How to Create a Place For Your Dog to Dig

Dogs dig for many reasons. Boredom, to bury their prized possessions, to find a cool spot to lay in, and sometimes to escape. Often, this problem can be solved by creating a place that you can allow your dog to use for his digging activities. This solution is often less expensive and more practical than building a dog run, and less likely to create other behavioral issues caused from being confined.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Child's sandbox or wading pool
• Clean playground sand
• Cover for sandbox
• Chew chips
• Rubber dog toys
• Hard dog cookies
• Clicker and treats (optional)
• Dog repellent spray

1. Set up a children's sandbox for your dog. You may want to make one out of a plastic wading pool, but a plastic sandbox designed for the purpose is best. Fill the sandbox with playground sand which can be purchased at most home improvement stores and large toystore chains. Clean up is easier if the sandbox can be placed on a concrete surface.
2. Bury dog treasures in the sandbox for your dog to find. Delicious chewies such as bully sticks, hard dog cookies, and rubber squeaky toys are all things that will make your dog prefer to dig in his new digging spot. This will make the flower bed somewhat less desirable.
3. After you have buried the treasures, place a hard dog cookie partially exposed on top of the sand box. Bring your dog over to the sand box and show him the cookie. Praise him for his interest. Or if you are clicker training, reward all attention to the sand box with clicks and treats.
4. If your dog seems hesitant or confused, you may unbury a toy and squeak it to get him interested and then place it under the sand at a shallow depth to make it easy to get to.
5. At the end of the day, sweep up the sand that has been thrown out of the box and dump it back in. You may also wish to cover the sandbox to protect it from moisture and keep it free from cat droppings. (though most dogs would welcome this addition to the treasures, we humans think it's really disgusting.)
6. Make the undesirable digging areas less appealing to your dog by spraying a dog repellent spray on them. You may also use bricks in the holes and/or cover them with wire mesh.

Tips & Warnings

• Training a dog not to dig in the yard is a process and may require a few weeks of measures such as these to completely change the habit. Don't stop a week into the new program, keep going for up to three weeks before you evaluate progress.
• Add new toys and chews periodically to the old ones that you have reburied. You should be able to wean your dog off of having the sand and he may just learn to play with the toys in his box depending on his breed.
• Some breeds simply must dig. For these dogs, you may have to replenish the sand periodically.
• Never scold your dog for digging if you did not catch him in the act.
• Scolding and hitting is not training your dog to do anything but to mistrust you.