How To

How to Stop Your Dog From Digging Up the Lawn

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(51 Ratings)

Digging can be either a characteristic of your dog's breed or evidence of separation anxiety and a desire to escape. Here are a few tips to help prevent your dog from digging as well as preserve your lawn.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  1. Step 1

    Avoid punishing your dog for digging ' this only teaches her not to dig in your presence. She may resume digging when you're not around.

  2. Step 2

    Take her on walks. Dogs often dig to expend energy, and walking is a less destructive way to accomplish this.

  3. Step 3

    Put up a fence to keep your dog out of areas ' like your well-manicured lawn ' where you don't want her to dig.

  4. Step 4

    Confine your dog in a dog run with toys, shade and water.

  5. Step 5

    Keep your dog's sleeping area shaded in hot weather, and supply a wading pool if it's hot outside. Dogs often dig in search of a cool place to lie down.

  6. Step 6

    Turn on the sprinklers or spray your dog with a hose each time she starts digging ' this may discourage her from digging if she doesn't like water sprayed on her.

Tips & Warnings
  • Digging is often a result of boredom, so keep your dog occupied with other activities.
  • Give your dog her own place to dig ' a sandbox or dirt area ' and encourage digging in only that spot by hiding treats for her to find. This allows your dog to enjoy the natural behavior of digging without ruining your yard.

Comments  

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lordkhomar said

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on 7/10/2009 Some good tips, I'll try these..

msnicki23 said

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on 6/14/2009 ITS NOT EVEN MY DOG ITS THE NEIGHBORS DOG. SHE HAS BEEN DIGGING IN MY YARD FOR ABOUT A WEEK NOW AT FIRST IT WAS UNNOTICEABLE, BUT TWO DAYS AGO I PLANTED SOME PLANTS IN FRONT OF MY UNIT AND THE NEXT MORNING SHE DUG A BIG HOLE. ITS BAD ENOUGH THAT I HAD TO GET RID OF MY DOG BECAUSE SHE WAS BARKING TOO MUCH. THIS LADY JUST LETS HER DOG OUT TO ROAM THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

PRICKthis1 said

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on 9/10/2008 To the comment on putting thorn bush clippings in the recent holes I would think would be a horrible idea. My dog just recently sliced its paw open on some rose bush clippings he thought he would sneak and play with and I was stuck having to take him to the ER vet at 8:00 pm and waited 3 hrs there left him over night for stitches. and wound up with a $500 bill. SO BAD IDEA!!!!

MissQ15 said

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on 7/15/2008 i have a dog pool,and her cage is in the shaded patio..i am starting to walk her..i hope it works..

murphlogic said

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on 7/11/2008 Although putting dog feces in spots where the dog digs does help I have a huge yard and they just go somewhere else. How can I stop it altogether?

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