Sometimes, dogs are little people with fur.
We understand them, and they understand us.
At other times, we remember that they’re animals – weird ones at that – driven by instinct and ingrained behaviors that they can’t seem to control.
This is true when we catch our dogs trying to bury their bones in blankets. It’s not so weird to see them successfully cover their treasure in the folds of the blanket. But it’s totally weird to see them nosing at the air, making absolutely no progress as they do it.
Why Dogs Bury Their Food
It’s not surprising to see a dog bury a treat that they cannot finish. I got to see this in action when I tried to give Matilda a chicken foot. She nibbled unenthusiastically at the end, then abandoned it in the grass. It was cold out, and she just wanted to go inside, so I gave the foot to Cow.
After that, I grabbed another chicken foot and chopped off the toes. It was grisly, at first, but I got used to the sensation of bones cracking under my knife.
Matilda gleefully chomped away at one, then two chicken toes. She ate them whole, bones and all.
I decided to step up the challenge again by giving her the middle portion, sans toes. I stopped supervising her as I fed Cow indoors. When I returned to the back door, I noticed her digging around in the garden. She returned inside, then, shortly after, asked to go out again.
She dug up a very dirty chicken foot, and seemed just as happy to gnaw at it now that it was clodded with mud. I threw it away and decided that she would have to work on them indoors, inside her crate so she wouldn’t be compelled to bury it.
Wild dogs and wolves gorge themselves on feast days, then bury what they can’t finish. I’m not sure how this influences their survival. A buried bone would quickly attract maggots and become too rotten to eat. However, if the soil is frozen, the burrow could act as a refrigerator. No way would scavengers be affected – any self-respecting scavenger can easily sniff up a tasty cache.
But There’s No Stinkin’ Dirt!
Our modern dogs don’t have to worry about storing leftovers or hiding food from scavengers – but they don’t realize that.
It’s not unheard of for dogs to nose air-dirt over their food bowls, push imaginary soil over their bones, and do other weird things in the name of apartment survival.
If your dog is truly an invisible dirt pusher, you’ll notice that they’re not making any traction at all. Their movements are more like obsessive head-bobbing.
I can’t find any research data on this, but that’s not surprising. What foundation would fund a study on dogs that pretend to bury their food with imaginary dirt? None, none at all.
I created Little Dog Tips to answer these questions. To uncover the mysteries that no scientific institution has dared uncover before.
The best I can do with a non-existent research grant is ask you guys.
Does your dog try to bury food?
Do they do it with invisible dirt?
Do they do this weird head-bopping thing in the air?
Do they do it at a certain time of day, when you have guests, when they think nobody’s watching?
As for Matilda, she only does this when I give both Cow and her a bone or long-lasting treat. Cow always chomps things down in seconds, only to stare at Matilda. I try not to let Cow bug Matilda, but when she does, Matilda will definitely try to find a hiding spot, even though her nose isn’t even touching anything.
She also uses her pet copywriting business to make sure the best pet products and services get found online through catchy copy and fun, informative blog posts. She also provides product description writing services for ecommerce companies.
As a dog mom to Matilda and Cow, she spends most of her days taking long walks and practicing new tricks, and most nights trying to make the best of a very modest portion of her bed.
You'll also find her baking bread and making homemade pizza, laughing, painting and shopping.
Jamie
Monday 21st of March 2022
My aussie pup was doing this and he would get SO frustrated when it wouldn't get buried. He'd just stare at it and start crying. I finally made a "dig box" out of an old cardboard box and some old clothes and towels I was planning to get rid of anyway. He loves it and now burys all of the toys and chews he deems "special" enough to save.
Fodil Pacha
Sunday 9th of January 2022
i have never thought of why do a dog hide something, hh thanks
Mark Grant
Wednesday 13th of March 2019
Good story, however isn't true that chicken bones are not good for dog digestive system. It was said chicken bones splinter and can get l Lodged in the intestine of a dog.
I just buy a whole rotisserie chicken from Walmart and pick off all the meat for my blue heeler . She is worth the $7 a day .
Lindsay Pevny
Saturday 16th of March 2019
Raw chicken bones are lightweight and soft, they don't splinter or get lodged. It's cooked bones you have to worry about.
The thing about rotisserie chicken is, it can be very salty and have all sorts of seasonings on it. I wouldn't think the onion or garlic would be enough to harm your dog, even in the long run, but it's more affordable and healthy to give raw meat, unseasoned, as a snack. A whole deboned chicken wouldn't be a complete, balanced diet, though I'm not sure if you meant that your dog only eats that.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Angela Abzun
Wednesday 5th of September 2018
So, my baby Brandi does this with her treats and when I'm trying to get her to eat sometimes (more often the less). I got her from a shelter and she had pretty bad anxiety. There aren't any other dogs but I have 2 cats. Only one of them are brave enough to check out her food. He doesn't ever get the chance to eat it unless we are gone from the house. But she fits this with treats more often than none and they get buried in the couch or in her bed.... I thought it was too precious. I glad to know she isn't the only weirdo... Lol...
Kelsey and Rory the Cockapoo
Monday 18th of June 2018
I have an 8-month-old and he air buries all of his bones - doesn’t matter what kind! Sometimes he will nibble and chew on them and then bury them, but other times he will just go straight to air bury it. He buries them in the couch, rugs, blankets, his bed, our bed, or even just on the floor. He particularly likes burying them in corners of rooms and laundry baskets. The strangest thing is that he doesn’t bury anything when we are outside. We live in chicago and there isn’t a lot of opportunity for him to bury or dig in real dirt so I just assumed he was adapting to not having that ability. It’s so cute to watch!