Permanently Stop Puppy Digging
31 Oct 2009
If you have a new puppy that is digging in your house, backyard, gardens or other areas, it’s important to do something about this problem. While digging comes naturally to your puppy and is a perfectly healthy thing, it can be a real problem when done in the wrong places and the wrong ways.
Your can help stop puppy digging by supplying your pup with a safe place that she can dig instead. You can’t expect that you will be able to stop digging altogether since this is a normal function, especially for a puppy.
However, you don’t want your puppy digging up your yard, your garden or flowers or digging under the fence and trying to “escape” as this can be very dangerous. You can give her a safe place to dig and teach her how to use it as a way to stop puppy digging.
First you will need to set up a digging pit for your puppy. This will be a safe place where your puppy can dig all she wants to without worry of bothering anyone or anything else. You can choose a spot in your yard that’s just for your puppy. The best option is a place with shade and protection from the elements and weather.
Dig a pit and then mix in some sand as well to help with drainage. This will prevent your digging pit from becoming a big hole of mud. If your puppy tries to help while you are digging the pit, encourage her and explain that this will be hers.
Once the pit is complete, introduce it to her and say “dig in your pit”. You will need to teach her where it is safe and ok to dig. You should reward her for using the pit. It’s nice to have some of her favorite toys around because it can make her feel more secure.
It can take as little as a few days of training for your puppy to learn that this is the proper place for her to dig. And then teach her not to dig in the wrong places. Set boundaries to help your puppy know when and where to go. You should scold her right away if you catch her digging in the wrong place so you can teach her this is bad behavior.
You can then take her to the digging pit where she is allowed to dig and explain to her that this is the place for digging. Reward her when she does it properly. You might need to spend a little time each and every day in training your puppy to stop digging in the wrong places but once you get it down, it will be much healthier for you and your pup.
To stop puppy digging, this is just one useful technique. If you have a serious problem with puppy digging and you can’t stop it on your own, it might be a good time to contact a specialist in training puppies and dogs with these types of behavior problems.
