Holes in the yard
Why does my dog dig holes?
Digging is normal dog behavior in the wrong place, and punishing a hole after the fact changes nothing. Here is how to read your yard, which dogs will always want to dig, and what our trainers do about it.
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
Read the yard
The location of the hole tells you why it was dug.
Look at where the holes are before you do anything else. A shallow scrape in the shade, against the house, under a bush or beside the air conditioner is a dog making itself a cool bed. Holes scattered across open lawn are a bored dog entertaining itself. A trench along the fence line is a dog trying to reach the other side. A hole that follows a ridge in the grass is a dog hunting something underground. Each of those has a different answer.
| Where the hole is | What it usually means | What helps most |
|---|---|---|
| In the shade by the house or under shrubs | A cooling bed | Shade, water and less midday yard time |
| All over the open lawn | Boredom and spare energy | Walks, training and less time alone outside |
| Along the fence | Escape, or a dog on the other side | Supervision, a fence fix and training |
| Along a raised ridge or at roots | Something underground | Deal with the pests, then supervise |
| One favorite corner, every day | A breed that loves to dig | A digging pit where it is allowed |
Born to dig
Some breeds will always want to dig, and the goal is a legal place to do it.
Terriers were bred to go to ground after rats and badgers, dachshunds after badgers, and northern breeds like huskies and malamutes dig dens to stay cool. Beagles and other scent hounds follow their noses into the dirt. With these dogs, training reduces digging in the wrong places, but the instinct stays, and fighting it completely leaves a frustrated dog that finds something else to destroy.
The practical answer is a digging pit: a sandbox or a marked patch of loose soil where you bury a toy or a chew and praise the dog for finding it. Take the dog there on a leash when it starts scraping elsewhere, and reward it for digging in the right spot. Most born diggers adopt the pit quickly once it is the most rewarding place in the yard.
- Terriers and dachshunds: bred to go to ground
- Huskies and malamutes: dig dens to cool off
- Beagles and scent hounds: follow the nose down
- A sandbox with buried toys gives the instinct a home
What changes it
Less time loose in the yard and more time working with you stops most digging.
A dog left in a yard for hours is a dog looking for something to do, and dirt is always available. The single biggest change most families can make is to stop using the yard as a babysitter: shorter yard visits with you outside, a structured walk, and a few minutes of training a day. A tired, engaged dog digs far less than one that has been alone since breakfast.
Filling holes with rocks, burying the dog's own waste in them or scolding the dog when you find the hole later rarely helps, because the dog does not link your reaction to the digging and the reason it dug has not changed. Catching it in the act and redirecting it calmly works better.
Walk the yard and note where every hole is, so you know which reason you are dealing with.
Cut unsupervised yard time and go outside with the dog, on a leash at first.
Add a daily structured walk and ten minutes of training, early or late in hot months.
Give heat diggers shade, water and a cool resting spot indoors.
Build a digging pit for born diggers and reward the dog for using it.
Interrupt digging elsewhere with a calm cue and walk the dog to the pit or back inside.
Houston yards
Heat, clay soil, fire ants and shared fences make Houston digging its own problem.
From May to September a lot of Houston digging is about temperature. The dirt under a shrub or beside the slab stays cooler than the grass, and a dog left out in the afternoon will dig until it reaches it. Move yard time to early morning and evening, test the ground with your hand, and bring the dog inside in the heat of the day. The AVMA's heat advice is worth reading if your dog spends time outside.
Fire ant mounds are another reason to watch where a dog digs, since a dog that tears into one can be stung many times. And in master-planned neighborhoods like Bridgeland and Towne Lake, where yards share wooden fences, a trench along the fence line can mean a dog on the other side, which is a training problem rather than a gardening one.
- Afternoon heat drives the shade-and-slab digging
- Fire ant mounds are a real hazard for diggers
- Shared fences invite fence-line trenches
- Yard time early and late from May to September
At Best Dog University
A yard rule taught on a leash, and a stay for the escape artist.
For most diggers, private lessons in your home at $220, or at our Cypress location at $160, are enough: our trainers read the yard with you, set up the digging pit and teach a leave-it and a recall you can use outside. A bored adolescent with energy to spare and no manners indoors fits the two-week Gold program at $2,500, which builds impulse control and place.
A dog that digs to get out is a safety problem in a city with busy roads, and it fits the three-week Platinum program at $3,750, where impulse control, recall work on a long line and field trips are part of the stay. The free phone consultation is the place to describe your holes and get an honest answer.
The programs
From a yard rule to a dog that stays in.
Lessons for most diggers, Gold for the restless adolescent, Platinum for the dog trying to get under the fence.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
Should I fill the holes with rocks or my dog's poop?
It sometimes stops digging in that exact spot, but the dog usually starts a new hole a few feet away, because the reason it dug is still there. Deal with the reason instead: heat, boredom, pests or an escape route. A digging pit plus less unsupervised yard time is more reliable than booby-trapping the lawn.
Will my dog grow out of digging?
Many puppies dig less as they mature and get more exercise and training. Born diggers such as terriers and huskies often keep the urge for life. In both cases the habit fades faster when the dog has a legal place to dig and less time loose in the yard with nothing to do.
Why does my dog dig and then lie in the hole?
That is a cooling bed. The soil a few inches down is cooler than the surface, especially in shade, and the dog is using it to get comfortable. In Houston summers, bring the dog indoors in the afternoon, make sure it always has shade and water outside, and give it a cool spot to rest inside.
Does digging mean my dog is unhappy?
Not necessarily. Digging can simply be fun, especially for breeds built for it. Constant digging combined with chewing, barking and pacing does suggest a dog without enough exercise or structure, and a dog that digs only when left alone may be anxious. Watch when it happens as well as where.
My dog digs under the fence. What do I do today?
Stop leaving the dog in the yard alone until the fence is secure and the dog is trained. Walk it on a leash in the yard, check the fence line for gaps, and bring it inside when you cannot watch it. A dog that gets out once usually tries again, so treat it as urgent.
Keep reading
Free consultation · 10% off this fall
Want your yard back?
Describe the holes to our team on a free phone consultation and we will tell you whether lessons or a stay fits. A $250 deposit holds a start date.