Any advice of a dog that digs constantly? I have heard Black Pepper works, but it hasn't done the trick yet!

Answer 1

Most dogs are natural diggers - some breeds more than others. Punishing them for digging is useless and cruel. Without guidance, a bored and lonely dog is going to find something to do - usually something you don't like. They love the smell of freshly turned earth - they don't understand that you treasure your yard!

Make sure they're getting plenty of exercise and training and play time with a human. Try making an area with a sandbox and encourage them to dig there. Or find another fun thing to distract them. Get a tetherball game and hang the ball at a low enough height that they can grab it. (NOTE: this can sometimes lead to a lot of barking and really piss off your neighbors!) For my terriers, I installed an overhead wire across my yard, attached a pulley and ran a second wire down toward the ground with a fuzzy dog toy at the end of it. They love zipping it back and forth and playing tug-of-war with it. You can also teach them to play flyball - a competitive dog sport where the dog is trained to launch his own ball from a box with a spring inside.

http://www.abtc.org/flyball.htm

There are many devices they sell at the garden centers for discouraging deer and wild animals - it has a motion detector that turns on your sprinkler and chases them away. Of course, that won't work if your dogs love the sprinkler or dig all over the yard. This is one of them:

http://www.critterridders.com/scarecrow.htm

And someone else suggested this to another person with the same problem - get doggie boots! I thought it was BRILLIANT! As long as they don't chew them off...

Answer 2

One thing that might work is using red pepper. You have to get one of those huge bottles (that you get at those warehouse stores) and really saturate the ground with it. You might have to keep up on this for a few weeks (wind - rain, you know). Also you can try to put a (small) mouse trap in the bottom and fill the whole with water, when a paw gets put in - the trap springs and startles the dog. Again - small trap, you don't want to get your dogs paw caught in it.
You might also want to put a few pennies in an old pop can. Duct tape the top tighly. When you are outside with the dog and notice him/her digging shout "NO DIG" and shake the can and throw it in the direction of the dog (do NOT hit the dog!). Again, you are going for the startle factor. Good luck!

Answer 3

Yikes, do not use moth balls..They are poisonous!!!!

It depends on where your dog is digging.. Can you tell us that? We used to have an akita and he would dig under the fence, we tried everything..

We finally bought an electric fence wire FOR DOGS not livestock. Put it around the bottom of the fence, that worked. But he KNEW when it got turned off, he was smart.. It isn't much of a zap and doesn't hurt them, trust me, I know..LOL..When ya love dogs, you test things on yourself..

If he is digging in the yard, there isn't much you can do.. But I will tell you this, dogs dig because they are bored.. Get him a friend to play with or some big rawhide bones. And try not to leave him alone in the yard to long..

Answer 4

I don't think any of the aversion stuff ie pepper, tabasco dog poo etc will work.
Doing additional training with your dog for 10 minutes three times a day will definately help but you could try this.

If your back yard is big enough build a small deep sandpit. Hide some toys and treats, like bones, in it and encourage your dog dog to find them. Make the game REALLY exciting and see if you can teach him to bring the toys to you as well.
This has worked for many dogs that I have seen. Good luck.

Answer 5

Give him somewhere else to dig. My sister had this problem and her solution was a sand box. Make him a place where it's ok to dig, and then reinforce it by hiding treats, chew toys whatever he likes in the sand. Make it a game. And then when you tell him not to dig in the yard, show him it's ok to dig in the sand. It takes time, but has worked for her. And with 5 dogs it was either a sand box or no backyard. I always feel that positive reinforcement is better than negative. Their instinct (for some breeds) is to dig. Telling him not to do it won't make him stop, and his persistence is only because he feels impelled to do it. He isn't ignoring you, it's just harder for him to ignore himself.

Answer 6

Put his manure in the hoes and cover it with dirt. He will not dig there again.
This does not stop the digging but will help some.
Most dogs will not dig in their own mess. Some still will but it works for most.
They will not dig in that spot. You just keep filling up the holes.
Some dogs dig beacuse they are bored. Try more toys or try to get some play time in with him and that may also help.

Answer 7

what type of dog do you have?

I have a terrier and I've tried all the suggestions I could find (except the mothballs), any way, I figured out what my dog's motivation was for digging. It started out as a desire for companionship...she was digging under the fence into the neighbor's yard to play with his dog.

After that one was solved (I adopted another dog and I foster for a rescue group), She changed to digging to try to get to moles and gophers. So now, I'm working on ridding my yard of those pests.

Answer 8

Try putting wire mesh around the spots where the dog digs, it will still let the grass grow and stop him from digging in that spot until he learns not to do that

Answer 9

Try clorox bleach. Pour it into the holes the dog is digging, and once it smells the bleach it will not bother the area. May have to do this several times, but it will get the idea.

Answer 10

This hasn't been mentioned, but you may cause more problems by putting food items on it. (I used tobasco once, and found out the hardway my dog loves it.) If you use items that are toxic, they may still get into it and harm themselves.
That said, if they are hot they will dig a 'house' for themselves. It is cooler underground. If they are bored, just cause they have this wonderful yard doesn't mean he/she doesn't get bored.
Mentioned above, you need to stop it, has toys it can be redirected with, and try tiring your dogout- it might help.