How to Stop an Australian Shepherd Digging
At first, it might be a little cute to see your Australian Shepherd puppy digging up the backyard. You might even run in the house to grab the camcorder. But as the days wear on and that puppy grows into an adult dog, that digging is not going to be so cute anymore. You need to think about future problems that could arise when you allow such behavior to be “cute”. As soon as you notice that your dog has a longing for digging in the yard, you have to do something about it. The longer you wait, the more time and money you are going to have to put into landscaping.
The first thing that you will need to do is to decide whether or not you are ever going to allow your Australian Shepherd to dig in your yard. If you do not want to deprive him of his nature born instinct, then you can create a safe place for him to dig. If you would rather just avoid the whole digging thing all together then you might have a little more work ahead of you. The key is to simply decide what your goal is, come up with a plan of action and then stick with it. Too many people are inconsistent when it comes to training their dogs. No matter what you are trying to train your Australian Shepherd, it is important to make sure that you are consistent from the beginning to the end.
Now, if you have decided that you simply want your dog to stop digging all of the time, you will need to decide on the command that you will want to use when it comes time to get his attention. This could be “Stop,” “No” or “Behave.” Really, when it comes down to it, you could use any word that you want or you could even make one up. As long as you are saying the same word each and every time that he starts to dig and you pull him away, your dog will associate that word with the digging. He will understand that you are giving him the command to stop.
For those who would like to allow their Australian Shepherds the chance to dig but in a more restrictive area, there is hope. Go out and purchase a large sandbox. Fill it with dirt, sand or a mixture of both. Throw a couple of your Shepherd’s favorite toys in there. Bury a bone in the dirt, with just a little of it poking up through the surface. This will help to grab your dog’s attention. Once he finds that there are fun things in the sandbox, this is where he will want to dig. Every time you catch him digging in a spot that is not approved for digging, give him the stop command and then lead him to the sandbox. When he starts to dig, praise him.