Dogs and Digging

Do you have a dog that digs a lot? Have you ever wondered why he does this? Before anything else, it is important to understand that some breeds are more prone to this behavior than others namely, terriers and dachshunds.

For those who are are still wondering why their dogs love to dig, here are some of the more obvious reasons.

1. It's in their nature. This means that burying toys and bones like it's their prized possessions is instinctive.

2. Prey drive. Moles and rodents are burrowing creatures and some dogs just love going after them.

3. Cool spot to lie on in warm weather... and vice versa, warm spot to lie on in a cool weather.

4. Escape.

My two mini dachshund dig all the time at the blankets that we have on the couch. We know that it is to get under the blankets, so we just put them under the blankets.

The sad thing is they know the blankets are on the couch *just* for them, because they would freeze to death if they didn't have blankets. They hate wearing clothes.

Our German Shepherd did this when she was a puppy, but she grew out of it after she reached about a year old. She never buried anything in the holes she dug, but she did like to lie there afterward. I guess she enjoyed the cooler earth. We found that she did it less if she had a toy to chase around (the Kong worked great for her prey drive). Are beagles particularly prone to digging? My husband would like to get a beagle but every one that I've ever encountered has been a digger.

My grandparents own a dog with the same problem. This is a problem that has been going on for about 5 years now and they
pretty much gave up on trying to find a solution since nothing seems to be working. They are hoping he will grow out of it with a certain amount of time. Hopefully time will be a helped in this case.

I have heard that Jack Russell's are diggers. Misha has never dug a hole outside. However, she does it inside. Sometimes when she is in the living room, she will jump up and begin digging furiously on her dog bed and blanket. It's funny to watch. It is as if all of a sudden she decides that this must be done. She is very serious about it.

I have also seen her do it to my bed pillow. This is usually when we are playing. She will run down the hall and attack my pillow by digging on it. I guess we should be happy that she does this instead of digging holes all over the yard.

My Lab was a terrible hole digger for her first year. She dug them all over the backyard. She ended up growing out of it. By the time she was a year and a half, she didn't do this anymore.