Dogs will dig holes for lots of different reasons. A lot of digging is instinct. In the winter a wolf will eat whatever food he kills because he may not eat again for a long time. During the summer, he will dig a hole to bury his extra food so if he is short of food later on he can go back and finish off what he buried.
This instinct is why dogs will bury a bone in your back yard. Dogs may also dig a hole in the summer to lay on the cooler dirt to cool down. In the winter he might dig a hole to gain some protection from the cold.
Your dog may also dig a hole because he doesn't get enough exercise and digging a hole burns up a lot of energy. A dog owner may not realize how much energy a dog has and a lot of dogs, especially a larger dog in the city, may not be able to get out and run to burn some of that extra energy off. Make sure your dog gets all the exercise and attention that he needs.
If your dog is left out in the yard all by himself and he spends his time and energy digging holes, be sure to not yell and give him a lot of negative attention. Dogs are a lot like children. If they aren't getting a lot of attention, they will find a way to get attention, whether the behavior is bad or good. To a dog that is ignored, attention paid to them for bad behavior may be more welcome than being ignored for one more day. Giving negative attention to him for digging holes may just make the problem worse.
If you catch your dog in the act of digging, just firmly tell him no and you might be surprised how effective that is. If you don't tell him no, because of his instincts, he has no idea that he shouldn't be doing it.
Most holes are dug when we are not around. That is because a lot of dogs dig holes out of boredom. Spend lots of time with your dog. If you are around, he is not likely to be bored. If your dog is still digging after you have firmly told him to stop,(without yelling and screaming), put a wooden stake in the center of the hole he has dug, tie him to the stake with his leash and leave him there for twenty minutes.
It might take a few more holes, but after you have several holes with stakes in the middle of them, your dog will relate the stake to the hole and being tied to the stake and the hole digging will stop.
Author Resource:-
Linda Tanner researches and writes about dog training and dog and pet care. If you would like more information about dog training and dog care, please visit http://www.getdogtraininginfo.com
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