Your gorgeous lawn can be a haven for your dog to run around and play, relieving themselves from the boredom of being cooped up indoors.
However, your dog’s yard activities can turn destructive when they dig holes, so learning how to stop your dog from tearing up your yard is key to keeping it neat and healthy.
You can stop your dog from tearing up the yard by keeping them entertained, restricting access to the lawn, eliminating pests, and providing shelter.
You can also offer a designated digging spot, train your dog, and make your yard unpleasant to dig.
Being a dog owner doesn’t have to deprive you of the joy of having a beautiful lawn you can enjoy. You can successfully stop dog from digging using home remedy and transform it into a beautiful space for the whole family.
Best Ways to Stop Dog From Tearing Up Your Yard
Below are the ways to stop your dog from tearing up your yard. You can tailor your solution based on what’s making the dog tear the lawn.
1. Provide proper exercise and playtime.
Dogs that don’t get enough physical and mental stimulation can become bored and destructive.
Providing your dog with proper exercise and playtime helps release pent-up energy and can prevent destructive behavior like digging up your yard.
Ways to exercise your dog can include: walks, runs, fetch, agility training, swimming, and interactive toys like puzzle feeders.
Playtime can include playdates with other dogs, training sessions, and play with toys. It’s important to tailor your dog’s exercise and playtime to their age, breed, and health.
Regular, consistent exercise and play can go a long way in preventing destructive behavior in your yard.
2. Use physical barriers like fences.
Fences can be an effective way to prevent your dog from digging or destroying your yard.
Installing a physical barrier, like a fence, can physically block your dog from accessing certain parts of the yard and limit the area in which they can cause damage.
There are several types of fences you can choose from, including wooden, vinyl, chain-link, and wire mesh fences.
When installing a fence, it’s important to consider the height, material, and sturdiness of the fence to ensure it will effectively contain your dog.
Additionally, it’s important to make sure the fence is installed properly to prevent your dog from digging under it or jumping over it.
By using a physical barrier like a fence, you can provide a clear boundary for your dog and help prevent them from damaging your yard.
3. Make your yard unpleasant to tear it up
Dogs enjoy digging on soft, freshly tilled, or sandy soil because it’s gentle on their paws and easy to tear up, and they will avoid digging up if it’s too compact or hurts them.
Therefore, protect your lawn from damage caused by your dog by covering your grass or soil in hard, coarse/dense material like rocks and large pebbles.
Mulch, spiky plants, and pine cones also help keep dogs from tearing up lawns.
Alternatively, sprinkle the areas of your yard the dog loves to dig with an unpleasant-smelling substance like red cayenne pepper.
4. Train your dog
With proper training, you can ask your dog to stop tearing up your grass, and they will obey.
Training them to sit, stop, and place commands can help protect your lawn from your dog’s destructive paws.
Once you command your dog to stop digging the lawn, you should direct them to do something else like play fetch.
Read more: Will baking soda neutralize dog urine on grass
5) Create a dedicated dig pit for your dog
Developing a specific digging zone in your yard for your dog will help keep them from destroying the whole lawn.
The digging site should be made of soft, sandy soil and burying or sprinkling treats to encourage the dog to use this spot.
Your dog won’t want to dig elsewhere when they get treats for tearing up a specific area.
6) Develop a digging barrier
Forming a ground barrier your dog won’t be able to dig through will save your lawn from its destructive paws. Installing a chicken wire or a plastic mesh should do the trick.
Read more: How to block off new grass from dogs
Create a horizontal barrier by pinning down a chicken wire and covering it with soil if you don’t like its appearance.
7) Provide shelter for your dog
Your dog tearing up grass and digging up holes near building foundations or trees could be in search of shelter. Providing shelter will stop your dog from digging holes in your lawn in search of protection.
8) Get rid of pests and rodents
Your dog may be digging your lawn looking for pests living in the dirt, including:
- Toads and frogs
- Grubs, insects, and bugs
- Snakes and lizards
- Chipmunks and squirrels
- Rabbits, mice, and rats
- Voles, groundhog moles, and gophers
The dog breeds that are likely to tear up your lawn looking for small animals are herding and hunting dogs like Dachshunds, Beagles, Greyhounds, and Border Collies.
Removing pests and rodents from your hole will solve this problem.
Why Does My Dog Keep Ripping Up Grass?
Your dog isn’t destroying your lawn because they are spiteful. A number of reasons could be causing this behavior, and they include:
1. Boredom
Your dog’s mind needs to be stimulated, which can be achieved through playing and exercising. Therefore, your dog may be bored if they start ripping up your lawn, especially if they are not getting the recommended amount of exercise or if they happen to do it right before getting their daily exercise.
2. Illness or diet issues
A dog could start eating grass to get the nutrients missing in its diet or suffering from a particular illness.
This could be the most plausible reason if your dog starts eating suddenly after portraying other symptoms of a disease or a diet change.
3. They enjoy the taste or feeling of grass
If your dog rips out grass randomly or when playing, they likely enjoy its taste and feel. You can stop this by distracting them with bones or toys.
How To Fix A Yard Destroyed By Dogs
If your dog ripped your grass and tore your lawn leaving bare spots, you can fix the issue by seeding the areas or installing sod to refill your yard.
Ensure the seeds or sod match the rest of the lawn for uniformity and create a pleasant appearance.
Once you fix your lawn, strive to keep your dog from tearing up and destroying your lawn because prevention saves you the constant work of fixing the yard.
Conclusion
It’s incredibly frustrating when your dog tears up your beautiful lawn.
Luckily there are several proved ways that you can implement to prevent your dog from destroying your lawn.
Here are ways to stop dog from tearing up your yard:
- Provide proper exercise and playtime.
- Use physical barriers like fences.
- Distract your dog with toys and treat-dispensing puzzles.
- Train your dog.
- Apply unpleasant tastes to the grass, like vinegar or citrus sprays.
- Supervise your dog when outside.
- Consider using motion-activated sprinklers.
- Create designated digging areas for your dog.
- Restrict your dog’s access to the lawn.
- Get rid of pests and rodents.
Dogs tear up lawns for several reasons, and they are not at all malicious. There are also multiple ways to fix the problem and even restore your yard; you just need to choose the one that works best for you and aligns with the motivation behind the dog tearing up grass.
While using deterrents will solve the issue, it’s only temporary. Addressing the cause of the behavior, whether boredom or even separation anxiety, offers a permanent fix for the problem.
Hey there, I’m Derek Schew, a writer for Lawnholic.com, where we cover everything and anything related to lawns. As someone who’s spent countless hours tending to my own lawn, I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping others achieve the perfect yard. From lawn care tips to product reviews, I’m committed to providing our readers with the most accurate and up-to-date information available. So whether you’re a seasoned lawn enthusiast or just getting started, I invite you to join our community and discover the joys of a lush, green lawn.