How To Get Your Dog To Stop Digging Holes…

07 Jul How To Get Your Dog To Stop Digging Holes…

Ask anyone in America (or the world for that matter) if they’ve ever had a dog or knew one that turned the back yard into a makeshift graveyard and they’ll undoubtedly say yes. Most people simply go outside with a shovel and fill in the holes the dog has made. This is teaching the dog nothing but you’ll clean up their mess after they make one. Most of the time it’s just a puppy being a puppy. Other times the puppy personality never left that dog and now it’s a 3 year old with a really annoying habit. It often comes from boredom, pent up energy or even a natural instinct in the dog. Whatever the case may be there is a quick and effective way to stop it dead in it’s tracks in just a few days. This technique is one of the oldest tricks in the book and hasn’t changed in decades because of its effectiveness. Believe it or not the best way to stop your dog from turning your yard into swiss cheese is…(drum roll)…their poop! Most people laugh when I say this but when they try it themselves that laugh quickly turns into a victory dance. Lets break this down…

For this the only tool you’ll need is their poop so save a little stockpile somewhere, preferably in a bag or bin to avoid flies and the bad smell. This will be the magic weapon to combat the bad habit. Next thing you’ll need is a yard with holes dug as the training process happens after the fact.

Step 1. Locate every hole they’ve dug. Holes to a dog become an art project that they constantly come back to and work on. It becomes more fun the deeper and wider the hole gets. Now we’ve located every hole let’s make the magic happen.

Step 2. Put a piece of their poop in each and every hole. Be sure the poop is at the bottom.

Step 3. Lightly cover every hole up with dirt. You’ll only cover it with an inch or two of dirt. This will create a camouflage to what’s underneath. If you skip this process it’s often less effective as the dog becomes savvy to the game very quickly.

Now here’s where we let the dog back into the yard and simply watch the magic happen. Many dogs will begin digging at one of the holes not knowing what’s underneath. When they do they’ll hit the poop with a tip of their paw and instantly stop. Dogs hate the sight, smell and taste of their own poop. Once they get a little on their paws they’ll surely wipe it off on the grass. From there they might explore another one of their holes which is now booby trapped. It takes a number of times for them to grasp this. Once again the process will repeat itself letting the poop do all the work. All the while you’re simply watching from the kitchen window while the habit is being eliminated. Some dogs will get savvy to the situation and start new holes. This is normal and expected so when they do you’ll simply repeat the process. What you’ve done is simply turn the tables on them, transforming their game into your game. Dogs learn by trial and error so once they find out time and again that underneath their hole is something they don’t like they’ll surely give up. Most dogs will give up completely after a few days while other take a little longer. 90% of the dogs I’ve done this with seem to get it in less than a week but you need to be consistent. Don’t let them start digging new holes and work on them for too long. The quicker you can fill the holes the with magic ingredient the faster it’ll stop. It’s a simple process with amazing results. Oh and one more thing…be sure to check your dogs paws before coming back into the house 😉 … Try it out and let me know how it goes. Ruff.

– Brandon