Help for the Siberian Husky that Digs

When I first brought Mirabella home I became fairly sure that she was actually originally born in the Orient and trying to make her way back there through my yard. I'd come home to several freshly dug holes every day. Now I have had dogs all my life. It had been my experience, that when the dogs dug it was usually against the fence, trying to make an escape. My lovely new companion however would leave holes all over, seemingly without rhyme or reason. This lead me to think;
a) she was a reincarnated tunnel digger (with a lousy sense of direction)
b) she was in cahoots with my children to try and drive me to distraction or
c) the poor thing wasn't as bright as a box of Twinkies.
It wasn't long before I discovered it was all three. No, seriously, none of the above. As it turns out she was usually not trying to go explore. Maybe sometimes that may have been a small factor, but for the most part she was digging a fresh hole to get to the cool dirt under the surface to lie in.

Also in the beginning of our relationship I was planting a small garden. Mirabella would come sit, watching intently as I would dig a hole for whatever was being planted, fill it with water and a plant, then fill back in. I loved this, I really think that that one on one time, watching me do something she enjoyed , helped bond her to me even though Siberian Huskies aren't really one man/woman dogs. Unfortunately, I would go to the garden the next morning to find large holes next to very sad looking, yellowish green, crunchy and now unplanted vegetables. Of course next to that I would find a very proud of herself Husky! Many plants later I figured out that she could somehow sense or smell these simply awful, truly horrific looking things called grubs, some 18 inches under the soil! Evidently they would start toward the new roots under the ground and Mirabella saw fit to hunt down the offender and have a bit of digging fun in the process!

Once I knew the why of the situation I developed a plan. Ok, many plans, and at first not good plans. I went through dumping black pepper in the holes, this made a well seasoned yard, but didn't deter the dog. I tried those sprays designed to keep dogs off of stuff, no good, she just once again went to a new area. We tried keeping her in until we could supervise her outside, rather than the freedom to come and go through her door as she pleased, no good, she loved the outside too much to keep her in all the time. Finally a light bulb flashed on in my mind, if you can't fight 'em, join 'em.

Beside my garden I dug a 10 by 10 square, just enough to remove the top soil and grass. Surrounded it with 4, 12 inch tall boards that I already had, making a Husky sand box. I then made a few trips to a masonry supply company for the amount of sand needed to fill the box nicely. You can also buy sand at most home supply stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. My husband watched all of this with great amusement, thinking there wasn't a chance in a million that the dog would dig where I wanted her to. I hate to say it but I silently agreed. Much to my surprise and amazement Mira loved her new sand box! I think the sand was even cooler than the regular dirt and just by chance I put the box in an area that is almost always shaded. I'd like to say that I had planned it down to that detail but it really was just a lucky break.

I also realized through this process that I had been doing something else wrong in trying to break this bad habit. From a course I had gotten from a dog training review site, rltopreviews.com, I remembered a segment in one of the training sessions that dealt with verbal reprimands. When I found a hole I would call her to me show her the hole and use my disapproving voice to show her I was not happy. What I was really doing was great for her! Heck she probably figured she should dig twice as many holes! She got me to say her name, give her undivided attention and spend time with her outside, filling in the holes. Win, win, win for the dog. I have found that a good training program is good to have around for little tips like that. Things that aren't obvious right away, but when called to your attention make so much sense! In conclusion, I hope some of this will be helpful in keeping your Husky from the Orient.