Throughout the course of your dog’s life, you may find him digging – inside. In many cases, when your dog is digging inside, it’s on your carpet. Of course, you probably don’t want your dog to destroy your carpet. In this post, you’ll learn the most common reasons why your dog may be digging the carpet.
Understanding the root cause of your dog’s indoor digging can be a helpful way to address the behaviour. Some of the causes may be completely logical and harmless (such as finding food or preparing for a nap), while others may point to some underlying issues such as anxiety.
It’s best to address this behaviour early, so that it doesn’t escalate into destroying other parts of your furniture! Let’s get started.
In each of the sections below, you’ll learn some of the underlying causes of why dogs dig at your carpet. Each of these reasons is broken down and some possible solutions are presented for you to try.
Table of Contents
Why Does My Dog Dig at the Carpet?
There can be a number of reasons why your dog is digging at the carpet. Some point at harmless causes, while others can point to more concerning or problematic behaviour problems. The table below breaks down these causes in terms of their severity and need to addressing them:
| Cause | Ease of Addressing | Problem Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Enticing Smells and Finding Crumbs | Easy | Low |
| Making a Sleeping Cot | Easy | Low |
| Temperature Control | Easy | Low |
| Boredom or Excitement | Medium | Medium |
| Separation Anxiety | Difficult | High |
| Specific Breed Traits | Difficult | Low |
Let’s break down these behaviours, one by one, to better understand them. Included in each section will be some tips of how to address these behaviours.
Enticing Smells and Finding Crumbs
Your dog’s sense of smell is incredibly strong. Because of this, he or she may simply be smelling some additional pieces of food left over in your carpet. Even though you vacuum incredibly thoroughly, chances are some small pieces of food may be trapped in the fibres.
This behaviour, thankfully, is very easy to address! Simply try and not eat over carpeted areas for a while and vacuum more thoroughly.
If after doing this for a few days your puppy has stopped digging at the carpet, then you have your solution! Simply keep up the work and it shouldn’t be a problem anymore.
It may be necessary to try a strong vacuum in order to get all the little bits of food out of it.
Making a Sleeping Spot
In a dog’s primal nature lies the behaviour to make their sleeping area more comfortable. While we now give our dogs very comfortable beds, this is a fairly recent development (in terms of evolution, anyway!). If this is the reason, you may notice your dog digging a little and walking around in circles.
When making a bed outside, dogs will flatten grass and leaves by walking around. They’ll adjust the surface a little by digging. All of this serves to make their living area more comfortable.
Similar to the reason of having crumbs on your carpet, this is a fairly straightforward solution. Find your dog a comfy dog bed and direct their behaviour towards the bed.
When your dog begins digging, verbally indicate you want them to stop (such as by saying “stop” or “ah ah” to get their attention). Show them the dog bed and get them to lie down on the bed. When they do lie down, reward them by giving them a treat and praise.
Temperature Control
In the past, dogs would need to regulate their temperature by digging into the dirt. This served a dual purpose of keeping them cool in the warm weather, while giving them shelter in the colder weather.
Because of this, your dog’s innate instincts may be kicking in if their body temperature is uncomfortable for them. Get a sense of if your dog is either too warm or too cold and adjust them temperature in the room.
During the warm summer months, you can regulate the temperature by turning on the air conditioning or using a fan. Similarly, you can make sure your dog has enough water to stay hydrated.
Meanwhile, in the winter, you can turn on the heat. You can also give your dog a warm sweater or place an extra blanket in their crate.
Boredom or Excitement
It may seem counterintuitive to include boredom and excitement in the same category. In both cases, however, a dog’s mental stimulation needs are possibly not being met.
If a dog is digging at the carpet out of boredom, they may simply not have an activity that is more fun to do. For example, if this behaviour is occurring when no one else is home, it could just be that they’re not being stimulated enough.
If this is the case, consider having someone swing by to play with the dog for a little bit throughout the day. Otherwise, make sure that he or she has access to fun, mentally-stimulating toys.
If a dog is digging at your carpet out of excitement, they will need a way to redirect that energy. If they’re excited and can’t act on their excitement, that energy needs to go somewhere. Find a way to redirect them by playing with them or giving them a mentally-stimulating toy.
Separation Anxiety
Digging at a carpet due to separation anxiety is certainly one of the hardest causes to treat. The signs of this occur when your dog digs specifically at the carpet near the front door. This is a signal that they are anxious about you leaving.
This behaviour can lead to your dog moving on from digging to tearing up the carpet. Similarly, if the behaviour gets worse, he or she may destroy some more of your belongings.
Separation anxiety doesn’t have a clear cut answer. However, it’s an important thing for you to help your dog address. If this is a behaviour that’s occurring, it is probably a good idea to consult your vet for more information.
Specific Breed Traits
Some breeds are simply more likely to dig than others. This is especially true for terrier breeds. This isn’t really something that can be addressed. However, you’ll also be able to rest easily knowing that it’s not not a behavioural problem.
Conclusion
Finding your dog digging at your carpet can be an entertaining and frustrating experience. It can point to some different signals that your dog is experiencing. However, it can also to point to some larger issues such as separation anxiety.
Figuring out why your dog is digging at the carpet is an important step in addressing the problem. In this post, you learned what some common reasons are why your dog is digging at your carpet and how to address them.
Disclaimer
All content on this site is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be nor can it be considered actionable professional advice. It must not be used as an alternative for seeking professional advice from a veterinarian or other certified professional.
LivingWithALab.com assumes no responsibility or liability for the use or misuse of what’s written on this site. Please consult a professional before taking any course of action with any medical, health or behavioural related issue.