How to stop your dog digging up your garden
Updated on October 2nd, 2018
Owning a dog is a wonderful thing, they give you unconditional love and are a friend when you need them the most.
However, dogs can also be a bit of a headache too, particularly if they are a fan of getting out in your garden and digging up as much as they can.
This may seem like a natural thing for dogs to do, however, that doesn’t mean that you have to just accept it.
Thankfully for your sanity and your garden, there are things that you can do to stop your dog from digging up your garden.
How to stop your dog digging in the garden
Think about the simple things first
There are a number of reasons why your dog may be digging up your garden and some of them may be a lot simpler than you realise.
Before you start to look deeper into the problem think about some of the simplest things first.
Make sure that your dog gets enough exercise throughout the day, give them something to chew on to curb any destructive behaviour and also give them some attention and company, which can stop them feeling bored, which in turn can stop them from digging holes.
Are they frightened of something?
Some dogs will take to digging because they are scared of or anxious about certain things in your garden or outdoor space.
This could be something simple such as another dog in the neighbourhood or something perhaps something more complicated such as the weather.
If there is a good chance that they are scared of something, then you are going to want to try and address this and see whether or not this stops them from digging.
Set up a digging spot in your garden
Sometimes you need to let your dog simply give in to their natural instincts to dig, which means that you can try setting up a digging spot in your garden.
This gives them a safe space that they can use to satisfy their need to dig, yet not get told off when they do it.
Best of all, you can make sure that your garden is safe and you can hide away this dog digging spot so this doesn’t become an eyesore.
Protect the rest of your garden
If you do decide to let your dog have a safe space to dig, then you might want to then protect the rest of your garden and make sure that they cannot gain access, else you may find that your entire outdoor space becomes a digging safe zone and you are back to square one.
Give your dog somewhere comfy to sit
You may be surprised to learn that some dogs dig in the garden because they are hot and want to cool down. If this could be a reason for your dog, then try giving them a space that they can cool down in, such as a kennel in a shady spot, this could help them to stop wanting to dig.
With dogs it always makes sense to reward good behaviour and encourage this rather than punish bad behaviour.
Dogs can all too easily become fearful and anxious if they are punished and these are not good traits for your dog to have, for them and for you as an owner.
