How to Stop a Bichon Frise Digging
As with anything else, there are some dogs that like to dig a lot while there are some that hardly like to dig at all. Either way, whatever the amount of digging they like to do, it is something that comes natural to them. You do not want to actually stop your dog’s entire urge to dig, but rather redirect it to an appropriate outlet. Digging in the flowerbed might be cute when your Bichon Frise is a puppy and when only the worms are being disturbed, but when your plants start getting uprooted, you are probably not going to be too happy.
What you want to do is to select an area of your yard where digging is allowed. This could be at the side of the house, in the very back corner of the back yard or all the way behind the shed where the digging would be out of sight. No matter where you select, just make sure that it is an area that your puppy will always be allowed to dig. If you would like to make sure that the digging area is a little more controlled, you could always build or even purchase a large sandbox. Fill that box with loose dirt or sand and let your puppy have at it.
To help encourage your puppy to dig in the spot you have selected, you might want to put some of his favorite toys or treats in there. Of course, you will not want to bury them too far so that he can pick up on the scent. Whenever he starts digging in the right spot, you want to make sure that you are praising your puppy like crazy. Tell him what a good boy he is.
Now, when you catch your Bichon Frise digging where he should not be digging, you will need to correct him right away. Even after several successful digs in the appropriate dig spot, your puppy will most likely slip up and start digging elsewhere too. This is to be expected. It is simply part of the training process. The quicker you are to correct the behavior, the quicker it will be corrected. Never hit your puppy but you will want to lower your voice and use a simply command such as “bad”, “no” or “stop.” After a little while, your puppy will catch on and will only be digging in the spots where you allow it.
The amount of time it will take to get your puppy to completely stop digging in the wrong spots will vary on the intelligence of your puppy and how much time during the day you commit to his training. If you are inconsistent, you can expect the training to take a long time. After a while, your puppy will be completely trained and you will not even remember what it was like during the training process. It will all happen so naturally it will almost feel as though the puppy came to your house already trained and life will be grand.