Your Yard Is Getting Destroyed — and It's Not Entirely Your Dog's Fault
In Arizona, digging isn't always bad behavior. Sometimes it's survival behavior. A dog excavating the cool earth under a desert willow in July is doing exactly what instinct tells them to do in triple-digit heat. But whether it's cooling, boredom, hunting, or habit — the result is the same: craters in your landscaping, holes under the fence, and a backyard that looks like a small animal army moved through.
Behavior Severity Level
Severity: Moderate
What you may be seeing
- Holes appearing in consistent locations — along fence lines, under specific plants, in shaded areas
- Digging that concentrates in summer months, especially in shaded or moist soil
- Excavation focused near the fence line or base of gates — escape-motivated digging
- Digging that targets specific patches of ground — possibly prey-scent related
- Craters in desert landscaping, destruction of decomposed granite or rock mulch
- A dog who is well-behaved indoors but converts the backyard into a construction zone
- Digging at the base of potted plants or raised garden beds
- Holes that reappear in the same locations despite being filled
- Digging accompanied by frantic sniffing — prey or scent investigation at the source
- A dog who gets the "zoomies" and digs at the end of a high-energy run in the yard
What Is Digging?
Digging is one of the oldest canine behaviors — hardwired into the species long before landscaped backyards existed. Dogs dig to create temperature-regulated resting spots, to pursue prey underground, to bury and retrieve food and objects, to escape confinement, and because digging itself is deeply self-rewarding.
Arizona adds a layer of context that is specific to this region. In Scottsdale and Cave Creek, summer temperatures routinely exceed 110 degrees. Dogs are not wrong to dig cooling beds into shaded soil.
Beyond summer cooling, the Sonoran Desert environment creates specific digging motivators — underground prey like pocket mice, ground squirrels, beetles, and grubs.
The practical consequences range from aesthetic to serious — fence undermining that creates escape routes is particularly dangerous in Arizona's summer heat.
Partners Dogs has been training Arizona dogs through every kind of digging case for 28+ years. Two locations in Scottsdale and Cave Creek. Lifetime trainer support included with every board-and-train program.
Recommended Programs for Digging
Foundation Camp
21-day board & train. From $3,509. Best for foundational obedience + general manners work.
Learn more →Behavior Camp
4-6 week immersive board & train. From $6,244. Best fit for digging and other behavior cases.
Learn more →Transform Camp
Premium immersive program. From $8,929. For owners who want the most thorough rehabilitation.
Learn more →Not sure which fits? Take our program decision tool or complete the PD360 assessment.
See the Change
Before and After: Digging Resolved
Real dogs, real progress. Drag the slider to see the kind of change our Behavior Camp graduates make over a 21-night stay — including dogs that came to us with serious digging.
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 — and the random destruction stopped entirely.”
★★★★★
“Bowie had undermined our back fence in three places. 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.”
Severity: Mild
Recommended Program for Digging
Based on the severity of digging, here's what we recommend. Not sure which is right? Take the PD360 assessment.
Recommended
Foundation Camp
21-day board-and-train that builds solid obedience and manners — the right fit for milder issues.
Alternative
Group Classes
Weekly Pet Parenting classes with our trainers — practice in a structured social environment.
Ready to take 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 cases for 28+ years — no pressure, just guidance on your dog's best path forward.