How to Stop Dog Digging: At a Glance
You can't eliminate the instinct to dig — but you can redirect it to appropriate places.
Why Is Your Dog Digging?
Digging Cause
| Digging Cause | Signs | Solution | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boredom/Energy | Random holes, digs when left alone | More exercise, puzzle toys, dig zone | 2x daily walks + mental stimulation |
| Cooling Behavior | Digging in shady spots, lying in holes | Provide shade, kiddie pool, cooling mat | Access to cool indoor space in heat |
| Prey Drive | Digging along fence lines, focused holes | Remove rodents/moles, block access | Pest control, bury wire mesh along fence |
| Escape/Anxiety | Digging under fence, near gate | Reinforce fence bottom, address anxiety | Bury chicken wire L-shape at fence base |
Digging Management Plan
| Create a designated 'dig zone' — sandbox or loose dirt area, bury toys/treats | |
| Reward dog for digging in the dig zone — make it the BEST place to dig | |
| Increase exercise — tired dogs don't have energy to dig | |
| Provide cooling options: shade, water, kiddie pool in summer | |
| Bury chicken wire or pavers along fence line to block escape digging | |
| Punish dog for digging — they won't understand why | |
| Fill holes with dog's own feces (old myth — doesn't work, may cause coprophagia) | |
| Leave dog unsupervised in yard for hours if they're a digger |
A 'dig zone' is the single most effective solution. Fill a sandbox or designated area with loose sand/dirt, bury toys and treats, and reward your dog for digging THERE. Dogs dig where the digging is good — make the dig zone better than your garden.
If your dog is digging under the fence to escape, this is a safety emergency. A dog loose on the street can be hit by a car, lost, or picked up by animal control. Reinforce the fence bottom immediately (chicken wire, concrete footer, L-footer) while you address the underlying cause.
A dog digging under the fence is usually solving a problem you didn't know you gave it: boredom, something visible or smellable on the other side, or a denning instinct that a bare dirt yard never gave a legal outlet. Block the dig site, remove the trigger, and give the instinct somewhere else to go, and most fence-line digging stops within a few weeks.
Fence digging is a problem your dog is trying to solve
Block the spot, find the trigger, give the instinct somewhere else to go.
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What actually stops the digging
Fence line with a gap or loose soil right at the base
L-footer wire or pavers buried along the fence line
Redirect, don't just punish
Digging is a strong instinct in some breeds. A legal dig pit works better long-term than scolding a dog for an urge that isn't going away on its own.
Most fence digging is boredom, anxiety, or something visible on the other side
By the time you notice the hole, your dog has usually tested several smaller ones first. Look at what's on the other side of the fence at the dig site: a rabbit den, a neighbor's dog, foot traffic on a sidewalk. Also consider what's missing on your side: exercise, mental stimulation, or company during the hours the digging happens.
Blocking the dig site works faster than any training trick
Bury an L-shaped footer of welded wire or hardware cloth along the base of the fence, angled outward into the ground, or line the base with pavers or large rocks. A dog that physically cannot get through a spot will usually try a few more times and then give up on it, rather than escalating.
A legal digging spot redirects the instinct instead of fighting it
Some breeds, especially terriers and northern breeds, have a strong instinct to dig that doesn't disappear just because you block one location. Build a sandbox or a marked dirt patch, bury toys and treats in it, and reward digging there specifically. This channels the same drive somewhere that doesn't compromise your fence.
Exercise and mental work close the gap that boredom was filling
Longer walks, sniff-focused walks where the dog sets the pace and route, and food puzzles during the hours you're not home all reduce the boredom that drives a lot of fence-line digging. If digging is new and paired with other signs like destructive chewing or house soiling only when left alone, look at separation anxiety as a possible driver, not just boredom.
What this article is and isn't backed by
No source on this pipeline's approved list publishes research specific to fence-line digging prevention. The physical barrier and redirection methods above are standard, widely used containment and enrichment practices, not a cited veterinary study, and this article does not attach a source to them for that reason.