My 9 month old Boxer Dog is destroying the garden

[IvanMarquez]

Hello all,

My dog, Kampf all of a sudden started making big holes on the garden. He does this at night, when it is specially hard for me to stay awake to "catch" him and say no on the moment. I understand that punishing in the morning won´t correct this behaviour because he won´t remember what he did.

I thought that this could be an excesive energy issue, so I take him on a 3 km run every day, but this doesn't seem to solve the problem.

I had to build a barrier with coated iron cable, which he jumps

 

[Cami]

He is doing this because he is bored, it is fun for him and because he can.
You have to catch him to correct him. Are you leaving him outside all night? If so I'd stop doing that. Boxers are inside dogs who thrive when they are with their people.
When they are left to their own devices they come up with some pretty inventive "games."
You can't correct fully when he has already started digging unless you are literally standing right next to him. Opening up a door and telling him to stop won't work. You have to be there with him as soon as he starts or even looks as if this is what he is going to do.
One outing/run a day isn't nearly enough for a 9 month old Boxer. They need multiple "sessions" a day of play, walks and training to not only use up their physical energy but their "brain power" too (so to speak).
No access to the garden unless you are there to supervise will correct this problem. It won't be something that is fixed in a couple of days but eventually he will learn that this activity isn't something that is permitted.
If you can't do this then consider creating an area that is specifically FOR digging. Of course you will then have to train him to only dig in that spot.

 

[TwoDogs]

Any chance there could be critters in the garden at night that he is digging for--moles or ground squirrels possibly?

Your first step is to manage the environment so that he can't perform the undesired behavior. That may mean keeping him in the house at night. Frankly, I wouldn't leave my dogs out all night even in my secured yard. There is just too much scary stuff that can happen when I'm asleep.

By "garden" do you mean lawn or yard or is it a flower or vegetable garden? If it is your flower/veggie garden, you can try laying down wire fencing flat on the ground. This is often enough to deter digging in that area. Of course he might just find another area to dig in.

During hot weather a lot of dogs will dig holes to lay in because the fresh earth is cool. Given that it's happening at night, it is less likely that this is the reason, but make sure you are providing him with shady areas during the day and if you must keep him out at night consider a small child's pool of water to cool himself in if your nights are hot.