Dear Lisa: Now that the weather is getting nice I'm spending more time outdoors with my young puppy. However, all she wants to do is dig in the yard. She digs in different places and is destroying the lawn and garden. What can I do to stop her from this annoying habit? —Testing Terra Firma

Dear Testing Terra Firma: Dogs will dig! It's in their nature. It's a tool they use to accomplish many tasks. But why they dig is as wide and varied as your yard's terrain after the puppy has had her way in the turf. Reasons for digging fall into two categories: a natural instinct to achieve a goal or a symptom of a behavioral problem.

Instinct vs. Bad Behavior

Many purebred dogs were selectively bred for their digging abilities. The terrier breeds in particular and some hounds are noted for "going to ground" to locate their quarry. While Dachshunds may dig for badgers and Jack Russell Terriers for fox, other breeds use digging to help locate weasels, otters, rodents and other small vermin that live in the ground.

Dogs may dig when they find small mammals like moles or voles in your yard. With dogs' acute hearing they hear them scurrying along in their underground burrows and their keen sense of smell helps them locate the exact spot to dig. Hunting prey is one major reason for digging.

Especially if you have a heavy-coated breed your dog may dig to create a cool spot in the earth to lie down in. This natural cooling method is employed in shady areas during summer's heat. Sometimes dogs just like to have fun and digging gives them a thrill.

Other times dogs may dig out of boredom, obsessive-compulsive behavior or the need to escape. Puppies especially have tons of energy and need to release it somewhere. If a puppy isn't mentally challenged or physically exercised enough she could be digging to relieve that pent up energy. Dogs that dig at a fence line may want to escape from the yard either to play with other dogs to relieve boredom or to try to locate their owners due to separation anxiety.

Solutions

Once you've identified what type of digger you have dealing with solutions can be more focused. If prey drives your dog to dig then removal of the object of their desire is first and foremost. For fun diggers, keep bare spots of dirt to a minimum as the soft earth is an easy target. Cover barren patches with natural obstacles like stones, tiles, gravel or wood or use temporary measures like chicken wire lied flat over the spot to prevent digging. This may stop digging in that one area but may lead your dog to dig elsewhere.

The best solution is not to try and stop your dog from digging but give him his own place to dig by building a digging pit or sandbox. I found an excellent website at www.writedog.com/dogs-dig.html that gives instructions from author and trainer Cheryl Smith on how to construct such a dog digging heaven. However, the only way to truly prevent digging, especially if your dog must be left outside unsupervised for long periods of time, is to provide a small kennel run with a concrete floor.

One further option is to allow dogs to dig in their own yards. Many people divide their yards into dig-free zones for cultivation of manicured gardens and lush lawns and give the dogs a fenced-in area all their own. This compromise gives man and his best friend what they both want with no hard feelings between them.

©2003 Lisa Peterson