Should I Curb A Puppies Digging - Page 1

I'm not sure if I should curb my dogs digging.

My 4 month old male digs holes larger than him and sleeps in them and plays in them in the back yard. I think it's hilarious for now (mainly because we live in the desert and have sand in our backyard), but is this puppy curiousity? Should I put a stop to it? He is also starting to bury things (like an entire leg to my patio table). We almost had to get a metal detector to find it.

A hole makes for a cool place to lay sometimes.
Digging can be a problem tho.   I've tried a few cures with little success personally.
Digging out of a kennel can be a problem but easily solved, digging up the yards different.
Dogs do it for a number of reasons.
I'd say its up to you.

teach the dog to use digging as a aleart for search this may keep him from digging when not wanted(same as teaching a dog to bark on command will help with dogs who bark all the time .

 Hello,

Especially in your situation I think the dog does indeed dig because the hole is cooler. As for digging in general, it has been my experience with a considerable number of dogs that if a dog likes to dig, probably NOTHING will discourage him/her when left alone and in a suitable location. If you don't want a dog to dig, or bury things, you are trying to fight thousands of years of instinct. The only reliable way to avoid it is to put the dog in a kennel or other confined space where there is a concrete floor. This is not always the best thing to do. Keeping the dog away from things it should not bury, and leaving him in space where he can dig to his hearts' content probably makes more sense.

Good luck.



"Keep his nails trimmed, my dogs will dig if there nails start to get long, and they have one small area in the yard thats theirs to dig in of in the back corner. every time i woud catch them dig, i would tell them no! and take them to their digging spot. Dogs are happy digging, but you can control it."

That's a really good idea. I know they like the cooler feel (they both would rather lay on the kitchen floor to nap) so I can understand the digging for the holes. We try to keep burying items at bay, but he dug up a frisbee in our yard that wasn't even ours....it was about 1.5 feet deep. Talk about a good nose. Thanks for all the great ideas.

LOL.....
Personally,
I like a dog who burys things.   Reminds me of a dog named Hercules...
My dog sometimes just digs out of frustration, they want to do something !!   ...maybe thats just my dog.
She's high strung.
I just go around every once in a while and fill holes....LOL
Its not better homes and gardens around here.
Good luck.