Why do dogs bury things?

Hi guys,

Roxy’s going through a serious burying stage at the moment, one problem, we don’t have a garden, so she is doing it in the house. If we give her a bone she will jump up on the sofa, scratch about in the corner place her bone there then either put a cushion over it or scrunch her blanket up into the corner.

If it’s not the sofa we find bones under our pillows in bed, or underneath her bed. Now I have no issues with her doing it, she doesn’t scratch the sofa up or anything and as far as I can see nothing is ruined. She has made some HUGE holes in my sister’s garden but she’s never buried anything. So, can I ask why dogs do this? as far as I’m aware it comes from wolf/wild animal behaviour, but seeing as I’m getting told so many times lately that ‘nowadays dogs’ are to domesticated to act like wolves I would be interested to know why she does this??

they bury the excess, so they can have it later in times of hunger! (not that many pet dogs go hungry these days) but that is another reason why I let them have a day off during the week. They sometimes go to find their old buried things and sometimes are quite content not to eat anything.... this is part of the BARF diet, with natural food. It gives the system and body a break.

Hmm well I dont actually do a BARF diet, its just her rawhide bones. But yeah maybe she is just storing it to eat later??

yeah, it doesn't matter if you don't feed naturally... she has had 'enough' and is hiding it for later.

My little Prinz used to do this with chews, and use his snout to fill over the earth to properly bury it. Inside there is no earth, but he still does the movements to mimick covering it - absolutly amazing! You won't read about that in any books!!!

Loki also does this, hasnt done it so much recently but we did go through a phase of finding chews and bones and even toys hidden under the sofa cusions, behind the back of the sofa, in our bed and generally with his chews if he isnt hungry he will try to hide them!

Zuki does it quite often, she did it this morning to her breakfast I have found half eaten steak tucked down the side of the sofa, along with pigs ears and raw hide, she had two kongs which were never to be seen again after she buried them in the garden she hid a piece of chicken in my OHs shoe, she used to put things in hte tv cabinet right at the back she is murder, she digs so many wholes in the garden that the grass has gone in fact when we pick up the mess in the garden we fill the holes back in

Digging is a natural thing for dogs we have got her a sand pit so she can dig now

Oooh a sand pit sounds like a good idea! I can put the around the back then and Ferrets can dig in it too. Thanks everyone for your comments, makes sense now

Yeah agree with what has been said above and I intend to get more sand for current sand pit when I get my puppy

One of my Schnauzers used to bury things in the houseplants

I think dogs often bury food because they don't wish to eat it at the time and it is a way of preventing anyone else from eating the item. In a litter or where you have a number of dogs uneaten food/special toys would quickly be snapped up by another dog.

Wolves and wild dogs bury things they don't want to eat but will probably want later as a way to keep it safe from prying eyes and also flies etc.

No matter how long our dogs have been domesticated to date that amount of time isn't a patch on the amount of time wolves / wild dogs have existed and these instincts will indeed remain in dogs now a days.

Takoda especially loves to bury things and he just loves digging in general.