Interesting. No one cries wolf when a shock/vibration collar is used to train a dog to abide by an invisible fence, then it’s ok, acceptable. When it’s used beyond that, it’s cruel, abusive, unacceptable. I don’t think you can paint with a broad brush and just conclusively say that an e-collar is “bad”—but you do have…

You could bury a toy in a spot where your dog is *allowed* to dig, so he’ll be rewarded when he digs up sth he enjoys (bone, bully stick, toy). He’ll start associating that spot with sth good. If you don’t want him to dig in other parts of the yard, I’ve heard that burying the dog’s poop where he likes to dig will…