Why do dogs........

[yorkster]

Here is a question I have always wondered about, but had not thought of for quite awhile until today when I gave my dog a bone:

This afternoon I gave my dog Scout a bone, and she ran outside imediately and buried it in the backyard.
Why do dogs do that? Are they saving it for later? I have not yet seen her dig one up and do anything with it- maybe she has, but I have not seen it.
Do dogs in the wild do that? Is it somehow connected to that instinct? Why wouldn't they want to enjoy chewing a bone at the moment, rather than later? Are they hiding it from something?

I know its not a really big important quetion, but I am just curious........... :confused:

[jennifert]

I am so dying to know that too!!! I'm gald you brought it up!!! :) Duncan buries toys and bones, sometimes on the sofa under the bed, wherever he can find. He has a few favorite spots! Some dogs do this and others do not I've noticed! Some dogs never bury things at all>!! We'll have to compare all the dogs that do it and see if maybe they all have something in common?

[yorkster]

Doing a comparison is a great idea!

On another note: you mentioned your dog burying his toys inside the house. I am wondering now about that. There are a few toys I have not found of hers (I know they are not outside). One of them is her KONG that was stuffed with treats and peanut butter.... :rolleyes:

[Barbiro]

Buffy did that this morning. I was hand-feeding her some chicken nuggets and every once in a while she would STORM to the room and hide a piece under the bed. She doesn't do that with her regular food, just when I hand-feed her something. :confused: Carrie, we need your expertise here!

[RachelJ]

One of my previous dogs would bury things inside by putting imaginary dirt over them. She'd take her nose and make the action of pushing dirt to cover the object she was trying to bury. When she was satisfied the task was completed, she would turn around and walk away, even though the object was as unburied as it had been before she started. This used to always crack me up.

[jennifert]

That's what Duncan does!? It's hysterical! Then he'll bark at either me or it. It's like he's asking me, "Can you see that? I bet you can't see that! Try to find that. I dare you! You can't find it! Oh you found it? Well, I knew you would. I was just kidding!"
Duncan actually seems to remember where he puts things too and if we go to my mom's or my boyfriend's overnight, when he gets back, he goes right to the spot to make sure it's still there. So silly! My roommate'd dog, on the other hand, (a golden) has never buried anything inside or out!
I would love to know what the reasoning is. I thought maybe it was a breed specific thing but I can't help because I don't know what breeds Duncan is?

[sabies]

Sounds like my dog. She only does it with some treats and real bones (raw from the butcher). Since it's only with "special" treats, I think she's saving it for later and wants it all to herself. I'm sure they had to store food in secret in the wild.

Also I know for a fact that she goes back and digs up her stash. She had a bone at our vacation house that she would relocate each time we visited there - as soon as she jumped out of the car. One time a neighbor dog sniffed around where she hid her bone (I watch her bury them, she's not skilled at the secret thing) and she FREAKED OUT on the dog, unusual for my normally submissive wimp.

[sammi]

Buddy Boy does this too!!! One day he was trying to cover his knuckle bone with lint from the carpet or such! I gave him part of a old tee shirt and he uses this all the time to cover just that one bone! And when he hid a denta bone behind the couch he checked it everyday at least once and one day it was gone so think he moved it outside. He has a stash buried outside and before he will dig anything up he will check to see if anyone is looking out at him from the house!:D Don't you think they are saving it for later in case they have no food - like they would do in the wild?

[jennifert]

I thought this too, that they were saving it for later. but my roommate's dog doesn't do it...wouldn't all dogos do it? Were your dog's rescues? Duncan was. He lived on the streets for a time before he was found by the dog catcher so perhaps he did this to store his food in case of emergency....;)

[jennifert]

I thought this too, that they were saving it for later. but my roommate's dog doesn't do it...wouldn't all dogos do it? Were your dog's rescues? Duncan was. He lived on the streets for a time before he was found by the dog catcher so perhaps he did this to store his food in case of emergency....;)

[sabies]

I suppose for some dogs the instinct is stronger. You may be on to something Jennifert - my dog is a rescue and she does it. I've had 2 strays and 2 puppies in my family and only the stray dogs buried stuff. Maybe being out on their own brings out the instinct.

Maybe it's a sign of high intelligence :).

Can anyone else add to the rescue/non-rescue stats?

[Stenograsaurus]

I've owned three dogs and only one has done it. And, guess what, she was a stray also!!! I always attributed it to living in the wild and saving what little food she could acquire. Carrie, are you going to inform us on what causes this behavior?

[Hbrika]

Oddly Gully doesn't really dig.

Bones are GONE. Food is GONE :)

I was told that most Labs do it. Privately I think its a dog thing and not a Lab thing :)

Sometimes though if I am really tired I will wake up and one of her toy bones will be beside me :) I think its a 'Here is my toy dad, get better please' thing :)

[jennifert]

Duncan may have some lab in him and he digs and buries things. My roommate's dog is 1/2 lab and he doesn't do it! I had a dog growing up that wasn't a stray and he DID do it but he had absolutely NO lab in him! I guess it is just an individual thing....I wonder why though!?

[carrie]

This behaviour is often seen in pet dogs and it is a strategy that is very useful to a wild canid. By stashing any excess food away, covering it to hide it from scavengers and being able to remember where it is hidden a wild canid is gaining a very large advantage if it fails to find sufficient food in the following days.
It is a behaviour that appears to be instinctive to a degree. It may also be partly a learned behaviour or have an element of learning about it to "switch on" the instinct - that may be why it is not seen in all dogs. It is also known that dogs show different behaviours in varying degrees - some dogs howl regularly while others never do, for instance.
As for toys - this is a very interesting way to show the difference between a human and canine point of view. A dog that stashes it's toys is treating them as a valuable trophy ( such as a chunk of meat). The human leaving the toys around for the dog to play with at will is in effect raising the dog's status in the pack by allowing access to such valuable and prized posessions. The human sees it as a kind and loving gesture to give the dog as many play things as it wants without realising how important they are in defining relationships for the dog.

[jennifert]

So Carrie, what about this situation...my roommate's dog never hides anything. Duncan hides most things. They live together. Jack, the roommate's dog is very possessive about toys. He thinks everything in the house is his and will get very upset if Duncan takes a toy. Duncan on the other hand will share his toys. If Jack takes the one he was playing with, because Jack ALWAYS wants the one that Duncan has...Duncan will just go get another one.
Because of Jack's possessiveness, I can never give Duncan toys. Jack just steals them! I did give Duncan a buddy glow ball that he loves. If Jack tries to take that, a fight breaks out. As a result, I never give Duncan any toys unless Jack isn't home or Duncan and I aren't home! It stinks!! Basically, Jack is a spoiled brat right! I mean if this dog loses his ball under the couch, he will bark until you get it for him. No other ball will do. It has to be THAT ONE!!!! :rolleyes:

[carrie]

Jack is behaving totally properly for a dog in his position - his owner has allowed him to believe he is the Alpha in the house. He does not feel too secure in this role and knows that he doesn't really match up to the job so is desperate to reinforce his position. He is using the toys as trophies, objects of desire that lower ranking individuals like Duncan can not be allowed to have control over.
This behaviour has progressed to the next level where he has trained his owner to fetch on command. Point out to your roomate that the dog has trained her very well.

You are wise to not give toys to Duncan unless you are there to supervise because until Jack is relieved of the Alpha role this will continue. If Jack's behaviour is taken in hand sensibly and the pack order realigned he may well still be more dominant than Duncan but at least his owner will have the rank to make it clear that it is unacceptable.

[jennifert]

Carrie, you are so clever! I try to read books and articles on dog/animal behavior and apply it to Duncan but I can't seem to get my head around it! I know it's because I want him to have feelings/thoughts/emotions. It takes an intelligent thougtful special type of mind to work it out, especially with all the conflicting info floating around!
You really hit the nail on the head again! I feel like you've been to my house!! Jack will be 4 next month and Duncan is only about a yr and has lived with me since July. Jack is a very easygoing dog usually. Duncan is very headstrong and energetic, a typical teenager for the most part. Jack doesn't portray a very strong alpha, sort of like an "alpha with his mom holding his hand" or an alpha who talks the talk but can't back it up. I'm sure it's just a matter of time until Duncan takes over the role. He's much larger than Jack(not that size always matters, right?) but he is gaining confidence every day since I rescued him. I certainly wouldn't call their relationship as friendly or stable. It's very turbulent with squabbles occasionally breaking out and some stress on both sides, for the dogs and my roommate and I! ;) I've read things about how the alpha should be fed first and let outside first and so on... It's very hard to practice this with 2 caretakers with 2 very different dogs...If we leave them be, will they work it out? One more thing, when I first brought Duncan home, he had to be housetrained. He probably went on the crpet 3X total 2 pees and 1 you-know-what. He's perfectly trained now, always goes to the door or comes to get me with "that look". Jack, on the other hand, has regressed. He has lost control in the house 10 times since Duncan has been living there. (Duncan is crated during the day while Jack is not. This was a very hard decision for me but I didn't have any option) :( Jack will sometimes do it while Duncan is crated and even when Duncan isn't even home. Any relation? I could think of a million questions I would love to ask you...but enough free advice and time! Sorry!! Thanks again!

[carrie]

No problem - it's one heck of a buzz to have people come back and say things are better and they have happier dogs. To me that is the bit that matters. The fact that people find they can enjoy their dogs even more after changing a few things is a bonus, taking the stress and worry out of doggy life is the ultimate reward.

There a couple of things you can do to see some improvement straight away but it will only work if you can perrsuade your roommate to do them too. It must be total commitment or you run the risk of sending out even more confusing messages to the dogs and the situation will deterioate further.
First off you MUST take pressure and stress away from Jack - he isn't coping with trying to be the leader and is panicking. He is scent marking (Yep poop too!!) when the pack is split. He feels like he has been elected leader by the pack and it is his job to protect and keep the other members together. He doesn't know how to cope when the pack he should be in control of splits up and leaves. To ease his stress he turns to making the den safe, secure and strong so that if the lost members come back they will be safer and less likely to get lost again. To a dog this means smelly messages! He simply can't help himself.
On top of this he has a young pretender to contend with and an owner that follows his instrunctions rather than directs him.
Things need to change for this poor boy - does he chew? Does he self mutilate or is he destructive at all? If not, then he is probably heading that way.

The two humans in the house must start to take control of the pack. Take the responsibility away from Jack and let him relax and just be a dog.

You must also, once you begin the process of destressing Jack, sort out the more dominant of the two dogs. If left to do it for themselves, especially with two pretty well matched animals, there will be trouble. If Jack is still marginally above Duncan then he needs support in that role. If he doesn't get it then Duncan will constantly challenge.

Have a chat with your roommate and if she agrees to give things a go - suggest trying it my way for three weeks - let me know and I'll give some things to get you going. Both dogs will benefit greatly and the whole atmosphere will change, I promise. But, you must both agree to stick to it.

Good luck!