Have you seen it? Have you noticed? All over Minnesota people are bustling with the long-awaited coming of spring. It took long enough to get here (as usual) but now that it has begun to look like the long winter is over, we are all preparing and becoming more active.
Animals are no exception to this rule. The squirrels are out in force. With the melting of the snow and thawing of the ground, the burrowing creatures are making home repairs; and in general the creatures who share our living space are as active as we are, if not more.
This is the time of year for much excitement for our dogs: with the smells coming up from the thawed earth, the activity they can hear on the ground and above their heads, and the sounds of activity they can hear, but not quite identify. They are anxious to get back into their environment and investigate all that has and is going on. As owners, we love to see this renewed excitement, except for the digging that goes along with it all.
Digging is a common problem that is probably universal to all dog owners. I personally have a hole in my yard that, if I were in a different part of the country, I would erect an oil derrick and hope for the best. Digging can be a difficult and frustrating issue to curtail, but there are steps you can take.
First the rules:
- If you can’t be available to watch and correct your dog every time he goes out (until the behavior is extinguished), correction probably isn’t a viable option for you.
- Dogs get lots of positive reinforcement just for digging. Either the reinforcement needs to be removed or a more attractive alternative given.
Now that all the icky stuff is out of the way, what can you do to keep your garden and lawn intact? First, if you want to correct you dog for this behavior, you need to SEE the action happening. If you don’t see it, by the time you do, correction is useless. A rule of thumb is if you can’t correct within 2 seconds, it’s too late for the dog to associate the act with the fact that it’s a bad behavior. Many people find this time constraint prohibitive. If it does work for you, here is something to help correct your dog.
- Make a sandbox for your dog to dig. When he starts to dig in an inappropriate place, verbally correct him and bring him to the sandbox. Make the sandbox attractive for him to be in; bury treats and toys to help him “hunt” for the buried treasure.
If consistent observation or correction is not an option, you will need to reactively make your dog’s digging spots no longer attractive. Several key ideas to help you through this task are:
- If there is a specific area where your dog constantly digs… by a fence, around a garden, etc. . . bury chicken wire fencing about 1 ½ inches under the topsoil. When your dog dogs, the chicken wire will not feel good against the pads of the dogs feet and he will stop digging in that spot.
- If the spots that he digs are more spread out around the yard, (believe it or not) bury the dog’s feces in the hole and cover it up. A dog will not dig around his own excrement. (Gross but effective).
Best of Luck. Enjoy your spring as much as your dog does!!!!
