PREVENTING DESTRUCTIVE DIGGING

Boys will be boys, or so proverbial wisdom says with a sigh. A corollary might be that dogs will be dogs, and activities that are normal dog behaviors are very difficult to eradicate by training, discipline, or punishment. When a dog's natural behavior, such as digging or chewing, is inconvenient for the dog's owner, it is much easier to redirect that behavior than it is to eliminate it. If the family canine is destroying the landscaping in his urge to excavate, the solution is to teach him to dig in a more suitable area.

DIGGING is a normal behavior for dogs, part of a hunting heritage in which unearthing prey from their burrows was a necessary part of procuring the daily meal.  In the northern breeds, such as Huskies, Malemutes, Elkhounds, and Samoyeds, burrowing in the dirt can become a consuming passion. Digging can also be a sore point in the relationship between man and his best friend.  

PUNISHMENT for digging, however diabolical or ingenious, simply does not work to dissuade the earth-moving canine. At best, punishment may cause the dog to select a different part of  the yard to destroy, spreading the doggie devastation equally over the yard. Proverbial wisdom also states that if you can't lick 'em . . . well, maybe you don't have to join 'em, but dog behavior specialists do recommend giving in a little and providing an approved area for your pet to vent his (or her) desire to dig. It is much easier to redirect the dog's digging behavior to a small expendable area upon which you and your pet can agree than it is to try to eliminate the digging altogether. 

CREATE A DIGGING PLAY AREA FOR YOUR DOG. TEACH him to dig, reward him for his efforts (as long as it is in the appropriate area), and then you can be back on speaking terms with your "best friend".     

TO CREATE A DIGGING AREA, select a spot in the yard where Fido's burrowing will cause the least inconvenience. If digging out of a fence is the problem, it might not be wise to position the area adjacent to the fence. The designated space needs to be bordered, so that both you and your dog can agree on its limits. For small dogs, and area 4'x4', bordered with 2"x4"s, should  suffice. For the large dog with a large urge to excavate, make  the area 6'x6', and frame the area with landscape timbers.   Spade  the dirt within the play area so that it is enticingly diggable, but avoid having any fresh dirt to the outside of your wood frame; it is best if the soil outside of the frame is covered with gravel, rocks, grass, or bark right up to the edge of the designated area.

TRAIN YOUR DOG TO USE HIS AREA: You may demonstrate that it is OK to dig by getting right down there and showing the dog how to dig, using your hands. Your dog will think you've flipped and the neighbors will stare, but you can console yourself with the thought of not having to fill in endless holes under your back fence. Next take a few of your dog's favorite toys--a ball, a rawhide chew, bone, etc., and bury them so that they are partly visible. When the dog pulls them out of the ground, praise him in an enthusiastic tone of voice, play with him a little, and then bury the items again a little deeper. Once the dog learns that he is rewarded for digging in this area and it becomes a game, he should show a preference toward digging there rather than in your garden or under your shrubbery.     

DISCIPLINING: Once the lesson has been taught that digging in the approved area is a good behavior, then you can turn your attention back to disciplining whenever the digging occurs outside of the play area. Harsh punishment isn't needed; simply bring the dog over to the area where the miscreant has mistakenly excavated, grasp the scruff of the neck and push the head down toward the hole with a gruff "bad dog".  Lead the dog over to the play area, change your voice to a cheery encouraging voice, and demonstrate again how fun it is to dig in his own play area.     

Teaching your pet to use a play area for digging will help eliminate destructive digging in several ways. The urge to dig will be satisfied, and for many dogs this is a very strong urge. The undesirable behavior can be redirected to a confined  area; dogs often understand WHERE their owners would like them to  do something than they understand WHAT their owners want them to  do.  It may take a week or two to teach this lesson, but just  think of the flower beds that you can plant undisturbed next spring!