Digging is a natural activity for dogs and a hard behaviour to change. Terriers are renowned for digging and your Morkie is half terrier, after all… Yorkshire Terrier.
Unchecked, digging can ruin your yard. Not to mention, your Morkie will track dirt and mud throughout the house, and might even escape.
Discouraging Digging
You need to catch your Morkie in the act to discourage digging. A firm “no” and a redirection of his attention should be enough to get him to stop. Scolding him after a hole’s been dug won’t do any good. Any harsh punishment will simply make him distrust you – it won’t stop the digging because he doesn’t connect the two.
Address the core issue
Your Morkie is likely digging because of one of these reasons; each has a solution:
- he’s bored – give him some toys, especially the new dog puzzle type of toys, to keep him occupied
Terriers, even dainty Yorkshire Terriers, are natural diggers, so watch your Morkie.
- not enough exercise – a good walk on a leash every day (at least 20 minutes) will go a long way to solve a number of behaviours you’d like to see less often
- too hot – is your Morkie trying to cool down in the hot weather?
- fertilizers smell great – products like blood and bone meal smell bad to us, but they’re Chanel #5 to a dog. Be careful where you sprinkle these products.
- to escape – your Morkie may have separation anxiety, and is digging to try and get out and find you (sad). If you think this is the problem, explore solutions, which include giving your Morkie your full attention when you are there, having a friend or neighbour drop by during the day if you are out for hours and hours at a time, or considering a second dog.
My son’s favourite book when he was little: The Digging-est Dog by Al Perkins, illustrated by Eric Gurney.
Tip: Give your Morkie a sandbox where he can dig. Then bury some favourite toys and watch him enjoy digging them out.
The short term solution is:
never leave your dog in the yard alone
These days, there are too many reports of dogs stolen right from the owners’ yards. Check for yourself by googling “dog stolen from owners yard” … more than 10 MILLION results.
