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©1986, All rights reserved
Dr. B.V. Beaver
Digging
A common problem shown by dogs is digging. Owners are often frustrated by the damage done to beautiful
flower beds and lawns by their pet and may resort to a number of unusual or ever cruel tactics in attempts to
stop this behavior. Usually the methods are unsuccessful. In order to stop digging as a problem, it is necessary
to understand why the dog is doing it and then to take appropriate action for the specific cause.
Why do dogs dig?
For most dogs, digging represents a type of behavior which evolved so they could go after small animals that
were potential meals. The trait was even selected in the development of certain breeds like dachshunds and
many of the terriers. Today’s pet has its meals supplied, so the digging is usually restricted to burying an occasional
bone or going after a visiting gopher. Occasionally this behavior is shown excessively without the presence of bones
or a pesky yard visitor. In these situations there are usually several contributing factors.
Modern dogs often do not get enough exercise. Why? Because their daily routine is very restrictive. The dogs
ancestors, wolves, spend much of their day hunting for and trying to capture their next meal, so the calories
from one meal are used up trying to capture their next one. Our pets don’t need to spend much energy walking
to their food bowl so they tend to accumulate a lot of energy. In many ways a dog is like a 5-year old child trying
to sit still in church. Sooner or later he just can’t help wiggling. The dog’s buildup of energy will be used in some
way, too, and that way may not be acceptable. It could be expressed as destructive chewing, barking, pacing or
digging. The release of the energy serves as its own reward, making it difficult behavior to stop. This energetic
dog may dig out near a gate or along a fence and resist “capture” for several hours. Or it may just dig in several
spots around the yard.
A second factor that can cause a dog to dig is isolation. People often get a dog and then confine it to the backyard.
After a while, the new pet becomes less interesting to the owners and other activities become important, so the
only time the dog gets to interact with people is when it is fed or when someone decides to go into the backyard.
The dog will dig near a location of human activity in a neighbor’s yard, in a flower bed near the house to try to get
near its owners, or by a gate leading to a front yard view of neighborhood activities. These dogs usually stay near
the house or can be found where activity is going on.
Other dogs seem to dig under trees or in flowerbeds near the house, and they seem particulary active in the
summer. Dogs get hot during the summer, particularly in this part of the country. Since dogs can not sweat like
humans can, they have to rely on other methods of cooling off. Panting helps fill this role so does lying in cool dirt.
Thus, dogs will often dig cooling holes in shady areas. Flowerbeds in the afternoon shade of a house are ideal
because the loose, moist ground is easy to dig in and is very good for cooling. Unfortunately this behavior is not
conducive to an attractive garden.
What can be done?
Many things have been tried. Some owners fill in each hold with bricks or water, fence off a hole, or put an
electric wire at the bottom of a fence. These may work for a little while, but soon alternative activities show up.
This can mean digging holes in new locations, so that the yard becomes paved with bricks. Dogs that can’t go
under a fence may soon learn to go over the top, or worse yet, subject themselves to the electric shock because
the desire to get out is so great. The solutions must attack the cause, not simply look at methods to punish.
For any dog that digs there are two major recommendations that should be followed. These are exercise and
schedule. Since most dogs, like most people, do not exercise themselves enough, it is important for owners
to encourage exercise. This can include walks for little dogs, and ball chasing sessions for larger dogs. This
exercise and all other activities should occur on a fairly rigid daily schedule. Also included in this schedule
should be the obvious things like eating and eliminating, and some less obvious things like interacting with
the family members. This interaction can be in the form of play and exercise, grooming or obedience sessions,
or petting. The key is that it occurs at the same time or times each day.
Because dogs are social animals, they would normally spend the majority of their time in close proximity with
pack members. For the dog that has been forgotten in the backyard, social isolation is a punishment that
animal doesn’t understand, random attention just aggravates the situation. For isolated dogs, scheduled
interaction with people relieves the anxiety that causes digging for the purpose of escape.
When the dog digs to create a cooling hole, additional measures are needed. The dog has to have a way to
cool off and will continue digging holes because they help. Instead of continuously filling in holes or trying to
fence the dog out of the flower bed only to find a new hole in another unacceptable spot, the owner can create
an acceptable looking, functional area for the dog to dig. Isolate the dog’s favorite spot with landscape timbers,
occasionally replace dirt and periodically moisten the spot when watering the nearby flowerbed. Its like making
a sandbox for the dog.
Careful consideration of why the dog is digging will provide the most successful alternatives to help prevent the
behavior from becoming a problem.
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