- Walk your dog at least twice daily. …
- Play with them using active toys (balls, flying disks) as often as possible.
- Teach your dog a few commands or tricks. …
- Take a training class with your dog and practice what you learn daily.
- Keep interesting toys in the yard to keep your dog busy when you’re not around.
If you’ve ever had a dog that digs holes, you know how dangerous it can be to go outside even briefly.
Ankle injuries and systematically destroying your lawn are just the beginning. He might irritate the neighbors and put himself in danger if he encounters traffic or hostile animals if he digs under the fence to take a solo stroll.
Fortunately, there are a number of remedies you can try to stop this bad habit and restore your yard to normal, so we’ve compiled them here.
Continue reading to find out why dogs dig and the best solutions for you and your earth-moving dog!
1 Use an uncomfortable ground cover
Dogs prefer to dig in soft soil because it is simple to do so and is gentler on their paws.
Your dog won’t dig up the ground in your yard if it is too hard or hurts his paw pads. This trick focuses specifically on making the ground in your yard unpleasant to dig in.
To accomplish that, you should cover your grass or soil with a material that is hard, dense, or coarse.
Large pebbles are a great anti-digging ground cover. By piling up rocks or pebbles, they become too heavy to dig up.
A thick layer of crushed gravel will also work. Dogs won’t dig through them because the sharp pieces will irritate their paw pads. Another type of ground cover that can stop your dog from digging is mulch. In particular, large wood chips. These pointy wood chunks are not fun to dig in.
The trick is to make the ground cover dense enough to keep your dog away. Shallow cover is easily moved, revealing the allure of the soil below.
Where appropriate, you could even install stone pavers.
You might not even need to purchase ground cover if you live close to a forest. You can cover areas where your dog digs with prickly pine cones and clippings from spiky plants like blackberries; you just need to go outside and gather it!
Get creative; there are undoubtedly many other ground covers you could use.
It hurts, doesn’t it, when a cactus stabs you? Your dog probably feels the same way.
Your pup is smart. If a plant pricks your dog, he will remember it. If he sees that plant again, he will avoid it.
You can take advantage of this by placing prickly plants in areas where your dog likes to dig.
The following time your dog tries to dig here, he will suffer a painful prickle as punishment.
Your dog might attempt to dig once or twice, but he will quickly realize that digging is painful and not worth the suffering.
Your options for prickly plants will entirely depend on where you live.
In most parts of the USA, different types of thorny roses can be grown, while cacti do well in dry, arid environments.
There is a prickly plant that will prevent your dog from digging anywhere you live.
You can’t go out and buy any old spiky plant. You see, many plants are toxic to dogs….
For example, while holly will stop your dog from digging, it’s also toxic to dogs. If your dog eats holly leaves or berries, it can cause vomiting and diarrhoea.[1]
Other pointy plants like sago palms are particularly deadly. Even a single seed can kill your dog.[2]
As you can see, researching dog-safe prickly plants is essential. You don’t want to kill your dog; you just want to stop him from digging!
Dogs dig for a variety of reasons, and there are numerous ways to try to stop them. Even without the use of sprays, you might be able to stop the behavior if you know why he is digging. If your dog is digging, he may be trying to:
Not necessarily. Just like humans have different tastes, so do dogs. What will deter one dog may not deter another, and the spray is merely adding a repellant to the area. If you don’t want to spend money on a commercial spray, first see if you can achieve the desired results using homemade sprays.
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You can spray your dog with vinegar and citrus oil to prevent him from digging. Commercial dog repellent sprays are also available. Finding what works for your dog may require some trial and error since these techniques may not be effective for all dogs. Such sprays, whether purchased or made at home, are a good place for pet owners to start when trying to stop this behavior.
Digging Dog FAQs
Here are some of the most frequent queries we’ve heard from dog owners whose dog has recently developed into their own personal excavator.
FAQ
What smell deters dogs from digging?
Red cayenne pepper proved to be the most effective digging deterrent scent that we tested. Wherever your dog is digging, a small amount of this powder should be added. Your dog will completely avoid the area after taking a sniff. When inhaled, this red pepper will irritate your dog’s nostrils.
Will vinegar stop a dog from digging?
Since dogs dislike the smell of vinegar, it might deter them from digging. Simply mix vinegar and water together 50/50 and spray it where your pets like to dig. While some pets will benefit from this approach, it won’t work for all of them.