Digging has a purpose. Discover why your German Shepherd targets your yard and how to stop it without punishment.
Few things are more frustrating than watching your gorgeous German Shepherd turn your yard into Swiss cheese, one hole at a time. You’ve tried yelling, you’ve filled in the holes, and maybe you’ve even stood guard like a lawn security officer. Yet somehow, the digging continues. Your neighbors might be starting to wonder if you’re planning to install a pool, and honestly? You’re just tired of fighting this battle.
Here’s the truth: German Shepherds are working dogs with energy to spare and instincts that date back generations. Digging is natural for them, which means you can’t just eliminate the behavior entirely. What you can do is understand why it’s happening and redirect it. These seven tricks will help you reclaim your yard while keeping your four legged excavator happy and engaged.
1. Give Your GSD Enough Exercise (Seriously, More Than You Think)
A tired German Shepherd is a well behaved German Shepherd. This isn’t just a cute saying; it’s the foundation of solving almost every behavioral issue these high energy dogs present. German Shepherds were bred to work all day long, herding sheep across vast fields. Your casual evening stroll around the block? That’s an appetizer, not a meal.
Most German Shepherds need at least 60 to 90 minutes of vigorous exercise daily. We’re talking running, playing fetch until your arm feels like it might fall off, hiking, or engaging in dog sports like agility. A tired dog simply doesn’t have the excess energy to devote to excavation projects.
When a German Shepherd has burned through their energy reserves properly, digging becomes far less appealing than collapsing on the couch for a well deserved nap.
Try incorporating different types of exercise throughout the day. Morning jogs, afternoon training sessions, and evening playtime create a routine that keeps your GSD physically satisfied. Mental stimulation counts too! Puzzle toys, obedience training, and nose work games tire out that brilliant brain, making digging seem boring by comparison.
2. Create a Designated Digging Zone
Sometimes you can’t beat them, so you might as well join them (sort of). Instead of fighting your German Shepherd’s natural instinct to dig, channel it into an acceptable outlet. A designated digging area gives your dog a place where digging is actually encouraged, which might sound crazy but works surprisingly well.
Choose a spot in your yard that you don’t mind sacrificing. This could be a corner behind the shed or a section along the fence line. Fill it with loose soil or sand to make digging easy and rewarding. Here’s the key: You need to make this spot irresistible while making the rest of your yard less appealing.
| Zone Type | Materials to Use | How to Encourage Use |
|---|---|---|
| Digging Pit | Loose sand, soft soil, or mulch | Bury toys and treats just below surface |
| Rest of Yard | Well maintained grass, harder soil | Cover problem areas with chicken wire or rocks |
| Training Area | Flags or visual markers | Reward digging in correct spot immediately |
Bury toys, bones, and treats in your designated zone. When you catch your GSD digging there, praise them enthusiastically. If they start digging elsewhere, calmly redirect them to the approved area. Consistency is everything here; everyone in your household needs to follow the same rules.
3. Address Boredom with Mental Stimulation
German Shepherds are whip smart, and a bored intelligent dog is a destructive dog. If your GSD’s brain isn’t engaged, they’ll find their own entertainment. Spoiler alert: Their idea of fun probably involves rearranging your landscaping.
Mental enrichment can be just as tiring as physical exercise. Interactive puzzle toys, snuffle mats where they hunt for treats, and training sessions for new tricks all work that big brain. Rotate toys regularly so nothing becomes boring. A German Shepherd who has spent 20 minutes working through a challenging puzzle feeder is less likely to spend 20 minutes excavating your flower bed.
Consider these activities:
- Scent work games where you hide treats around the yard (not buried!) and let them use their nose
- Training sessions teaching new commands or refining existing ones
- Food dispensing toys that require problem solving to access treats
- Interactive play like tug of war or structured games with rules
The goal is to make your German Shepherd’s day interesting without requiring them to create their own entertainment. When their needs are met, your yard stays intact.
4. Manage Environmental Factors
Sometimes German Shepherds dig for surprisingly practical reasons that have nothing to do with boredom or excess energy. They might be trying to create a cool spot to lie down on hot days, seeking shelter from wind, or attempting to escape something scary (like thunderstorms or fireworks).
Your German Shepherd isn’t trying to destroy your yard out of spite. They’re solving problems the only way they know how, with their paws.
Pay attention to where and when your dog digs. Holes near the fence line might indicate escape attempts or reactions to animals on the other side. Digging in shaded areas during summer could mean they’re trying to reach cooler soil. Holes near the house foundation might suggest they’re trying to create a den like shelter.
Address these environmental triggers directly. Provide a kiddie pool for cooling off, create shaded resting spots with doghouses or tarps, and ensure they have access to fresh water. If noise sensitivity triggers digging, work on desensitization training and provide a safe indoor space during storms. Solving the underlying problem often eliminates the digging behavior entirely.
5. Use Deterrents in Problem Areas (The Right Way)
Strategic deterrents can protect specific areas of your yard without harming your dog or making your outdoor space ugly. The key is making digging in certain spots unrewarding without creating negative associations with the entire yard.
Physical barriers work well for protecting specific plants or areas. Partially buried chicken wire (about 6 inches down) makes digging uncomfortable without hurting paws. Large rocks or decorative stones around garden beds create obstacles. Prickly ground covers like rose bushes naturally discourage digging while looking intentional.
For particularly stubborn diggers, some people have success with motion activated sprinklers that startle dogs away from forbidden zones. Just ensure you’re also providing that designated digging area mentioned earlier, or you’re just creating frustration without offering an alternative.
Avoid anything that could harm your dog. Forget about putting harmful substances in the holes or using painful deterrents. You want to redirect behavior, not punish or hurt your companion. Positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior always works better than punishment for unwanted behavior.
6. Supervise Outdoor Time and Interrupt Immediately
You cannot correct what you don’t witness. If your German Shepherd spends hours unsupervised in the backyard, they have ample opportunity to practice their digging skills without any feedback from you. Supervision is crucial, especially when you’re first addressing the behavior.
When you’re outside together and you catch the pre digging behavior (pawing at the ground, sniffing intently at one spot, that telltale crouch), interrupt immediately with a cheerful “let’s go!” or their recall command. Call them over, engage them in a game, or redirect to an appropriate activity. The moment has passed, and they’ve avoided practicing the unwanted behavior.
Timing matters immensely. Yelling at your dog five minutes after they’ve dug a hole teaches them nothing except that you’re unpredictable and sometimes angry when you come outside. They won’t connect your frustration to the digging. Interrupt during or immediately before the behavior, then redirect to something positive.
If you can’t supervise, don’t leave them outside alone during the training period. This prevents them from rehearsing the behavior you’re trying to eliminate. Every successful digging session reinforces the habit, while every prevented session helps break it.
7. Make Your Yard Less Appealing to Dig In
Some German Shepherds dig because they’re hunting critters living underground. Those enticing smells of moles, gophers, or ground dwelling insects drive your dog’s prey drive absolutely wild. They’re not trying to destroy your yard; they’re trying to catch dinner (in their mind, anyway).
Address pest problems humanely. Removing the critters removes your dog’s motivation to excavate. Use humane traps or contact pest control services that use safe methods. Once the underground buffet disappears, the digging often stops naturally.
You can also modify your yard’s appeal through landscaping choices. Dogs prefer digging in soft, freshly tilled soil. Established, dense grass with healthy root systems is harder to dig through. Areas covered with mulch, wood chips, or gravel are less satisfying to dig than bare dirt.
Creating a yard that’s genuinely less fun to dig in, while simultaneously offering better alternatives, sets your German Shepherd up for success rather than constant failure.
Consider raised garden beds for vegetables and flowers. This protects your plants while giving your GSD less access to prime digging real estate. Strategic fencing around specific areas can also work, creating physical boundaries that make digging in those spots impossible.
Remember, changing your German Shepherd’s digging behavior takes patience and consistency. These dogs are incredibly smart, which means they can learn new habits, but it also means they’ll test boundaries and try to outsmart you. Stay consistent with whichever strategies you choose, and you’ll eventually have both a happy dog and a yard you can be proud of.
