If you have any soft dirt in your yard your dog probably loves to dig around in it. You begin gardening or planting something new and your dog makes a mess and never seems to stop. Your perfect yard can quickly become a big mess along with your garden. Your dog may be just enjoying himself but it makes his digging makes life hard for you because you want a beautiful yard.

Dogs actually dig by nature. Some breeds are even bred to dig as they hunt and dig out specific prey. It may be more difficult if your dog just digs naturally but you can still contain his digging behavior with a few training methods.

Digging can be good for your dog. It is important for him to dig around and engage his curiosity, however, it is important for you to have a decent yard also. You must both be able to find a happy medium in regards to his digging. That may well mean that you want to stop the behavior completely and that is okay.

Dogs sometimes dig because of boredom. They need entertainment. He may be experiencing separation anxiety because you are away. Maybe he istrying to dig out an escape route so he can get out of the yard. He may even be digging because of something as simple as controlling his own temperature. He may be too hot and trying to cool off or he may be too cold and trying to warm-up.

There are ways to stop your dog from digging. First off, make sure that you have plenty of interaction time and that your dog is getting plenty of playtime and exercise. This can prevent boredom. You can also make sure that he has plenty of stimulating dog toys to play with. If you give your dogs bones to gnaw on they will usually try to bury them so replace bones with chew toys or rawhide bones.

You can also try clicker training to stop digging. Anytime you catch your dog in the act of digging use the clicker and a command that tells him “no”. Reward him when he stops digging. You will need to be persistent but clicker training will work.

Dogs also tend to dig a hole and then leave and come back later. You can fill his hole with garden mulch, sticks, rocks or even chicken wire and he won’t like it and it may prevent him from digging more. Some trainers also suggest burying a balloon that he will pop when he starts to dig. The balloon will frighten him but it won’t hurt him and it will create an aversion in him to digging. You could even put some of his own poop in the hole and that may also make him stop digging.

If your dog is a natural digger you could go with the flow of his natural tendencies and train him to only dig in a certain place. This takes persistence but it can be very effective once you succeed. Be consistent in your training and you can get your dog to stop digging.