A Labrador Retriever or Lab Puppy is much like a child: they love to play, run and make a lot of mess. As with a child, you need to let them burn off their energy for them to remain calm. However, unlike children, a Labrador Retriever has a natural instinct to dig – and that is a habit that is difficult to break. The good thing is that a Lab is an incredibly smart people pleaser – they want to do all they can to make you happy, so if you train them to dig in the appropriate places, that is what they’ll do!
Almost every dog digs. It’s in their nature, and there are a lot of factors behind why they like to dig in the first place. If you want to stop your Lab Puppy from digging, then you first need to understand his motivations. When you understand why your dog is digging, you can get to the root of the issue and divert their attention and behavior elsewhere, saving your flower beds in the meantime. So, let’s take a look at a few of the reasons that your dog is busy digging:
Why Your Dog Is Digging ?
Ancestry
Dogs have been known to dig dens for years. As your dog shares its genetics with its ancestors who lived in the wild, it stands to reason that they want to continue the family tradition and dig. They did this for temperature protection, comfort and to hide from predators.
Den-Building
Every dog loves a den. You may well have noticed your Labrador Retriever digging under their blanket or bed before sleeping, and that’s because they love a sleeping place that’s deeper and more protective.
Comfort
We bury ourselves under blankets when we sleep, or we sleep with the doors and windows open. What we do for comfort is reflective; except that dogs dig deeper to sit in a den that will make them feel comfortable and secure.
It’s Fun!
Dogs LOVE to play. When they’re bored, they will amuse themselves. This means that they will dig for fun sometimes, even if it’s the flower beds.
Anxiety
Some dogs dig out of anxiety. They need to get out, and so they will dig in desperation to get themselves out of where they are. This is another instinct to escape, and it’s a stress reaction to the anxiety.
Burning Energy
The biggest reason for your Labrador Retriever to dig is to burn energy. Labradors are not small dogs, and while they are easy to train and like to exercise, they need you to take them. In addition to rotating the type of toys they play with, you need to get your dog out running for a minimum of a half an hour at a time, so that they can burn all the excess energy that they carry. When your dog has too much energy, they dig. It’s a boredom and stress-related thing to do, and when the energy is pent up inside, they do what they can to expend it – whether your house is at risk or not.
It’s important that you find the appropriate exercise for your Labrador Retriever. This must be both physically and mentally satisfying for them so that they don’t have the need to dig in boredom or anxiety. You can provide chew toys, too, so that they have other – more constructive – ways to burn off all that energy!
How to Stop a Dog from Digging
Now that you have identified why your dog is going to town digging everywhere, you need to know how to stop him from doing it. But, SHOULD you stop him? Well, it depends on whether you have the time to give him a different option. As we mentioned before, you need to exercise your dog enough to stop him from getting bored. Age-appropriate exercise is important for both duration of exercise and intensity, and you need to find ways to burn off that energy. If they’re still digging despite you providing more than enough opportunities for your Lab Puppy to stop digging, then other methods to help may be necessary.
Digging could be the one thing that your dog loves to do, so while you don’t want to take away something he enjoys, you want to stop your dog from digging under the fence in the yard and destroying the flower beds along the way. Below, you’ll find some solid solutions for getting your dog to stop digging so hard!
Exercise
The most crucial thing that you can do. A Labrador Retriever is a big dog, so two 30 minute walks in the day is the absolute minimum that you could do for your dog. The evening walk can be up to an hour from around half an hour after dinner, as this way, your dog can burn up all the energy he’s been saving up through the day. There’s a lot of pent-up excitement that your Lab is dealing with, and so it’s very important that you don’t punish your dog for digging. It may not be something you like him doing, but with enough exercise and toys, you can reduce it – if not stop it completely.
When you’re out on your walk with your Lab Puppy, bring a ball or frisbee to keep him busy and playing. You need to do more than just a straight walk. Let him sniff things, and let him play and run. When you interact and engage, you engage his mind as well as his legs!
Create A Digging Zone
You may not be able to stop the digging entirely, and you may not even want to. More than anything, you may just want to ensure that your dog is digging in the right places. You can create this and train them to use it (with plenty of treats!). If you get a sandbox that is usually for children, you can fill it with soil. Dogs love mud and muck and soil lets your dog get nice and muddy! Bury their chew toys and some treat bones in the soil and let him go nuts. Your training will ensure he doesn’t dig anywhere else, and if you make sure that you bring him back to the approved digging zone when you catch him digging outside of the right place, he will learn fast!
Appropriate Correction
Your Labrador Puppy needs to be taught, but it’s so important that you don’t punish your dog for digging. Dogs learn with positive reinforcement, not negativity. Negativity leads to anxiety and stress, and this leads to further digging and other behavioral issues. Instead, say “No” loudly, and offer a treat when he listens. You correct more dogs with treats than punishment, and he will link the treat to his excellent behavior.
Add Chain-Link Fencing
To stop your dog from digging under the fence, you can add some chain link fencing that is around two feet wide on the ground under the perimeter of your yard. Doing this under the fence will stop your dog digging underneath it and escaping.
Regulate The Temperature
Sometimes, dogs dig to give themselves a space to warm up or cool off. You can prevent this by ensuring that the inside of the house is the right temperature so that they don’t feel the need to dig. You can really take away the need for them to dig when you realize that this is the problem.
Hunting
If you bury toys and treats in the soil of the sandbox that we mentioned earlier, you remove your dogs’ need to hunt. Dogs love to hunt; it’s in their nature and while that’s wonderful, you can channel this need into the right space for them. Dogs love to hunt for critters and pests, and that’s where you need to ensure that you’re on top of your pest control.
Create A Better Sleep Space
We mentioned earlier that dogs love to dig dens to sleep in so that they can feel cozy. Making sure that your dog has a comfortable sleep space that is den-like and soft will help them to stop feeling insecure enough to dig their own den. Make your dog happy and you’ll stop the digging problem that you’re experiencing.
Address Anxiety
Digging to escape is a big deal, and you can stop it from happening. Anxiety and stress can be helped, so you must stop leaving your dog unsupervised and you need to eliminate whatever it is that is making your dog want to run away. Separation anxiety is common in dogs and if you ensure that you’re addressing this, you’re going to have a dog that is secure enough to stop digging.
If you have tried all of these ways to stop your dog from digging, then you need to think about getting some help. A professional trainer could help you to teach your dog to stop digging if you’ve exhausted all options, but really, it’s about making sure you are burning their energy. Walk your dog enough, and you’ll be able to cure this issue once and for all for your Labrador Retriever.
