Keeping the family farm going

If you're dog is digging up your sprinkler system, that can be frustrating, and it can lead to costly sprinkler repairs. Luckily, there are several tricks you can use to keep your pup away from your sprinkler system. Here's some ideas to consider: 

1. Distract your dog with his own digging spot.

If your dog loves to dig, it may be very hard to deter him from digging up your sprinkler lines. However, you can distract him by building him his very own doggy digging zone. You can convert a patch of your yard that doesn't have sprinkler lines running through it into a digging friendly zone, or you can invest in a small kiddie swimming pool or plastic sandbox. Then, you fill that with dirt or sand. To encourage your dog to dig there, bury some bones and a few of his favourite toys.

2. Enroll your dog in obedience classes.

If you cannot distract your dog from digging up sprinklers even by making a dedicated digging area, it may simply be an obedience issue. Enroll your dog in obedience classes and tell the instructor that you want to focus on digging in particular.

3. Protect your sprinkler system with an invisible fence.

In some cases, obedience classes may not work. For example, if your dog is very resistant to training, you may need to explore another angle. Similarly, if you foster dogs for a rescue organisation, you don't have the time to train all of them to not dig up your sprinkler system.

In these cases, consider protecting your sprinkler system with an invisible fence. In most cases, your sprinkler system runs around the perimetre of your yard. You simply place the invisible fence just inside of that, and your dog won't be able to reach the sprinkler system.

4. Don't let water collect around the sprinkler heads.

In some cases, dogs dig up and damage sprinkler lines, but in other cases, they focus exclusively on the sprinkler heads. If your dog is constantly digging near your sprinkler heads, you want to make that area less inviting. First, make sure that water is not pooling near the heads, as that will draw your dog.

If it is, slope the ground around the heads so that the water naturally rolls away from them, and also make sure that your dog's outdoor water bowl is always full so he isn't drawn toward your sprinkler heads.

5. Strengthen your sprinkler lines.

Finally, if nothing else works, talk with a sprinkler installer about strengthening your sprinkler lines. For example, if your lines are just made of tubing, your dog can likely break them with his claws. However, if you incase the sprinkler lines with PVC pipe, that adds an extra element of durability.