The Hole Story

She’s at it again.  My sister, DixieLee, is a very energetic dog.  We try to give her lots of exercise.  Mom and Dad take us for walks and I run and play fight with her all day long, but I’m usually warn out long before she is so she finds other ways to entertain herself.

One of those ways is digging holes.

Dogs dig holes for lots of reasons.

1.  Keeping comfortable and safe.  Before dogs lived in houses with people, we dug holes to make dens to live in.  They would be warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

2.  Storing valuables.  Holes are also great places to hide things so we bury extra food or other valuable things.  Lots of dogs today bury bones or toys to keep them safe.

3.  Hunting.  There are some breeds like terriers that hunt animals that live underground like moles and groundhogs.  They dig to get to their prey.

4.  Escape.  Even when a dog has a nice big yard like we do, they don’t like not being able to go where they want to so they dig to get out.

5.  Boredom.  Digging is something we do to relieve boredom and some, like DixieLee, find digging fun.  She loves to dig and she digs really fast.  Dirt flies everywhere and it is fun to watch.

If you like to dig and your humans don’t mind a yard full of holes, there is no problem but if they prefer a nice lawn, digging can be a problem.  The first thing for your human to do is figure out why you are digging.

1.  If you can’t stay inside all the time you could dig a den or your human could make sure your outside area has shelter from the cold, like a dog house with some nice blankets, or from the sun, like a shaded area. 

2.  We have lots of toys and antlers but are not allowed to take them outside.  If we are given a treat while we are outside, it is one we finish right away so there is nothing for us to bury.

3.  Stopping a dog that is hunting for prey is not easy.  The instinct to hunt is very strong so you may need the help of a professional trainer to stop this behavior.

4.  Dogs don’t like to be left alone and digging our way out of a pen is our way of breaking free to find our family members or other dogs to hang out with.  A layer of paving stones around the inside of the pen might stop escape efforts.

5.  DixieLee loves to dig because it’s fun so we have a place in the pen where she is allowed to dig.  Dad dug a hole about three feet square and filled it with sand.  DixieLee is allowed to dig all she wants in her sandbox and at the end of the day Dad rakes the sand back over the hole.  DixieLee can dig all she wants and our pen still looks nice.

We always look for a way to solve our problems that lets everyone one be happy.

Love,

Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self promotion.  Don’t forget the Holidays are coming soon and we have lots of gift baskets especially designed for pets and the people who love them at pawpalsboutique.com