How To Stop Your Dog Digging Holes
We live with two big dogs. One is too smart for his own good. The other doesn’t care about his own good, therefore doesn’t need to be smart. A Catahoula hound and a blue nose staffy. Dante DuBois does what the hound does due to his lack of initiative. Digging holes is Angus’ go to move.
Dogs dig holes for reasons.
- There is something in that direction they need to investigate because the smell is telling them to com ‘on down.
- There are rocks in there they can eat.
- The ground is cool and laying on cool soil lowers body temperature.
- Boredom. Must dig.
Next time your dog digs a hole, throw some of their poop in before filling it up. They will not dig there again. The smell is sending a new message. As in, what is your problem? This is YOUR poop!
Rocks and soils are mineral rich. If a dog is eating rocks, his body is telling his brain he’s missing some nutrition. When I solved those through better food, it ended the need to eat rocks. Which helped solution the digging.
We don’t have a lot of shade in the backyard until mid-afternoon. Angus dug to cool off. Dante dug because Angus dug. We needed to offer better places to stay cool. Our deck is shaded. But there’s no airflow for cooling off. I moved his favorite deck chairs into the breeze zones. He lounges in the breezes until the afternoon shades set in. Dante lounges next to him waiting for instructions.
Grass grows slower in winter here in Florida, but it doesn’t stop growing. We plant winter rye grass in the yard’s thin and bare spots that were doggy digging sites, cooling spots, and wrestling rings. Rye grass grows fast, soft, and lush. Rye grass in the shade feels cool. Dogs love rye grass to lay in. They won’t dig up rye grass, it feels too good. Angus sleeps in the shaded rye. Dante rolls around arguing with his butt.
We have a house rabbit and a guinea pig. Which yields used hay at the end of every day. I shake out the used hay onto the freshly seeded spots. The hay supplements the soils and protects the grass that would like to grow. Hay is an excellent mulch to protect weak spots in your lawn. It breaks down. It provides shade for grasses. It’s earth, bird, and bug friendly. Mulch sold at big box stores can make dogs sick. Impact them. Give splinters. And is not bee or helpful bug friendly. Hay is superior in dog areas. Granted our dogs eat the guinea pig poop in the used hay, but they’re not digging holes!
The only animals digging holes now are the squirrels. If I can find where they poop, I can fix that.
