Training & Behavior
Dog Training: How to keep your dog from digging up your garden
By Chester Duke
Jan 5, 2006, 15:45

For most dogs, the instinct to dig is very strong and very hard to cure.  Digging is an inherent part of every dog’s instinct behavior and when it comes to dog training, keeping your dog from digging through dog training is one area that is somewhat difficult to teach. 

In fact, many dogs were actually bred for this very purpose.  In the past, digging was also a part of their dog training exercise.  Terriers, for instance were required to dig for small animals which burrow underground.  Many dogs feel the need to dig a hole to bury a bone.  This behavior goes back to their ancestors when wolves would bury their kill to save it for the next day.

Before you start with your dog training on how to stop him from digging, try to figure out exactly what is causing your dog to behave that way.  If he is very persistent into digging in one area, you may use the dog training command “leave” while using treats to distract him.  You can also distract him by using a particular smell that excites him.  These dog training methods typically work very well.

Try to figure out the source of the digging.  If your dog happens to like a particular spot, you could try replacing the old dirt with new, or you can plant large shrubs to distract him from that area. 

If your dog is digging for a cool place to lie down in, you can make a shady spot for him some place else or just keep him indoors on hot days.  Again, move your dog away from the area where the digging takes place by using the dog training command “leave”.        

But if digging is just a part of your dog’s behavior, you are better off just forgetting dog training him and laying down your arms by letting him have his fun.  Although this does not mean surrendering to your dog’s hobby and letting him dig through your flower garden.  What you can do, however, is giving him his own special place where he can dig to his heart’s content.  This can be in the form of a sandpit or a specific area in your garden where he is allowed to dig.

You can encourage him to bury his favorite toys in that area.  Soon, he will hang on to the fact that this particular place is his very own digging area.  If he insists on digging to an area where he is not permitted to dig, you can use the dog training command “no” in a firm voice and return him to his digging spot.