How do I stop my dog from digging in my backyard?
My 5 year old dog has started digging constantly in my backyard and I don't know how to get her to stop.
2 Answers
If she has just a few places she likes to dig, but has dug craters, you can put a blown-up balloon in the hole and cover it with dirt. The idea is that when she digs there again, the balloon will pop and surprise her. Another option is to fill the holes with her poops. Theoretically dogs don't like to dig through feces (don't know if this actually works; dogs don't seem to have a problem with eating their poop, so why would they balk at just touching it :-D)
If she has a broad area that she digs up, you can lay down chicken wire an inch or two below the surface of the yard. She shouldn't want to try to dig through metal wire.
Comments
I've used the "fill the holes with her poop" option and it does work. At least for my dogs it has. It takes a few holes but they will stop digging.
This was a hard one for us to overcome, too. I just had to BE there to stop it immediately. I couldn't just let my dog out and ignore her and expect her to understand that I didn't want holes dug, so I made it a point to be out there and immediately scold when she dug. If I couldn't be outside with her, I set an alarm for 5 minutes on my phone to go out and check.
She got the point after about 6 months of constant redirecting.