How to Stop Dog from Digging

Digging is one of the most natural dog behaviors — and one of the most destructive for your yard. Whether your dog is excavating flower beds, escaping under the fence, or just redecorating your lawn, the solution depends on understanding why they're digging and addressing that specific cause.

What You'll Need

• Treats and a treat pouch: Reward your dog for choosing appropriate activities over digging. A treat pouch with magnetic closure keeps rewards ready for outdoor training sessions.
• Chew toys and puzzle toys: A Kong toy and a puzzle toy provide mental stimulation that reduces boredom-driven digging.
• A pet exercise pen: An outdoor exercise pen can limit your dog's access to digging areas while you work on training.

Why Dogs Dig

Understanding the cause is essential — the fix for each is different:

• Boredom: Under-stimulated dogs dig for entertainment
• Instinct: Terriers, Dachshunds, Huskies, and other breeds are genetically wired to dig
• Temperature regulation: Dogs dig to find cool ground in summer or warm ground in winter
• Prey drive: Digging after moles, gophers, or insects underground
• Escape: Digging under fences to get out of the yard
• Anxiety: Stressed dogs dig to self-soothe
• Burying items: Instinct to cache food or toys

Step-by-Step: How to Stop Digging

Step 1: Identify Why Your Dog Is Digging

Watch when and where your dog digs. Along the fence line suggests escape attempts. In flower beds suggests prey or instinct. In the middle of the yard on hot days suggests temperature regulation. The cause determines the solution.

Step 2: Increase Exercise and Mental Stimulation

Boredom is the most common cause of digging. Add a second walk, a training session, or active play to your dog's daily routine. A tired dog digs far less. Puzzle toys and Kongs left in the yard give your dog something to do besides dig.

Step 3: Supervise Outdoor Time

Don't leave your dog unsupervised in the yard until digging is under control. When you catch them starting to dig, interrupt calmly and redirect to an appropriate activity. Every unsupervised digging session reinforces the habit.

Step 4: Block Access to Favorite Digging Spots

Place rocks, chicken wire (buried just below the surface), or garden fencing around areas your dog targets. Physical barriers are faster than training for protecting specific spots like flower beds.

Step 5: Reinforce the Fence Line

For escape diggers, bury chicken wire or L-shaped wire mesh along the fence line, extending outward underground. This makes digging under the fence physically impossible. Also check that your fence has no gaps your dog is trying to reach.

Step 6: Provide a Designated Digging Zone

For dogs with a strong digging instinct, give them a legal digging spot — a sandbox or a designated corner of the yard filled with loose soil. Bury toys and treats in it to make it attractive. Redirect your dog to this spot every time they dig elsewhere, and reward them for using it.

Step 7: Address Temperature Needs

If your dog digs to cool down, provide shade, a paddling pool, or a cooling mat. If they dig to warm up, bring them inside or provide a sheltered outdoor bed. Removing the need removes the behavior.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

My dog digs only when I'm not watching

Supervise outdoor time until the habit is broken, or limit yard access using an exercise pen. You can't redirect a behavior you don't see.

My breed is a natural digger and won't stop

For instinct-driven diggers, complete elimination is unrealistic. Focus on providing a designated digging zone and protecting the areas you care about with physical barriers. Channel the instinct rather than trying to eliminate it.

How Long Does It Take?

With consistent supervision and management, most boredom-driven digging stops within 2–3 weeks. Instinct-driven digging in certain breeds requires ongoing management rather than a permanent fix.

Final Thoughts

Stopping digging starts with understanding why your dog digs. Increase exercise, supervise outdoor time, block favorite spots, and consider a designated digging zone for instinct-driven dogs. With the right approach for your dog's specific cause, digging is very manageable.