How to Stop an Airedale Terrier Digging
Digging is a major concern for a lot of people who own an Airedale Terrier. It just seems to be in their nature, but of course, digging is in the nature of a lot of dog breeds. Digging itself is a relatively harmless thing, unless you do not like your flowerbed torn up or a hundred holes in your lovely yard. Luckily for you, there is a way to stop the mess that is created by digging in your yard without making the Terrier puppy go against his instincts.
What you will want to do is to create a dig safe zone for your puppy. The key here is to not deny the puppy the chance to dig, but to simply guide him in the right direction of where digging is appropriate. Many people will allow their puppies and dogs to dig behind an old shed or in the back corner of the yard where no one really goes. These places are ideal for digging but even then, there are those who simply do not want the earth dug up. If this sounds like you, do not worry; there is still a solution.
You can purchase or build a sandbox that you can place anywhere in the yard. Fill it will dirt, sand or a mixture of both. Every time you catch your Terrier wanting to dig in the wrong places you will want to correct him and then guide him to the place you have made for his digging. When he starts to dig in the right spot, congratulate him. You might want to throw some of his favorite toys in there or a flavorful bone. Those will surely grab his attention.
Make sure that you are training your puppy with more positive reinforcement than anything else. It is important that your puppy feels loved and safe instead of fearful of you. If your puppy fears you, you will never have your puppy fully trained as you would like for him to be.
Be sure to read up on as much puppy training as possible. The more tips you have the better. Do not be frustrated if it takes a few weeks or months to get your dog to completely let go of his urge to dig in the yard. Also, do not make the mistake of pretending like you did not see a few of his slipups just because you do not feel like correcting him at that moment. It is important to make sure that you are consistent with the training, otherwise, it will take much longer to train your puppy to not dig in the yard.
If all else fails, you could always call in a professional dog trainer but you might want to give yourself a few good weeks of consistent training before you jump to that. You do not want to spend the money if you do not have to, especially since training your Terrier puppy not to dig is something that you should have no problem doing on your own.