Burying bones, like barking and chewing is a common behavior of dogs. Dogs have always been depicted as bone burying animals in cartoons, in movies and in children’s books. Because of the dogs’ inclination to bury bones; it would be safe to say that all dog owners have seen the pet digging and burying bones.

With a sneaky look on its face, a dog that has a bone on its mouth will look for an ideal spot to hide the “treasure”. As soon as the ideal hiding place is found, the dog will dig madly and speedily bury the bone. Do dogs know why these animals are burying bones Does your pet know why it is hiding the bones? The pet may not be aware why it is burying bones as scientists believe that this is an instinctive habit to survive.

Dog experts believe that the habit of burying bones, similar to other canine behaviors is an instinctual nature that have survived in spite of domestication. The habit of burying bones is as old as the dog’s history. Although dogs became man’s best friend only for thousands of years; these animals have existed for over a million years. Burying bones have been a very useful habit for primitive dogs that need to survive the harsh life in the wild. The ancestors of modern day dogs have had difficult lives. The ancestors of modern day dogs not only have to avoid predators but also other animals that would want to have a shot at the dog’s hunted prey.

Stocking the pantry is a habit of humans. Squirrels work long hours to fill their coffers with acorns and nuts. Ants are acclaimed for being industrious as they make it a point to fill their anthill with food. Dogs too hoard and this is done by burying bones and other foods. In the wild, dogs would not know when the next meal would be. A dog that has been lucky in finding a large prey that cannot be consumed in one sitting would have to hide the food from other animals. The dog will dig up what was buried when food is scarce. The dog will unerringly find the buried prey although it is possible that what will remain are the marrow-rich bones.

Dogs nowadays don’t go hungry. Dogs need not bury bones to survive but they do because it is an instinctive behavior. The ingrained habit makes dogs dig holes to hide their bounty. Bits of food are even seen on the dog’s bed and blanket. Because digging and burying bones and other food is instinctive in dogs, pet owners just have to take in stride the inclination of the pet to rearrange the garden to bury its “treasures”.

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Filed under: Puppy Dog Behavior Problems

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