Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Understanding Why Dogs Dig and How to Train Them Not to

Dogs are great diggers. Those long claws and
large paws are perfect for moving dirt quickly.
Unfortunately for many dog owners, the joy of
digging also means the hardship of repairing a
destroyed lawn or garden. Digging is a common
behavior in dogs, and one which can be corrected.

There are many reasons why dogs love to dig.
Digging behaviors can be traced back to the dog's
ancestry - wolves who use the skill for survival
purposes.

Caching

Most canines like to cache things. In the wild
this is typically food, and if a wolf or other
canine has too much food on hand, it often gets
buried in a special spot that he will remember.
This is useful during period where food is more
difficult to find. Having extra food stored for
raining days is a good habit for them.
Your dog may decide to bury food in a cache, but
it could just as easily be anything at all that
your dog has decided to treasure: a favorite toy,
an old bone, even a stolen shoe. In fact, some
dogs may decide to hide things that they might
have stolen simply as a game.

Hot and Cold Issues

Dogs, certain breeds in particular, can be very
sensitive to temperature. A long haired snow dog
might get over warm in the summer heat and so dig
a hole in the shade to cool off in. The earth a
few inches down is often much cooler than the
surface which is heated by the sun.

Short haired dogs may feel the cold much more
than others and so might dig down a bit into the
ground. This gives them a slightly more
insulated place to lie down and shields them from
the wind.

Separation Anxiety

Dogs with separation problems may try feverishly
to dig out of any enclosure to get back to their
owner. The frenzied nature which often
accompanies this type of digging can make this a
dangerous task for your dog.

Hunting

Certain breeds of dogs have been bred to pursue
small mammals. Terrier dogs are breed to hunt
and may enjoy digging into animal holes to get
their prey.

Fun

Most dogs just enjoy digging out of fun, tearing
up your entire yard and leaving many little holes
behind. This kind of digging is often
accompanied by lots of galloping around and
general canine merriment.

Before you even try to stop your dog digging
behavior, you might want to think and figure out
why he dig in the first place. Most of these
types of digging come with fairly obvious
indicators, so it shouldn't take much time before
you have your answer.

For a dog that caches treats and treasures, the
simplest way is to not give out these treats and
treasures unless your dog will finish them or
else is indoors. Failing this, it's possible to
designate a special place in the yard just for
digging. You can bury some of his favorite
treats in this special spot and encourage him to
dig and retrieve them. You may need to work with
the dog for a bit before he'll understand that
the digging pit is the only spot for digging, and
this is best done by simply distracting your dog
from digging elsewhere and redirecting him to the
digging area.

A dog that is trying to keep himself comfortable
due to the climate should always be given in to.
Provide a hot dog with shade and a nice cool
surface. Dogs love to rest and relax on flooring
that stays cool in the shade, such as concrete or
metal surfaces. You should provide your dog with
plenty of water to help cool them down and maybe
a kiddy pool for the dog to jump into.

Dogs that love to dig for fun can be trained to
dig on allocated digging area. You can consider
to fence off areas that you need to keep your dog
away. Some dog trainers suggest leaving your
dog's feces in the holes, though unless your dog
is digging repeatedly in a single spot, this is
not much of a deterrent. You can try to distract
your dog and praise him with treats when he stop
digging.

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