Digging dog

[Pam29]

How can I stop my dog digging in the garden? She is a 9 month old spaniel and digs in the lawn, the borders, even in pots. Its making a real mess of the garden.

[kita1]

Give her a sandpit of her own!!!

http://www.ttlntl.co.uk/3/BehAdv/digging.htm

Taken from the above article:

First of all the dog must not be let in the garden again on his/her own, they cannot learn that digging up the flower border or vegetable plot is unwanted unless they are told "Off" at the moment of going on there and then most importantly PRAISED FOR COMING OFF AND NOT DIGGING.

No dogs dig all day long, so give your dog praise when he is not digging, play with him and reward him. If he is digging to escape you should consider taking him out for regular walks. But if, in the case of most dogs, his greatest joy is to dig a few holes then you need to provide a digging pit.

A 3 x 6 foot area is sufficient for any dog, dig an area to the depth of 2 foot and mix in a little sand. Now stock the pit with buried treasure such as bones, chew toys etc. Leave some items poking out of the surface and allow your dog to watch this process.

Now use the command "DIG IN YOUR PIT". When interest is shown praise your dog and enthusiastically repeat the request "Good go and dig in your pit". Once your dog gets the idea, the items can be buried deeper. If your dog unearths a bone or a treat, allow him to eat it, if a toy comes up then reward the dog by having a game with it straight away. This becomes self rewarding to the dog and if interest is shown elsewhere tell him "OFF" then "DIG IN YOUR PIT". It won't take him long to realise what those words mean.