Give Your Dog A Variety Of Interactive Toys
Give your dog toys that help to stimulate him and encourage him to display other behaviors.
For example, a snuffle mat will help to give your dog’s nose a workout, as he sniffs between the bits of fabric to find kibbles.
Smearing wet food or peanut butter (avoid nut butter than contains toxic xylitol) in a rubber toy will give him something to lick and chew at for a while and distract him from digging.
React to and reward behaviors that you want to see more of.
Positive reinforcement for dogs is important, so encourage your dog if he is playing nicely.
Try not to shout at him if he is doing something you don’t like, instead distract him, and redirect his focus onto something else.
Eventually, the message will sink in that he receives more attention for actions other than digging.
Consider The Temperature
Another useful approach is to consider the temperature of your home.
If the season has recently changed, the room you keep your dog in has a draft, or the floor is generally quite cold, then providing some extra warmth may be enough.
Out Of Anxiety And Fear
It is also certainly possible that your dog is anxious, or is suffering from fear.
Whether this is from noise (such as loud weather), new animals such as dogs coming to visit, or strangers coming by.
Either way, your dog may be looking for a means of escape, or as an attempt to control the space (and warn other animals/dogs of their presence) and ultimately make it feel safer.
This is more common in younger dogs, and those more nervous and insecure.
Usually, it’s a combination of the two of those, brought about by a lack of experience in certain situations/environments or without enough socialization from a young age.
This will also likely explain why your dog may be more likely to scratch at the ground when in unfamiliar places.
Why do Dogs Scratching the Floor at Night? This fact will shock you
Context is important to determine if there is something wrong with your dog whenever he starts to scratch and dig the floor at night. Here are the most common reasons that may explain the behavior.
Nesting is a natural behavior and could be more prevalent at night. The dog could just be trying to make himself comfortable and warm before he goes to bed. Scratching and digging are behaviors that the dog may have picked up from his ancestors. For wild dogs, they may have scratched the leaves and soil to make themselves a comfortable sleeping spot. The same goes for your dog.