{"id":42720,"date":"2025-08-15T15:34:39","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T15:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/?p=42720"},"modified":"2025-10-24T19:11:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T19:11:02","slug":"why-are-so-many-dachshunds-obsessed-with-digging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/why-are-so-many-dachshunds-obsessed-with-digging\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are So Many Dachshunds Obsessed With Digging?"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><p><strong>In this article:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li id=\"dachshunds-were-bred-to-hunt-animals-in-holes\"><a href=\"#dachshunds-were-bred-to-hunt-animals-in-holes\">What were dachshunds bred for?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#research-shows-that-some-breed-specific-behaviors-are-highly-heritable\">Do dachshunds inherit digging behavior?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#you-can-channel-your-dog-s-digging-energy-into-something-positive\">What are good enrichment activities for dachshunds who like to dig?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#respect-your-little-excavator\">Can I stop my dachshund from digging?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"><div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><p>Every 9 months or so, I buy a new mattress topper. This is because my dachshund is allowed to dig into the top of my bed as much as she wants, and eventually she breaks through.<\/p><p>I don&rsquo;t know anyone else with this specific bedding-sacrifice policy, but many people with dachshunds report that, no matter how much they&rsquo;ve raised their dog to thrive in a domestic environment and live by human rules, they display a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/excavation-explanations-why-dogs-dig\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">persistent urge to dig<\/a>&mdash;in gardens, at the beach, and, yes, even into innocent pieces of furniture. What accounts for this? Below, we dig deep for the answer.<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dachshunds were bred to hunt animals in holes<\/h4><p>Dr. Zachary Silver, a psychology professor who founded the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oxy.edu\/academics\/canine-intelligence-lab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Canine Intelligence Lab at Occidental College<\/a>, says: &ldquo;No matter how much we try to with training, we are really not going to be able to overwrite what&rsquo;s hardwired into [dogs] from an evolutionary perspective.&rdquo; And, he says, for dachshunds, one hardwired behavior is digging.<\/p><p>Dachshund means &ldquo;badger dog&rdquo; in German, and full-size dachshunds were indeed historically bred to hunt badgers. Miniature dachshunds might traditionally be sent into holes to hunt smaller prey, like rabbits. In any event, being able to dig a hole and dive into it was an important skill for dogs with this job&mdash;so humans bred dachshunds who showed an affinity for it.<\/p><p>&ldquo;Terriers were the foundation stock used to create the breed,&rdquo; says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/contributors\/stanley-coren-phd-dsc-frsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Stanley Coren<\/a>, Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia and author of <em>The Intelligence of Dogs<\/em>. &ldquo;Digging is part of the genetic heritage of all terriers. Their group name is derived from terra&mdash;&lsquo;Earth&rsquo;&mdash;and they are generically referred to as &lsquo;earth dogs&rsquo; since they are programmed to dig.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Every individual dog is different, so there&rsquo;s no guarantee that your dachshund will love digging. But, if they do, you can likely thank genetics.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"829\" height=\"822\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dacshund-looking-up-with-dirt-on-nose.jpeg\" alt=\"A dachshund looking up with dirt on his nose.\" class=\"wp-image-42737\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dacshund-looking-up-with-dirt-on-nose.jpeg 829w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dacshund-looking-up-with-dirt-on-nose-300x297.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dacshund-looking-up-with-dirt-on-nose-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dacshund-looking-up-with-dirt-on-nose-768x762.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 829px) 100vw, 829px\" \/><\/figure><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"research-shows-that-some-breed-specific-behaviors-are-highly-heritable\">Research shows that some breed-specific behaviors are highly heritable<\/h4><p>Maddie Messina, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pawsforthoughttraining.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Paws for Thought Dog Training in New York City<\/a>, says that while research suggests some breed generalizations are unsupported stereotypes, and there is huge variation among individual dogs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abk0639\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">certain behaviors dogs were bred for are highly heritable<\/a>. Dr. Coren once told us about six-week-old retrievers who, without any training, already showed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/why-does-my-dog-bring-me-things\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the desire and ability to retrieve<\/a>. And Dr. Erin Hecht of Harvard University has found that dogs bred to retrieve and hunt by sight have <a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2019\/09\/harvard-researcher-finds-canine-brains-vary-based-on-breed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brain differences in regions related to vision, eye movement, and spatial navigation<\/a>.<\/p><p>While the research linked above didn&rsquo;t specifically pertain to dachshunds&rsquo; digging behavior, digging is closely linked to the purpose they were historically bred for.<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"you-can-channel-your-dog-s-digging-energy-into-something-positive\">You can channel your dog&rsquo;s digging energy into something positive<\/h4><p>Because the desire to dig is built into many of them, you won&rsquo;t get far trying to extinguish it from your dachshund. You may think that their job is to sit around and watch <em>Seinfeld<\/em> reruns with you, but nature has other ideas.<\/p><p>&ldquo;We were looking for the dogs that would be most likely to dig, could dig most effectively, and would dig in the presence of distractions,&rdquo; Dr. Silver says. &ldquo;Those were the dogs that we bred together to create what is now the dachshund. So it&rsquo;s going to be very difficult to get them to stop digging.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Taking that into consideration: If your dog wants to dig, your best bet isn&rsquo;t trying to suppress those urges. It&rsquo;s finding an acceptable way to channel them.<\/p><p>&ldquo;If you try to suppress an innate behavior,&rdquo; Messina says, &ldquo;other problem behaviors are going to pop up.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Instead, Messina recommends solutions like those she&rsquo;s used with some clients. &ldquo;Sometimes we&rsquo;ll create apartment-friendly dig boxes,&rdquo; she says, that allow dogs to search for treats in a safe setting. She says that scratch pads can be another good choice&mdash;and, if you train your dachshund properly, they can help you keep their nails at a healthy length. If you&rsquo;re not sure whether either of these are right for your dog, or if you&rsquo;re wondering about the safest way to set them up, talk to your veterinarian.<\/p><p>Dr. Silver recommends toys that simulate digging&mdash;that allow dogs to find treats beneath an obstacle of some kind, for example. He&rsquo;s also a fan of sports like barn hunt and Earthdog, which give dogs a chance to put their instincts to work &ldquo;hunting&rdquo; for rodents who are kept safely caged and unharmed.<\/p><p>&ldquo;What I&rsquo;ve heard from people who participate in [these events] with their dogs,&rdquo; Dr. Silver says, &ldquo;is that the dogs show a lot of signs of fulfillment afterwards. They&rsquo;re happy to just go home and relax. They don&rsquo;t feel like they have to continue digging.&rdquo; In other words, while saying &ldquo;no&rdquo; to your dachshund isn&rsquo;t likely to stop their digging at home, giving them an approved outlet could help them cut back. &ldquo;If we can create opportunities for them to dig in what we would view as an acceptable or productive way,&rdquo; Dr. Silver says, &ldquo;we&rsquo;re a lot less likely to see that occurring in those maladaptive ways.&rdquo;<\/p><p>In general, giving your dog adequate physical and mental exercise is a vital part of caring for them. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/how-we-think-dogs-think-considering-common-questions-concerning-canine-cognition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dogs are intelligent animals<\/a> who often love a fun job to do. And, like people, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/is-your-dog-bored-right-now-heres-how-to-help-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">they can get bored<\/a>.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"987\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dachshund-puppy-sleeping-e1755269104888-987x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A dachshund puppy sleeping on a pillow.\" class=\"wp-image-42736\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dachshund-puppy-sleeping-e1755269104888-987x1024.jpg 987w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dachshund-puppy-sleeping-e1755269104888-289x300.jpg 289w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dachshund-puppy-sleeping-e1755269104888-768x797.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dachshund-puppy-sleeping-e1755269104888-1480x1536.jpg 1480w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dachshund-puppy-sleeping-e1755269104888-1973x2048.jpg 1973w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dachshund-puppy-sleeping-e1755269104888.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 987px) 100vw, 987px\" \/><\/figure><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"respect-your-little-excavator\">Respect your little excavator<\/h4><p>Your dachshund may appear to be a cute, ridiculous creature with tiny legs whose only responsibility is to hang out with you&mdash;but remember that they look the way they do because humans bred them for generations to do a job. And, somewhere deep inside, they may still really want to do that job.<\/p><p>&ldquo;We are at a place right now in society where we expect so much of dogs,&rdquo; says Messina, &ldquo;and there&rsquo;s not really a lot of leeway for dogs to do what they naturally should do. Sometimes we have to leave room for dogs to just be dogs.&rdquo;<\/p><p>This doesn&rsquo;t mean that you have to sacrifice your mattress toppers&mdash;but you should find a way to give your dog the respect and care they deserve as you try to make their deep desire to dig fit with your human lifestyle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dachshunds often love excavating dirt, or even trying to plow into unsuspecting furniture. Here\u2019s the science behind that habit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":42730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[203,198],"tags":[349,395],"class_list":["post-42720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breeds","category-training-behavior","tag-conditions","tag-dachshunds"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42720"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42749,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42720\/revisions\/42749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}