Why does a dog dig?
Digging is a part of a dog's instinctual behavior. The major causes that can set a dog to start digging are boredom and the weather.
Boredom: Sometimes a dog will dig just to escape boredom. This especially true if a dog is in a fenced off yard.
Weather: Dogs usually dig the most when the weather is hot. The soil gives off a cool feeling to the dogs and thus digging in the ground feels very good to a dog if he is very hot.
While digging is a natural part of a dog's life and often can be quite harmless it can also pose a problem. If a dog digs anywhere and everywhere this may be bad both for your dog and for your yard! That's why it's a good idea to use a training guide to help teach your dog how to dig only in a particular area.
How do you train your dogs to dig in a particular designated area?
Give your dog a place where he or she is allowed to dig. Reward your dog for digging in this area but do not allow him or her to dig anywhere else. This will train the dog that only in this one area is digging allowable.
To begin your training, look for a sandy area. Loose soil is highly preferred not just by most of the dogs but by most of the trainers. Cleaning off becomes easier if the soil is more loose and sand like. Unlike the dirt that can blanket a dog's body, sand can easily be removed.
It's also important that the dog's digging area have a lot of shade. Your dog will not want to be out in the sun all day during the summer.
If you have no area in your yard that is very soft and loose you may want to try and make it that way yourself. Perhaps using some gardening tools to loosen the ground up in one area for the dog. You could even buy some sand and mix that in!
After you've decided on the perfect digging area for your dog one trick is to bury one of his treats in the soil. This will make digging fun for him. It will make it into a bit of a game and it'll definitely help get him to want to dig in this area again rather than elsewhere (like your garden for example!)
Don't bury the bone or treat all the way into the ground. Leave one portion of it sticking out so that your dog will understand. If you do it this way you'll have no problem getting your dog to start digging in this area. As your dog is able to dig out the bone or treat you should share in his excitement! Give your dog lots of rewards and pats on the back for his good behavior.
This will not be an overnight success. Dog's naturally want to dig everywhere! So you must spend time training your dog to dig only in this one area. You must be strategic and patient. It will take constant practice and showering of treats to get your dog to understand that this one area is the only area for digging.
If your dog starts digging in other areas you need to stop him at once but not by punishing him but instead by redirecting him to his proper digging area. This is when you'll want to put another bone in the ground. Eventually in time your dog will learn that this is the area that is fun to dig in. It is the area with the buried treasure.
Read more of my writing about dog training at http://www.dogtraining-atoz.com
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