A dog's most natural instincts are usually the toughest to try to correct. One of these kind of instincts is digging.

A dog's most natural instincts are usually the toughest to try to correct. One of these kind of instincts is digging.

There are literally dozens of reason why a dog would dig, ranging from him wanting to bury something all the way to trying to get a bug that's buried in the ground, and everything else in between.

Hopefully with these dog training techniques, you can begin to alleviate this problem. Since the majority of dogs don't like feces on their paws, take some of his dog poop, and bury it in the holes.

It may not completely discourage him from digging in new areas, but at least he'll stay away from that area.

Think of something that your dogs hate the smell of and sprinkle it onto the holes. For example, many dogs don't like to smell of mouthwash. Just sprinkle some of that, and they will stay away.

Another option is to build a little sandbox for the dog. You teach them that it's ok to dig in the sandbox, but not in the yard. Obviously you have to supervise this, and then reinforce it, but once they understand your different tone (positive in sandbox), (firm in the yard) the dog can distinguish between the two.

You could also keep his mind busy by bringing out his favorite toys to play with. You can also use motion detection sensors, for instance, lights and sprinklers.

Sprinklers are especially effective. When the dog gets into an area where he is not supposed to be in the yard, the sprinklers automatically turn on and squirt some water onto the dog.

The dog gets startled but he realizes where are the good areas to be in the yard, and where are the "no-no" areas to be in the yard. These dog training techniques will only take you so far.

I know that all this is a bit of a hassle, but when it comes to correcting your dog's need to dig, supervision is extremely necessary. Remember if your dog keeps doing this, it is just because you haven't taken the necessary action to tell him that it's wrong.