Do Dutch Shepherds dig?

How much do Dutch Shepherds dig?

Dutch Shepherds are not obsessive diggers, but they dig more than the average dog when conditions encourage it. The most common trigger is under-stimulation: a bored, under-exercised Dutch Shepherd left in a garden for an extended period is likely to find its own entertainment, and digging is a natural outlet. Given the breed's high energy level, insufficient daily exercise is the primary driver — a well-exercised Dutch Shepherd has little interest in excavating the garden. Occasional digging is normal and generally not a serious problem; persistent or escalating digging usually signals an unmet need.

Why Dutch Shepherds dig — the instinct explained

All dogs have some capacity for digging — it is a deeply ancestral behaviour that predates domestication by tens of thousands of years. Wild canids dig to create dens, cache food, access prey, and regulate temperature. Domestication retained these instincts to varying degrees depending on how each breed was developed.

For Dutch Shepherds, the main drivers are typically:

• Instinct: The ancestral drive to dig is present in all dogs but less intensified in non-terrier breeds. A Dutch Shepherd may dig in response to a specific stimulus — a smell, a sound, or a temperature need — rather than out of pure compulsion.
• Temperature regulation: Dogs will dig to reach cool earth during warm weather, creating a nest that is several degrees cooler than the surface. This is more common than owners often realise, particularly on warm afternoons in summer.
• Scent tracking: A dog's sense of smell extends underground. They can detect insects, worms, plant roots, and traces of other animals that have passed through. Investigating an interesting smell by digging is simply curiosity acting on instinct.
• Boredom and excess energy: Physical and mental under-stimulation is the most common cause of digging that starts suddenly in a previously non-digging dog. If your Dutch Shepherd has recently started digging, the first question is whether their exercise and enrichment needs are being met.
• Escape attempts: Some dogs dig at fence lines or boundaries specifically to escape. This is different from recreational digging and suggests the dog is motivated to get to something. Often related to isolation, under-exercise, or a nearby stimulus like another dog or an interesting smell.

How to stop your Dutch Shepherd digging

The approach to managing digging depends on whether you are dealing with an instinct-driven breed or a situation-driven digger. For a Dutch Shepherd, the goal is usually to address the underlying trigger.

• Meet exercise needs first: A sufficiently exercised Dutch Shepherd is far less likely to seek out its own entertainment. At high energy, this breed needs substantial daily activity — a short lead walk is not enough.
• Supervise garden time: Unsupervised garden access is where most digging damage happens. Until the behaviour is managed, a Dutch Shepherd in the garden should be within eyesight.
• Redirect immediately and calmly: When you catch your dog beginning to dig in an undesired spot, interrupt calmly. A verbal cue or by calling them away. And redirect to an appropriate outlet. Never shout or punish; this creates anxiety around gardens rather than solving the problem.
• Mental enrichment: Puzzle feeders, sniff games, training sessions, and interactive toys reduce the restlessness that drives boredom digging. A brain-tired dog digs less than a physically tired but mentally under-stimulated one.

Garden-proofing for Dutch Shepherd owners

For owners who want to be proactive, physical garden management is worth considering alongside behavioural strategies. These measures are not punitive — they simply reduce the opportunity and protect specific areas while training takes effect.

• Paving borders: Placing paving slabs flat along the base of fences removes the loose soil that makes boundary digging easy. This is particularly effective for escape-motivated digging.
• Chicken wire underground: For flower beds or lawn sections, laying chicken wire 10–15cm below the soil surface prevents deep digging while remaining invisible above ground. The wire does not hurt paws. It simply makes digging unrewarding.
• Large rocks or paving near favourites spots: Placing rocks or flat stones at a dog's known favourite digging spots blocks access without confrontation.
• Raised beds: Raised vegetable or flower beds with wooden or brick borders are significantly harder for dogs to dig into than ground-level planting. For garden-loving Dutch Shepherd owners, raised beds are a practical long-term solution.

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