5 reasons why a dog digs the floor, bed and upholstered furniture

5 reasons why a dog turns into a mole

• Reason 1. The instinct to dig a lair

Wild dogs in nature constantly dig dens. No, not as big as bears, but still. A dog’s den is a small depression in the ground that helps them blend into space and gives them a sense of security.

This ancient instinct can sometimes wake up in your pet. Even if he is a toy terrier and has gone very far from wild dogs.

This is why your dog digs into the bed, your bed or the floor before lying down on it.

• Reason 2. The instinct to hide food (and then dig it out)

And back to the wild dogs. They are still lovers of hiding food for a rainy day. In its natural habitat, a dog buries food somewhere in a cozy place under a tree, and when hunger sets in, it digs it out and eats it.

Perhaps your dog is trying to do the same at home. Hence the attempt to dig the floor around the bowl and hide the bone under your pillow.

• Reason 3. Instinct to leave labels

The dog may scratch any object to mark it. Like, this is mine, don’t come, don’t touch.

Dogs have secretion glands between their toes. Each dog is individual. So when your pet digs something, he leaves his scent on it, marks his boundaries. If, theoretically, another dog wandered into your house, she would immediately “count” these marks and would not claim other people’s possessions. Well, or would decide to take them away, but that’s another story.

• Reason 4. Instinct NOT to leave smells

With smells in dogs, everything is not easy. It is important and useful to leave your smells somewhere. But there are situations when the traces of your stay need to be hidden. In the wild, dogs dispose of their excrement by burying (or eating) it. So that the formidable predator does not smell the smell and take the trail.

Therefore, if your dog could not resist and went to the toilet at home, or if your dog basically goes to the toilet on a diaper, he can scrub the floor around “his affairs.” If you hear that your pet has suddenly scratched behind the closet, do not be lazy, check it out!

Reason 5. Stress

Obsessive behavior can be the result of stress. For example, a dog may start barking, chewing on shoes, or, in our example, digging the floor.

What to do?

Love for “archeology” for dogs is natural. But still, our pets do not live in the forest, but in an apartment, and such behavior is worth fighting for. What can be done?

• First, create a comfortable environment for the dog. If she is comfortable and feels safe, she will have less reason to burrow, leave marks, and hide food.
• Be sure to purchase a dog bed for the size and place it in a cozy, calm place. If you have several pets, each of them should have their own bed. Exactly like toys, and any other property. Teach all family members to respect the boundaries of the dog: if he is resting in his place, he should not be disturbed. It is especially important to explain this to children, who simply love to take their pets by surprise and pull their tails. Follow the feeding rate so that the dog does not experience hunger. And try to protect her from negative stress factors.
• The next step is to get your dog a wide variety of toys that he can play with you and on his own.

Toys are the best dog psychologists. They help fight destructive behavior. Thanks to them, a lot of boots were saved! The more often the dog is occupied with toys, the less time he will have for boredom and unwanted pranks.

At home, absolutely every dog ​​should have a pyramid (“snowman”) to fill with treats – this is a powerful way to cope with stress. Animal psychologists even recommend such toys to cope with hyperactive behavior. Getting treats from the pyramid, the dog lies on his couch, muscle relaxation and satisfaction from the extraction of “yummy” come to him. Toys in general help to use the natural instincts of the dog, throw out energy and make the pet’s life complete.

• Walk and play with your dog more often. Walks and active games help the dog to use its natural potential, throw out energy. With a lack of activity, all this energy will go to damage to your property.

If you can’t cope with unwanted behavior on your own, seek help from a zoopsychologist. He, like a superhero, will help you quickly and painlessly for all parties to deal with the problem.

Friends, tell me, do your dogs like to turn into moles? How do you deal with it?