Foundation Camp
A 21-day board-and-train that builds solid obedience and manners, the right fit for milder issues.
Dog Behavior Solutions
Keep the Yard Usable and Your Dog Safe
Digging can ruin landscaping, undermine a fence, or signal that a dog is hot, bored, hunting, or trying to escape. Partners Dogs helps match the plan to the reason.
Behavior severity
MildWhat you may be seeing
Common signs
- Holes near cool soil, plants, irrigation, or shaded areas
- Repeated digging along fences or where wildlife travels
- Digging after long periods alone in the yard
- Burying toys, food, or chews
- Returning to the same repaired spots
Seek help now
- Tunnels under a fence or any successful escape
- Torn nails, bleeding paws, heat distress, or contact with wildlife
- Digging near electrical lines, irrigation equipment, or toxic plants
- Sudden compulsive digging or another abrupt behavior change
Mild is a starting point for planning, not a diagnosis. Escape, injury, or heat illness requires immediate management and appropriate veterinary care.
Understanding the behavior
What is digging?
Dogs dig for different rewards. They may follow scent, bury items, create a cool resting place, release energy, or work at a boundary. In Arizona, heat and wildlife can be important contributors. A dog digging for cool soil needs a different response from one following rodents along a wall.
Management prevents rehearsal while the underlying need is addressed. That may mean supervised yard time, shade and water, a safe digging area, pest control, better fence protection, or more purposeful activity.
The goal is not to remove every natural digging impulse. It is to protect the yard, prevent escape, and give the dog an acceptable outlet. Results depend on correctly identifying the cause and maintaining the environmental changes.
Partners Dogs has trained Arizona dogs through every kind of digging case since 1997, at our Scottsdale and Cave Creek facilities. Lifetime trainer support is included with every board-and-train program.
The transformation
Before and after training
Drag the slider to see the change our programs make for a dog with digging. Same dog, same home, real outcome.
Watch
How we work on digging
Short walkthroughs from our trainers on the exact techniques we use to resolve digging. See how the work actually looks, then choose the path that fits your dog.
70,000+Dogs Trained
28+Years Experience
4.8★Average Rating
2Arizona Campuses
Recommended path · Mild severity
The right program for digging
Based on how digging typically presents, here is where we would start. Not sure which fits? Take the PD360 assessment for a personalized recommendation.
Group Classes
Weekly Pet Parenting classes with our trainers, practice in a structured social environment.
The process
How it works
Assessment and check-in
- We verify vaccination records and complete pre-check-in forms.
- Your dog receives a full behavioral assessment.
- We set goals and build a personalized training plan.
- You meet the primary trainer and tour the facility.
Training and progress reports
- Multiple active training sessions every day.
- Controlled exposure and desensitization to triggers.
- Immersive socialization in a managed environment.
- Regular progress reports with photos and video.
Transition and follow-up
- Private lessons that transfer the training to you.
- Pet Parenting group classes for ongoing support.
- Access to our full Pet Parent Guide.
- Weeks of follow-up so the change lasts at home.
Not sure which program
Get a recommendation in minutes
Take our quick PD360 assessment for a personalized recommendation, or talk to a trainer who has seen digging many times before.
What our clients say
“"We have a beautiful desert landscape in our Cave Creek yard. Had. Our Husky mix turned it into the surface of the moon over one summer. I didn't understand that she was digging to cool down until the Partners team explained it. Foundation Camp plus some environmental changes, a kiddie pool, better shade coverage, a proper designated digging spot, and the random destruction stopped. I just needed to understand what she was actually doing."”
“"Bowie had undermined our back fence in three places. I'd fill the holes and he'd dig them again. I was convinced he was a lost cause in the yard. DaySchool changed the equation, he comes home too satisfied to feel the need to spend his afternoon remodeling the property. Between DaySchool days and the training we did through Foundation Camp, we've had a hole-free yard for eight months."”
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is my dog digging because of the Arizona heat?
Heat-seeking is a common driver here, dogs dig toward cooler soil under shade, near irrigation, or against the house foundation to escape triggers Arizona summers. That pattern looks different from digging along a fence line chasing wildlife scent or digging near a gate to escape. Shade, water access, and a dedicated cool digging spot address the heat-driven version directly.
What program helps with digging and what does it cost?
Digging typically responds to Foundation Camp, our 14-day board-and-train that builds obedience and impulse control ($3,509, discounted with membership), or weekly Group Classes for ongoing reinforcement. A $199 PD360 Assessment, credited toward enrollment, helps confirm whether the cause is boredom, prey drive, heat-seeking, or an escape attempt before you commit to a program.
How long does it take to stop a dog from digging?
Digging is a mild-severity behavior, so most dogs improve within the 14-day Foundation Camp or a few weeks of consistent yard management once you have correctly identified why they are digging. A dog digging for cool soil responds differently, and often faster, than one following rodent scent along a fence line.
Why does my dog dig holes in the yard?
Digging is hard-wired. Your dog is not destroying your yard out of spite. They are expressing one of these:
- Breed instinct. Terriers, dachshunds, huskies, and many shepherd breeds were selected for behaviors that include digging. Trying to eliminate it entirely is fighting biology.
- Heat-seeking. In Arizona summers, dogs dig to find the cooler soil underneath. The hole under your tree is climate control.
- Boredom. An understimulated dog left in the yard will entertain themselves, and digging is one of the most satisfying options.
- Prey drive. Ground squirrels, gophers, lizards. There is more wildlife under your yard than you realize, and your dog can smell it.
The fix is rarely “stop digging entirely.” It is redirecting the digging to an acceptable outlet (a designated dig pit), addressing boredom with enrichment, and managing yard access when you cannot supervise.
How do I stop my dog from digging up the yard?
Management prevents the rehearsal while you address the underlying need: supervised yard time instead of leaving your dog out alone, shade and water on hot days, a designated digging spot with buried treats, pest control if wildlife is the draw, and better fence protection if escape is the goal. Matching the fix to the actual reason is what makes it stick.
Related behaviors
Dogs with digging often show these patterns too. Explore the behaviors below. We treat them all.
Keep learning
More from our training library
Practical reading from our trainers on behavior, everyday manners, and life with a dog in Arizona.
3 Dog Training Mistakes Scottsdale Owners Make
Fix the three dog training mistakes that stall progress: late timing, mismatched tone, and waiting too long for help. A ...
12 Fun Facts About Dogs That Explain Behavior
Twelve real facts about your dog's senses, brain, and instincts, from scent range to hearing, that explain behavior ...
Territorial Dog Aggression at the Door and Fence
Dog territorial aggression at the door and fence is usually panic, not protection. See the Scottsdale and Cave Creek ...
Dog Reactive to Strangers and Visitors: Next Steps
A dog reactive to strangers is not stuck that way. Learn to tell fear, suspicion, and over-arousal apart, then build ...
Ready for the next step
Talk to a trainer now
Every dog and household is different. Get a real conversation with a Partners Dogs trainer who has treated digging for more than 28 years. No pressure, just guidance on your dog's best path forward.