Why it happens
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Breed instinct
Terriers and dachshunds were bred to go to ground and dig out their quarry, and northern breeds such as huskies dug themselves into the snow to rest. For them digging is a natural and enjoyable thing to do.
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Hunting
A dog can hear and smell mice, moles and insects under the ground. If it digs in one spot, keeps pushing its nose into the hole and listening, it is probably hunting.
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Cooling off in the heat
On a hot day a dog digs a hollow in the shade, because the earth is cooler further down. A yard dog with no shade digs a great deal.
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Boredom and energy
A dog left alone for long hours in a yard or a kennel run finds something to do by itself. Digging helps it unwind, much as chewing does.
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Hiding things and making a bed
A dog buries a bone or a toy for later, as its ancestors did with spare food. Indoors it may "dig" at the sofa cushions or its bed until it has arranged it comfortably.
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Trying to get out
Digging by the fence, especially under it, shows a wish to get out: to a bitch in season it can smell, after a cat, or because being alone in the yard is frightening and dull.
What helps
- A digging spot of its own Set up a sandpit or a corner of loosened soil in the garden and bury toys or treats there. Praise your dog when it digs in its own spot; when it starts somewhere else, calmly lead it to its corner.
- Shade and water On a hot day a yard dog needs shade, a cool place to lie and a bowl that is always full of water. The summer heat page explains how to protect a dog from the heat.
- Exercise and things to do Walks, scent games, chew toys and food puzzles meet the same need to keep busy. A dog that does not spend the whole day alone in the yard digs less.
- A secure fence If your dog digs under the fence, bury wire mesh along the bottom or lay flat stones there, and find out what draws it to the other side. Whether neutering suits your male dog is something to discuss with a vet.
- Do not scold after the event A dog does not link a telling-off or punishment for a hole already dug with the digging; it is only frightened. It works far better to prevent it: do not leave the dog alone among the vegetable beds, and praise it for digging in the right place.
Related product categories
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When it is a question for a vet
Digging in itself is not an illness. See a vet straight away if on a hot day your dog lies in a hollow panting hard, is lethargic, vomits or staggers – this can be heatstroke. The same goes for a bitch who, a few weeks after her season, digs and makes a nest, guards toys and has enlarged teats, or a dog that digs at the floor or walls restlessly and cannot settle, especially at night or in old age.