How To Stop Your Dog From digging Holes in Your Yard

What is the most gentle way to train/stop a dog from digging holes in the yard ?

The first thing to do is to find out the reason he is digging since dogs dig for many different reasons – including temperature regulation.

I get asked this all the time from my pet sitting clients.   I stress that this is not destructive behavior because having that thought creates negative feelings to the dog.
The dog is having fun when they do this. The key is to get the dog to have fun doing other things. One is exercise as has been mentioned.
The other is to provide an outlet for the digging behavior. You can do this by getting the dog to dig at another place. Attract the dog there with soft soil (dig it up) and bury treasures in it. Praise for digging there.
For the holes made in the lawn, etc, fill it in and then place some of the dog’s stool in the surface soil to prevent a return there.

I may get too simplistic with this but…treat your dog like you treat your child. They’ve been proven just as smart. Your child needs love, attention, cuddling, activities inside and out to burn off all that excess energy! Some kids like to bike, others are into jungle gyms, depends on the kid. Same with dogs. Some enjoy ball (my first dog), and others prefer a quiet walk with me (my present dog).

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