How to Stop Dogs from Digging Holes

February/March 2006
Scott Hollis 
stop dogs digging holes, dog digging
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Dakota (left) and Jackson take a break from digging holes by cooling off in Clinton Lake, near Lawrence, Kan.
SCOTT HOLLIS
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Our border collie/German shepherd puppies are great, but they seemed to dig holes in the same location no matter what we did. We tried positive reinforcement, scolding, bitter spray deterrents, hot peppers and other methods, but none of them worked ? until we tried this method to stop our dogs from digging holes:

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Put chicken wire or some sort of steel screen (make sure the holes are not too small) over the favored location; cover the screen with dirt, and wait. Your dogs will try to dig as before, but the wire covering will stop them from getting too far, and the dogs will be deterred because the wire hurts their paws. Before long, they will give up and stop digging holes, then you've solved your problem!
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  • Julius Craton 2/12/2006 12:00:00 AM

    The holes that my dogs were digging was because they were trying
    to get to the moles. I found a cheap vibrating windmill, no more
    moles. No more holes.

  • Mary Beth Broderson-Soper 2/3/2006 12:00:00 AM

    The holes in my yard are from raccoons that use the yard as an
    expressway. The holes are near the base of the bird feeder and
    where I've planted seeds (that didn't come up.) I wonder if
    cat-poop near these digging areas would keep the raccoons away
    without spooking the birds.

  • Toody Lundin 2/3/2006 12:00:00 AM

    If you REALLY want to stop those dogs from digging in the same
    spot....try burying their own waste the next time you do a yard
    cleanup.......I PROMISE they won't dig in that spot
    again!

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