How To Stop A Dog Digging Using Aversion Techniques

Note: this is page 2 of our tips on how to stop a dog digging - page 1 is here - how to stop dogs from digging.

Some dogs will dig out of boredom, or as a way of using up excess energy. In these cases, the relatively simple way to stop your dog digging is to increase both his physical activity level and mental stimulation, so that has more acceptable alternative behaviours to occupy his mind, and less pent up energy to channel into digging.

For other dogs, however, the instinctive urge to dig is extremely deep-rooted. Providing these dogs with the increased activities mentioned above will certainly help to keep them healthy, happy and stimulated, but may not be enough to stop the dog from digging up your prized lawn.

More direct and devious tactics may be required....

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To stop a dog digging when the provision of extra activity has not worked, you‘ll need to start looking at using aversion techniques to try and create a strong negative association in your dogs mind with his digging behaviour.

This does not involve causing your dog any undue anxiety, fear, pain or confusion, however. It simply causes your dog to reconsider whether this behaviour is in his best interests, before he decides to act upon his instinctive urge to dig.

Here are some really useful and effective aversion techniques which can be used to stop a dog digging...

Squirting with a hosepipe as soon as the dog attempts to dig is one aversion method which can bring good results. For a more sophisticated set-up, some dog owners will use motion detectors coupled with sprinkler systems to automatically ‘guard’ the garden. This may work for some dogs, but you’ll need to be careful not to turn it into a ‘fun water game’ for your dog, as this will strengthen the positive association with digging, and will likely worsen the problem.

Dogs very often return to the same spot to carry out their digging behaviour. No matter how often you fill the hole back in, they’ll come back and dig it up again! Next time you fill the hole, put something in it which the dog finds unpleasant and hopefully even repellent. Most dogs will stop digging when they find their own faeces in the hole, for example. Some people recommend covering the area with cayenne pepper, citronella, or one of the commercially available deterrent sprays. Apparently, mouthwash is also very effective when you want to stop a dog digging in a particular area!

Of course, this may have the effect of just making the dog select a different area to start digging in, but if you consistently repeat this technique each time they start digging a new hole, they will eventually drop this behaviour, as you will have successfully planted a negative consequence association in their mind.

Another version of this technique is to bury a fully inflated balloon in a hole which the dog habitually returns to. The next time he goes to dig here, he’ll get a huge shock when the balloon pops. This type of ‘shock consequence’ can be very effective, and can often stop a dog digging for good after just one or two goes.

Whichever technique you use, the key is to supervise your dogs’ access to the garden, and, as with all dog training, be consistent with the message you’re trying to convey to your dog.

Are you struggling to control your dogs behaviour ?

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