A Dog Obedience Digging Problem Begins With Bored Dogs

How do you teach your dog to respect your outdoor space? Dog obedience digging is a problem for many people. Many people believe that you shouldn’t even consider owning a dog unless you have a fenced in yard. While a backyard does make it easier to own a dog, this opinion might be a bit extreme. This will help you to begin housetraining right away and all the exercise and play space you need is right there for you, even before you begin leash training.

In fact, the backyard is so handy, some dog owners even use it in place of proper dog training, although this is not a very wise move. Many think, right, I’ve got company coming over, no problem, I’ll put the dog out into the yard to prevent exuberant greetings and bring him back when all the visitors have settled in – or wait until they’ve all gone home. Maybe you are thinking of installing a pet door so you don’t even need to get up to let the dog in or out. This may be convenient, but it is not a smart thing to do.

Keeping Your Dog In The Backyard

Unfortunately, this relinquishment of supervision and control can lead to backyard mayhem and the creation of an independent thinker – a dog that has little desire to please you. You will definitely wind up with bad dog obedience digging problems.

Since dogs tend to be social animals, they consider their human family to be part of their pack, while other dogs might be additions. When shipped out to the backyard alone, they become bored and lonely. Digging holes, tearing up your beautiful gardens and getting out into the world by way of a tunnel under the fence is entertaining to them. Some bark their butts off in an attempt to call their clan together or exchange vocalizations with other yard-bound dogs.

Social isolation isn’t the only reason dogs begin bad behavior, by digging, barking and destroying the backyard, but it plays a major role. After all, if a supervised dog is about to do the wrong thing, its owner is on the spot to give it a warning and redirect its attention to something preferable, such as fetching a toy or performing easy dog obedience training. When a dog displays good dog behavior, the owner can offer rewards of play or treats and this will keep him being good over and over again.

A Dog left Alone Cannot Learn

Think of your backyard as the dog’s home gym. It’s a great place for exercise and stress reduction, but not meant to be the dog’s exclusive home 24/7. A dog isolated in the backyard cannot learn house manners, protect the residents and contents of the home, or build respectful relationships with its people. A dog digging problem will develop when a dog is left to its own devices.

If your adolescent dog is too rambunctious to leave home all day then either hire a dog walker, drop it off at a doggie daycare, or install a dog door in the utility room so your dog has access to the yard and one or two well dog-proofed areas of the home. Just remember a bored dog is one that will do nothing exhibit bad dog behavior. It is not the dog’s problem it is being naughty, give it some attention and see how your dog will improve and you won’t have a dog obedience digging or barking problem anymore.