y does my dog keep digging holes in my backyard???!!?

Question

she's a pit bull puppy & she has toys, but she just digs & digs!!

Answer 1

Probably because he enjoys it. What breed is he?

Breaking a dog of digging can be difficult. My dogs have gone through digging periods but have never been serious diggers. But I've never been able to break them. They just stopped on their own.

Some people suggest putting dog poop in the holes and covering them.

Other people say put chicken wire in his holes and cover it.

Both of these assume that he digs in the same place again.

You could exercise and play with him more. This might help if he's digging because he's bored. But if he truly enjoys digging, this may not help much.

I've heard suggestions that you create a digging pit where your dog is allowed to dig. You can put softer dirt there and maybe even bury a few bones and other dog treasures.

Answer 2

You could go to your local library and browse the dog training manuals. Look for the "breaking bad habits" chapters inside books on dog training or living with a new dog books.

If your dog is a terrier, a dachshund, or another dog bred to dig, it's just his nature. You might contact a breed fancier group to see if anyone has suggestions for curbing the habit.

When my Dad's hunting dogs would dig out of their dog pen, Mom would fill the holes with their dog poop and drop bricks or concrete blocks in the holes, then cover them up. As someone remarked, they did not dig there again, but they might move over six feet and start a new hole. My parents used that same dog pen for a succession of dogs over a 50 year span. I would imagine the entire dog pen now has an underlayment of bricks and concrete blocks.

Answer 3

Depending on the breed, some were bred to dig. Many dogs love digging and often for many different reasons. It can be a difficult habit to break and probably the quickest way would be to hire a trainer for a couple of sessions at your house to stop the dog from digging.

Answer 4

Tell me about it, we have an 8 month pup that LOVES to dig! Some dogs do it because they are bored and looking to escape but for others it is instinctual. Our dog has plenty of toys to prevent boredom but it didn't stop him digging? No way, he digs holes to hid his toys and treats in, nothing we tried could stop him from digging so we gave him kids sandpit to dig in. It's been a lot of work to try and get him to stop digging in other places but he is slowly getting there. The trick with the poo does work, but it has to be their own, if it's another dogs they think it's even more interesting... disgusting!
If she is digging to try and escape you might have to bury chicken wire.
Good luck and hopefully they will both grow out of the digging phase soon. :)

Answer 5

I have two red nose pit puppies, they just turned 6 months and they also love to dig in the backyard. My female pup digs a spot and then she lays in it. I would recommend for you to put his or her feces in the spot where it is digging and then it will stop. For some reason if they get the smell of feces they won't dig in that spot. Best of luck to you. Hope this helped a bit.

Answer 6

Just a natural instinct for some breeds of dogs, just as it is to dig a hole to bury a bone. Some dogs sense a ground mole underneath the surface of the grass and dig in an attempt to reach it. Ground moles tunnel in all directions, u can`t see them, but ur dog can and thats probably why he keeps digging in different places.

Answer 7

Why do you have dogs? I know dogs can have some very frustrating habits but you dont seem to care about them at all. Shoving, spanking and smacking is not going to work and is cruel. The best thing you can do is put something under the fence. We have put rocks under ours, which has worked but there is a high chance this wont work with yours, they will probably just dig elsewhere. A designated area where they are allowed to dig or a sandpit is normally suggested for this, as some dogs you cant stop them digging because it is their instinct or they simply just enjoy it. But it sounds like you dont want to put in that much effort. Why are you not going to put a footing around your entire perimeter just to stop this? Maybe you should think about giving them to someone who is willing to properly care for them.

Answer 8

It's a typical thing with most dogs over 30 lbs -- and sometimes under that. As for the reason, he could be burrying something undernieth the dirt.. He could just be bored.. He could be hot -- some dogs dig holes to lie in on hot Summer days, because they know underneith the dirt is colder. 'Course, unless you live somewhere where it's warm "all year 'round" I guess it's coming to be winter now. And he'd most likely be cold. Perhaps he needs a better bed, to sleep in for the winter..

Answer 9

Read the source i posted carefully. The Pit Bull Terrier is a Terrier and Terriers are diggers.

Pit Bulls are highly inteligent and are very good escape artists. My neighbors Pit, Kyley escaped continuosly from chains, fences, and their house. They love a challenge and possibly if she sees you don't like she may want to try doing it to see if she gets away with it. They are little rascals. Cute but rascals all the same. So,

I also suggested the Maya way of keeping her from digging in the same spot. poop in dirt method. It hugely saved my tomato plants and my flowers.

Answer 10

Some dogs dig to escape, some dogs dig for recreation. The dirt is full of great smells.