Digging to a dog is a natural canine activity, there is however one common thread to all the reasons dog’s dig holes….

"Digging holes is rewarding to the dog".

When we have a problem with a dog "digging holes", its the owners that have the problem, the dog is usually quite happy "digging holes", the real problem for the owners is where the dog is digging the holes.

Many owners make the mistake of trying to stop the dog digging any holes at all, by punishing the dog for digging the hole after the event, many formulae and methods have been suggested and tried over the years to stop dogs digging, some downright cruel, harsh and abusive, nearly all using some form of punishment to suppress a behaviour that is not only enjoyable, serves the immediate needs of the dog, but also has many thousand years of reinforcement. The sad part is that some of these harsh methods actually work and suppresses digging behaviour, the dog in many cases learns not only "not to dig holes" but not to dig in the presence of the owner, nearly all these methods are harmful to the relationship and trust between dog and owner. Another aspect of using harsh methods is the danger of displacement behaviour which may be worse and more difficult to address than the original behaviour of digging holes.

So, how should we deal with a digging problem?, the first thing to recognise is the cause or reason "why" the dog is digging holes, if it is for pure pleasure, then it is easy to train the dog to dig in a sand pit, using random rewards buried in the sand, using a sand pit would also keep the dog from getting too dirty  . It could be a habit that has been reinforced and developed over time, in other words a trained "enjoyable" self reinforcing behaviour, lasting long after the original cause has disappeared. Or, as is most common, digging holes is the only release of stress that the dog can find in many hours of lonely existence in a empty back yard, the mental exercise alone from digging can be extremely rewarding to such a lonely dog, but the attention lavished upon the dog on the owners return even more rewarding, especially if the digging of holes actually "brings" the owner home!!!. To a dog craving attention, physical and verbal abuse can be very rewarding.

The behaviour of digging holes will decrease and eventually disappear if the reinforcement the dog gets for digging is removed, provided that the cause or reason why the dog is digging is removed, by enriching the dog’s environment, keeping the dog occupied with things to do (apart from digging) during long period’s of confinement, use a "kong" ™ stuffed with dry dog food (and peanut butter) for your dog to find, also get a "buster cube" ™ to keep your dog mentally and physically active with something to do during long boring periods alone. Have a friendly neighbour drop a food loaded "kong" ™ over the fence at odd times, allow for this food out of your dog’s normal diet. Another helpful activity for your dog is lots of exercise, your dog will enjoy being taken out on regular walks and outings which will reduce the effect of stress and boredom when left alone, and allow you to enjoy your dog more.

In conclusion, to change your dog’s behaviour, first recognise the cause of the behaviour, remove this cause, and replace it with something that you want him to do instead, reward all good behaviour, there is never a need to punish your dog, in short "catch your dog doing it right"… and reward him.