How to keep dogs from digging?

Ok. This is going to sound like a really dumb question (like 'how do I make it stop raining?'), but I'd really like to know what has and hasn't worked for you folks in the past.

I built a 2/3 acre fenced area around the back of our house to give our dogs some room to run and allow them to better watch our property. But now they're digging it up beyond belief. Not just under the fences (which are woven cattle wire with electric fencing on the inside), but everywhere. First they dug out beds to sleep in (since they turn their noses up at the dog houses they used to sleep in), now they just dig anywhere for no reason at all. Can't run my mower through there, can barely walk through there. It used to be a really nice back yard. Now it looks like a B-52 dropped its bomb load on it.

What have you folks done-- successfully or not-- in the past to discourage digging? I'd rather not put them back in their smaller kennel for good, but if that's what I have to do I will.

Thanks in advance,
Darren in TN

[Thumper/inOkla.]

Lay welded wire fence on the ground, [after leveling] the grass will grow up and cover it. I would also spend alot of time scolding, yelling, griping (ie: you stop digging holes, I am sick and tired of filling these holes back up, etc, etc, I can really get going on it) as I filled the holes. I have even tied the dogs to the spot with a stake as I did the work so they couldn't leave and escape the scolding, they seem to get the message.

[Shrek]

my hound digs combat grade foxholes in her pen and will dig them out after I fill them, except when I first put a big pile of her feces in the bottom of the hole. I guess she doesn't want to dig in her own crap, but it works for months to keep her from digging in the spot.

[Josephine]

Do you have moles? That can cause digging.

Most of the times dogs dig out of boredom. Do they get any attention or activities? That can help with digging...

[tambo]

I bought my dog a small basketball to play with.It keeps him occupied.He plays with it all the time.He would be a good soccer dog.

Tambo

[Oregonsparkie]

Dogs digging in the yard - you can try cutting their paws off (hehehe - just kidding). One very effective method is to get one of those "GOOD" shock collars. Then keep watch and when you see them dig - just press the button. I know this seems rather mean, but the punishment is not associated with you since the dogs don't see you there. In a very short time you will deter or even stop the negative activity.

[Thumper/inOkla.]

The better quality shock collars ARE GREAT, I have an Inotech brand for sporting dogs called the Trasher, it has an ajustable level button, and a max level button, They act bad, I zap, they yelp, I run out and say, "poor baby what happened, are you Ok?" We love it!

My dogs suspect that chickens have somekind of mental powers that bite, if the dogs look to closely at them. And, I don't think it is mean at all, letting bad behavoir continue to the point you don't like your dog anymore is mean to the dog. After all they don't know any better until you teach them.

[Browsercat]

Vet suggested keeping our dog's nails trimmed short. Pieces of concrete under favorite digging spots helped too.

[LisaBug]

Putting their poop in the holes really does work. We have 17 Siberian Huskies and that's our main tool against them digging out. We don't care if they dig in the middle of the kennels but we don't want them digging under the fences. Even our worst excavators will stop when they encounter poop.

LisaBug

[stumpyacres]

Mothballs - they hate them. All critters hate mothballs.

[june02bug]

Dog poop, pepper, shock collar, all work well. I wouldn't use moth balls, i read something somewhere I can't remember it exactly now but the chemicals in them are bad.