Why Do Dogs Dig?

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

18 Aug 2006 03:14 PM

Walk out into my backyard, but watch your step. My Moose dog has decorated the yard with several large holes. There's one right next to the deck. The biggest one is a few feet from the deck, and it wasn't a solo effort. Moose had help from puppy Casey, who adds to the mega-hole every time she comes to visit. The rest of the holes are between the shrubs that line the fence. We call those Moose-holes: the Moose man likes to lie in the holes under the bushes and watch the world go by. Some of the Moose holes also have toys in them; some of them are deep enough that you can barely see his ears sticking up when he sprawls out.

So why do dogs dig? For the most part, it doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose... at least to us humans.

• Some dogs scoop out a shallow bed to rest in. Freshly-turned dirt is softer than the hard ground. It may also be cooler just a few scratches under the surface; my parents' dog Becca will paw the ground a few times before she plops down to rest.
• Some dogs dig out of boredom. If there is nothing to do, a dog will find a way to entertain themselves. Sometimes they chew; sometimes they dig.
• Some dogs dig to release energy. I think this is part of why puppy Casey digs -- too much energy and it has to go somewhere! The other part is probably imitation. If Moose does it, Casey will, too.
• Some dogs dig for the stimulation. Turning up the earth releases all kinds of great new scents: bugs, worms, decomposing plant matter, and more.
• Some dogs dig because it is instinct. Back in the wild, wolves may dig to hunt rodents or bury carcasses for future consumption. Even your domesticated dog with a full belly may dig because that's just the way his brain is wired.

Want to stop digging in your backyard?

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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