Does A Dog Have To Dig?

Does your backyard look like it is filled with dusty craters that look like they belong on the moon? Do you find it nearly impossible to grow a bed of flowers or keep your yard looking neat because your dog insists on digging the place up?  Your first step in dealing with digging problems is to understand why your dog is motivated to dig.  

Be prepared to THINK LIKE A DOG and comprehend the following top ten reasons why your dog loves to dig.

1.                 It’s exciting and just feels good. Your dog gets to gratify ancient primal instincts that tell him to work those forearms and paws into a frenzy. The will to obey is just so weak in the face of such a primary drive.

2.                 There are good things to smell beneath the earth. Smelling the same thing all of the time is boring. The earth holds all kinds of secrets including what animals have been there before and what kind of food might have been there.

3.                 Digging is good exercise. It gives nervous or frustrated dogs an outlet for their nervous energy.4

.                 It gives the dog a purpose. Even dogs suffer from existentialism. Digging a hole gives a dog a goal. Hiding something in the hole is even better.

5.                 Digging triggers pleasure centers in the dog’s brain. It is comforts a dog that is hungry, frustrated, lonely or tired.

6.                 Digging is a good game. You can play it by yourself if nobody else in the house is bothering to walk you or play with you.

7.                 Digging a hole gives a hot dog a good way to cool off and way to shelter himself from the cold and wind on a stormy day.

8.                 Digging might lead to an ,escape.,   A dog may believe that if he deeps deep enough he may be able to dig himself out of the yard. This is especially true if you are finding dusty craters near your fence line.

9.                 Digging is what my ancestors did. Certain breeds, such as dachshunds and terriers may dig simply because it is part of their breed characteristic.

10.             ,Digging is what humans bred me to do., This is especially true of breeds that were bred to catch weasels, mice and snakes.   Beagles for instance instinctively feel that digging is a crucial part of their existence.  Anybody who has owned a digging dog knows that attempts to deal with it using a deterrent are almost always futile. Common deterrents are spraying the area with bitter substances, sprinkling cayenne pepper in the hole and blocking holes with boards and wire.   These are temporary solution   that often result with the dog digging a brand new hole in another place in the yard.  Perhaps one of the most troublesome types of diggers is the ,escape artist., These dogs tend to dig at the fence line. Instead of owning a dog, you often feel like you are the owner of an inmate in a prison who is constantly trying to tunnel his way out.   Of course sometimes he succeeds which means that you are left to wander all over the neighborhood looking for him. Of course there is always also the danger that he might accidentally be hurt or hurt others.  

One way to guard your fence against the ,escape artist, is to bury chicken wire all the way around the base of the fence. You can hold the segments of chicken wire down with large rocks and nail the chicken wire at the base to the bottom of the fence.

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Nipping Barking in the Bud

Here are some practical ways to stop your dog from barking that might serve as temporary fixes (until your landlord stops threatening to evict you because of noise complaints because of your yappy dog.)

 1.                 Try a citronella no-bark collar. If your dog barks, the collar automatically spurts a small amount of citronella on his neck, which dogs dislike. This may cause him to associate the unpleasant stimuli with barking.  

2.                 Get an old spray bottle, fill it with water and spray him in the face every time he barks. A warning: this makes some dogs even more hysterical or they change from barking to whining.

 3.                 To prevent barking while you’re away, leave your dog inside the house and turn the television or the radio on to something soft but cheery. This way he is lulled into believing he has company (in the form of television or radio) and is not over stimulated by something he might see outside like a squirrel in a tree in the front yard. Make sure the dog is also provided with plenty of food or water.    However the absolutely BEST way to stop your dog from barking is to train him to bark on command.  To train your dog to bark and be quiet on command, try the following.    

 Try to determine what makes your dog bark in the first place. Knowing the cause will increase your chances of success when it comes to stimulating him to speak and then quieting him.  

Have your dog’s favorite treat within on hand.         Praise the dog for barking once he starts by saying, “Speak ” When the dog is quiet say, ‘Be quiet.’   Sooner or later he should be able to get the connection between what he is doing and what you are saying.  Wave the treat in front of your dog’s nose. Most dogs will instantly quiet down, because they will be mesmerized by the treat.

Lavishly praise the dog for being quiet.    

Let the dog have the treat after 3 seconds of quiet time.    

Wave another treat in front of your dog if he starts to bark again. This time, try not to let your dog have the treat until 5 seconds of quiet time have elapsed. Your dog should learn that after each successful quiet-time interval, he would be rewarded.   Don’t reward the dog if he barks.   Start from step 1 again.  

Scold your dog every time he makes a mistake. If the dog barks, even for just an instant, say ‘Be quiet,’ in a louder voice. Then reward the dog immediately after he stops barking.  10.                         Increase the quiet-time intervals by 3 seconds each time: from 3 seconds to 6 seconds to 9 seconds and so on until your dog is quiet for a long period of time.  

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