How To Stop A Dog From Digging

Get rid of the dog? Probably not option A, but that is likely only option.

Dog needs some structure and a job to do.

Take her on multiple long walks to exercise her body. Do training to exercise her mind. She's bored and full of energy.

It always humors me when people get Terriers, Jack Russells, Feists, etc., and the dog does what it was born to do. The owners are like, why does my dog do this? What did you think was going to happen?

You don’t

You could remove it's legs. Guarantee it would stop digging.

I’ve owned terriers for most of my life; I know their bred purpose, I know their temperament, I know their need & drive for purpose; this dog spends its days in a large yard with a great deal of stimulation from the other dog in the yard with her, the squirrels, cows, & all other sorts of things she does to keep herself busy & engaged. Like I said, I’ve owned Rat Terriers for most of my life but I have never had one that is a “serial digger”; they’ve dug but most of them grew out of it or just did it randomly, that’s why I was asking how to deter one who seems hell bent on reaching the core of the Earth. I’ll try the dog crap in the holes & see if that will be a strong enough deterrent.

By pitmix dug when we first got him. I spanked him with a newspaper and sprayed him with water. No dice.

Then I put a shock collar on him. Let him outside. And waited inside at the window. Once he got good into his digging routine I zapped him. I only had to do this twice. No digging in 4 years since. Always do the beep before you shock them. And eventually the beep alone will get them to act right.

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I’ve tried red pepper but it doesn’t deter her for long

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I tried this when my dog was digging holes, and came outside to find him licking the dirt where it was applied.

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Every single person who's ever said "your dog wants to please you and won't disobey, they just don't understand what you want" needs to be kicked in the crotch. Once that shock collar was on she suddenly understood every single command I'd been working on for the past year and compliance was instant and enthusiastic.

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yep. You see the same shite with horse trainers as well. I understand the philosophy of "making it easy for the animal to do the correct thing and difficult to do the wrong thing". I appreciate the perspective of trying to be patient and make the animal realize what you want it to do.

But after being around companion animals and equids for a long time, I also have learned that a good old-fashioned dose of punitive discipline is necessary from time to time to get your point across.