Stop the Digging Habit

You love your dog. But you don’t love having to rescue your plants from either being dug out (again) or being buried again - sometimes dogs and gardens seem not to be compatible. Besides those holes make the yard look messy and filling them in only seems to encourage your pet to dig it all out again.

But there is a foolproof way to fix the problem and it is very simple. It does require a bit of determination and commitment for a short period - but then doesn’t everything.

If you just can’t handle it physically then get a friend to help - it won’t take too long to work either. And it won’t matter too much if you have to wait until you have some help, (like later in the day after finding the hole) Just plan ahead and get on the phone and make sure that you can get someone to help when you need it - especially with a bigger dog. (But preferably get to work on a hole digging dog while it is still young enough to learn quickly - an older dog may take longer to learn)

Tie the dog up, close to the hole if possible. This is just to make sure that it doesn’t run away- or you have to chase the dog around. Make sure you have your old clothes on -then go get a large bucket of water and pour it into the hole.

Bring the dog to hole and stuff its head in the water and hang on tight to keep it there as long as possible. Probably by the very next time you find a hole and tie the dog up and get the bucket of water, the dog is going to be uncomfortable (it knows what is coming)and will run away if you haven’t first of all tied it up.

Don’t let the fact that the dog has become frightened stop you though - you need the dog to know that whenever you find a hole in your yard, or elsewhere that you know it has made, you are going to fill it with water and (it thinks) try to drown him in it. (Of course it will be a struggle and you won’t be able to hold the dog down for long enough to drown it).

We used this method several times for our dogs. It put them off hole digging forever. And it didn’t take long for them to learn that holes they made were where they had a very uncomfortable experiences. Honestly, they were much happier dogs - they knew we were happier owners as well.

So - be determined to go through with it. You will get messy and wet, especially with a bigger animal, but then washing your dog can also be a messy experience. But the end justifies the means (in this case anyway). It does work.

This method may worry some people and if it is something you cannot handle because you are afraid of hurting the animal, well you will have to put up with the holes in the yard (and that is fair-enough) you are not being forced to use this method, that does work - it doesn’t hurt the animal, they cough and splutter a bit. And a laborador (which we have had to cure of hole digging with this method) loves to get his nose into water and snuffle about anyway.

So all the best - start with a younger dog when they first begin digging for best results and you will have a truly civilised canine home companion.

About the Author

Farmer, animal lover, writer, christian - someone who likes to find a way to fix things so life is not too stressful.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed , Also Check Our Recommended Ebook - Click Here Go To Ebook Page