Dog digging is something dog owners are familiar with. Your dog may be digging as a result of different factors. In this article, we will look at some of the reasons why your dog may be searching.
But, more importantly, show you a method that works. And show you the answer to your question, “Stop Dog From Digging Home Remedy.”
Why do dogs dig?
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To hunt prey
Dogs are led by the instinct to hunt. This means that your pup may be digging on the lookout for burrowing animals and rodents. Well, we discourage hunting for domesticated dogs.
This means you should stop your dog from digging immediately after noticing the behavior. This is because rodents and other burrowing animals may transmit worms to your dog.
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To escape
Even though rare, your dog may try to escape your home through digging. Some dogs manage to escape from home due to various reasons.
In a case where you have recently adopted a dog from a shelter, you may want to be extra careful with him. He may try to escape and go back to his previous home.
Usually, this is a result of anxiety or fear. Usually, he will dig holes near the fence.
It is, therefore, essential to keep an eye on your dog for the first few days. By monitoring him, you will be able to notice the causes of his anxiety.
For instance, your needy puppy may feel threatened if you have a bigger or more aggressive pet at home. Knowing the exact thing pushing your dog to dig is essential when controlling the behavior.
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To cool down
This is common during the summer. Your dog will do anything to cool off when there is so much heat. If you do not allow your dog to access the house, you may find him lying in his new dug holes.
This is because the ground underneath the surface is more excellent.
Dog digging holes to cool down is led by instincts. That is precisely how dogs in the wild will cool themselves off during hot weather.
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To save food
Like in the wild, dogs desire to save some food for later. He will dig to bury his leftovers only to retrieve them later. You should avoid giving him more food than he can finish.
Your vet should be able to advise you on the amount of food you feed your dog. This will be based on the weight and energy levels of your dog.
It is also essential to avoid overfeeding your dog to avoid leaving him with pent-up energy. This will also keep your dog safe from obesity.
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Boredom and anxiety
Dogs get bored quickly as they need to explore and be involved. However, most of the time, we are not home to be with our dogs.
This means he will spend the day alone, increasing his chances of getting bored. This is a common situation in dogs that get limited play and exercise.
Stop dogs from digging home remedies.
Now that we have looked at some of the reasons why dogs dig, how can we stop them? As much as it is harmless for dogs to explore, you do not want to come home and find out he escaped.
Therefore, we must develop the best and most effective ways to stop dogs from digging.
Home remedies to stop dogs from digging
Bury chicken wire under the fence
This is the most popular method to stop dogs from digging naturally. It is an effective method to prevent your dog from escaping your homestead.
As discussed earlier, your dog may be trying to run for some reason. It could be that he is afraid of something in your household or underlying anxiety that drives him.
Although training is an effective way to deal with dog digging problems, burying chicken wire underneath the fence is helpful. This is because it puts a restriction on your dog even after searching.
However, it would help if you were careful to avoid hurting your dog. Steel chicken wire may cause an injury to your dog’s paws.
Therefore, you should consider plastic chicken wire instead. It is important to remember that the goal is to protect and not harm your dog.
Control burrowing animals
Many dogs will dig in the yard or lawn to hunt for prey. However, domestication does not allow our dogs to engage in hunting as we provide food and shelter for them.
If your property or yard burrows animals, your dog may develop his instinct to hunt.
It is not harmful to dogs to hunt, but they might catch worms if he eats infected prey. This is one of the most important reasons you should control the behavior of digging and hunting.
To do this, you will need to get rid of these animals off your homestead.
Most people will go for pesticides when we talk about controlling burrowing animals. However, it is better to devise a way to eliminate them without using harmful chemicals.
This is because these chemicals may cause harm to your dog. Therefore, you should create more humane ways of dealing with these animals without harming your dog and other animals.
Air-conditioning
During hot weather, your dog may dig up a hole to help him cool his body. This is quite a common occurrence in dogs that do not access the house.
However, you can allow him to cool his body by providing air conditioning.
If you allow your dog to access the house, you should not struggle with this. You should make sure that your air-conditioning system is working well.
In addition, you should also ensure to provide excellent water for him now and then.
Lemon juice and vinegar
For some reason, dogs hate the smell of vinegar as well as that of lemon juice. This makes the two ingredients quite effective in controlling digging dogs.
However, you cannot apply the two directly because the sun will burn the blades of the grass. Instead, you should add equal amounts of water to vinegar and lemon juice.
It would help if you sprayed around your fence or the perimeter of your lawn.
This will deter your dog from digging to escape your homestead or even digging on your lawn.
Horse manure
As horse manure is suitable for your lawn, it will help you control your digging pup. The smell deters dogs, and thus they stay away. It would help if you frequently reapplied to keep your pup away.
Sprinkler system
This is an effective way to stop your dog from digging. The motion sensors will go on whenever there is movement, thus keeping your dog off your yard.
This works because dogs do not like to get all wet. Furthermore, it is an effective and safe method to deter your dog from digging holes in your yard.
Thorny plants
Thorny plants are also helpful in stopping dogs from digging around the fence. This can be effectively used to control dogs that are searching to escape from your home.
As discussed earlier in this article, dogs want to run for different reasons. For instance, your dog might be uncomfortable or wants to mate and thus try to leave your homestead.
However, you should be careful when choosing the type of thorny plants. It would help if you avoided any poisonous plants to protect your dog.
Stop Dog From Digging Home Remedy. Walk your dog
As mentioned earlier, your dog may be digging because he is not getting enough exercise. You should monitor your dog’s energy levels and make sure you walk, play, or even exercise with him.
This will burn all the extra energy that may encourage him to dig in your yard.
Increasing exercise and playtime is quite effective in eliminating boredom in dogs. Boredom also appears in the list of reasons why dogs dig.
Alternatively, you may buy your dog several toys to play with when he is left alone. Eliminating the cause of digging ensures that you curb the undesirable behavior completely.
Playing with your dog will also get him the attention he needs. Some dogs are clingy and needy and thus will do anything to get your attention.
This being said, engaging with your dog will help prevent various behaviors in our dogs.
Cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper is one of the most influential dog digging repellants, and like with vinegar, applying the latter directly to the lawn is unsafe.
This is because it will kill your grass or flowerbed. You can, however, sprinkle some pepper on the edges of your property to keep your dog away.
Cayenne pepper works because it irritates should your dog sniff it on the lawn. Alternatively, mix the pepper with water and spray it around the yard.
Eucalyptus Oil
The smell of eucalyptus oil is an effective repellent for dogs. Soak cotton balls in the oil to apply this technique and place them strategically on your lawn.
This will deter your dog from actually going anywhere near your property.
Stop Dog From Digging Home Remedy. Bonus point
Training
Over the years, dog training has been used to curb almost all undesirable behaviors, and training has been used to curb virtually all unwanted behaviors.
It is an actual basic when it comes to domesticating dogs. It would help if you came up with a ground where both you and your dog can come to an understanding.
It is necessary since you will live together, sometimes under the same roof.
Dog digging habit is no different from other dog behaviors. This means you may use training to stop your dog from digging.
The best thing about dog training is that he is unlikely to forget all the lessons, especially if you make it a routine.
There are different ways you can use to train your dog effectively. These ways include teaching commands, distraction, desensitization, and so on.
The first thing you look at when you are looking to train your dog is the underlying cause of digging. You have to determine why he is searching before you can devise a way to make him stop.
Once you understand the cause of digging, then you can approach training. We are going to look at some of the ways you can do this.
Distraction
This works better when training a dog to stop digging from needing attention. You may distract your dog by throwing a tennis ball for him to get.
This will automatically distract him from exploring and onto the ball. However, it would help if you were careful while using this method as he can take advantage of it.
Once he notices you always give him attention and play with him when digging, he may develop a habit of doing it even more.
Commands
If you have a dog who enjoys digging, teaching him a few commands will surely help. For instance, you may train him in the ‘stop’ or ‘don’t’ commands.
You apply the authorities immediately you see him digging or about to. Once he understands that you are not pleased with his actions, he will change.
This is quite a natural thing for dogs. They do not want or mean to upset their owners as they view you as the leader of their pack.
You will need to practice these commands often and more consistently for him to stop digging holes in the yard.
Desensitization
We discussed anxiety and fear as some of the leading causes of dog digging habits. However, you can be able to curb anxiety by the use of the desensitization method.
This means exposing your dog to the object, instilling fear and anxiety until your dog is used to its presence.
For instance, if your dog is scared of your friend, you may invite them over while your dog is on a leash. You then take your dog near your friend for a minute or so.
You can take him away if he is still restless and repeat for a short time. It would help if you did this without making your dog suffer. The same goes for dogs afraid of bigger pets at home, causing them anxiety and needing to dig.
In conclusion, deterring your dog from digging holes is an essential and challenging task. The above methods should help you take care of it from home.
