How To Stop Border Collies From Digging Holes In Your Yard

Be it your backyard or carpet, Border Collies loves digging on it. Barking, growling, chewing, chasing and digging are few things that every dog loves and are part of their characteristics. However, these aggressive activities and actions are not something that an owner would want because digging can be quite damaging; especially those who have garden and spend lot of money on maintaining the landscape. Digging is normal with every dog and just because it’s destructive, we cannot force them to completely stop doing it, as it’s a part of their nature. However, we can definitely encourage a dog to do it in less destructive ways, and for that you’ll have to train him with right methods.

Digging is a common problem among dog owners but not as big as it sounds. What else would you expect a dog when he has no one to play with? They love digging because they enjoy it and it’s a fun activity for them to do. However, the problem starts when your garden becomes a mess left with holes everywhere. Besides holes in your garden, you’ll end up with a dog full of dirt all over his body that you will have to clean. For dogs it might be fun and something they enjoy the most, but for the owner it’s a nightmare because you’ll get fed up of doing it every day.

Why does your Border Collie dig?

• The biggest reason behind digging is pretty simple! They just love digging because they find it exciting and fun.
• Sometimes during the summer season they dig and lay down there to cool off.
• They go crazy when they find a new smell or scent in the yard and then start digging there to find out what’s hiding in there.
• They are not only smart, but naughty too. They love watching you chase them as they dig up holes in your garden. Call it a teaser or anything else, they find it thrilling to watch their owner running after them.

So, now that you know why they dig, it’s time to find out what you can do to stop them digging up your yard.

The best way forward to overcome their digging habit is to either divert their attention on other activities they like, or else restrict their entry in your garden and find them a difference place to dig where you’re not bothered about them digging up your yard. Ha! Sounds a lot easier said than done? Well obviously it’s going to be a difficult task and will take time, but not impossible.

To start off, first try to understand why your dog wants to dig. Does he dig when you’re not around? If yes, then it is definitely because of separation anxiety or boredom. To solve it, you can buy mental stimulation dog toys that he can play with in your yard. If that doesn’t work, throw some tasty chewable treats. That will undoubtedly distract his mind from digging to chewing.

Have you noticed your dog digs only in hot summer days? Well then he is digging to cool off his body. They generally dig the soil and lay down on it to reduce body heat, which is normal. If that is the case with your dog too, it’s time to bring out the old sprinkler and let your dog play with it. However, make sure you don’t let him dig and play with the sprinkler at the same time, because that will create some serious chaos that you will have to clean.

If you think your dog is following a new scent or smell that he pickup in the garden, well get ready for some serious gold mining. In that situation controlling your Border collie from digging is going to be difficult because until the smell is completely gone he will continue to dig. The only way out is to distract his mind on something else, and for that nothing beats his favorite treat or toy in that situation.

What have you done to stop your border collie from digging up holes in your garden? Please share your experiences and suggestions below to help others who might be facing similar problem with their collies.