. First, if your dog is not neutered or spayed and you don’t plan on breeding him or her, then you’ll want to get that done. That curbs their natural instinct to roam in search of a mate.
If you have done that or can’t because you’ll be breeding your dog, another thing that works well is to bury chicken wire at the base of the fence. Be sure to roll the edges of the wire away from the yard.
You can also partially bury large rocks along the fence line as that will discourage him from digging around them. Another good technique is to anchor a chain-link fence along the bottom of the fence line and have it laying on the ground near the fence. That will make it uncomfortable for your doggy buddy to walk near it.
You can also simply bury the fence line about one to two feet below the ground. That makes it more difficult for your best furry friend to dig deep enough to escape.
When All Else Fails
When you’ve done everything you can think of to curb your dog’s digging behavior, there are a few more extreme measures you can try.
If you must keep your dog outside, you can keep your pooch in a pen. You can even make a DIY pen that will serve your needs, just make sure to use one that has a ground cover that’s uncomfortable for him to dig through, like gravel. If that doesn’t work, you can even put him in a smaller kennel like the ones you would use to take him to the vet.
Wherever you leave your dog, whether in your yard, a kennel, or a pen, make sure he has some shelter, plenty of water, comfortable bedding, and a few toys to occupy his time and his mind. Never leave them outside in dangerous heat.
At this point, it’s also a good idea to work with a dog trainer or behaviorist to help change your dog’s behavior. A little dog training can really do wonders for his behavior. It gives him something to do, it keeps his mind and body active, and he gets to spend time with his favorite person — that’s you!