Oreo's Diary - Dog Behavior - Dogs dig digging

Digging can be a nuisance but quite a few people I've met seem to think it's natural. Our dog likes to dig and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's not like she's kept in a yard where she's wreaking havok. Perhaps the most annoying thing is not being able to control it. You kind of want to say "no" "stop" just because... just in case... whatever. But really, I think you have to ask yourself a) is digging doing harm, and 2) is it something you have to control.

If the answers are yes, then Vicki Hearne has the best story about stopping your dog's digging behavior. Her dog liked to dig holes in her back yard when she was working at home. When she realized it was becoming a problem, she went to her shed, got a shovel and pitched in with the dog, digging with great enthusiasm. When the hole was pretty big, she got the hose, filled the hole with water and promptly dunked the dog's head in. It didn't take that many holes before the dog figured out if he started digging he was going to end up dunked. He got the message so well, in fact, that if, on a walk in the woods far from their house, they would come across a hole, the dog would try to cover it up with leaves!

Hearne's book Adam's Task is a very fine book.