LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

From LoveToKnow Dogs

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Hi Dave,

Havanese are adorable aren't they. I guess yours is just carrying out that natural instinct in the easiest way available to her. I wonder if she'll ever finally eat it, lol. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My Havanese loves to bury her treats in the couch. I'll take the treat out when cleaning up and within minutes shes finding the perfect crevasse to hide it again!

-- Contributed by: Dave

Hi Jake, great question.

Yes, dogs will sometimes go back and dig up those bones, as long as they haven't forgotten where they buried them. I guess it depends on how strong of a scent the bone is giving off. I imagine natural bones are easier to find than synthetic ones. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Do dogs ever unconver there old bones?

-- Contributed by: jake

Hi Gary,

I haven't seen this personally because my dogs receive their treats inside our home, but I can see how that would be very possible. After all, the dog feels it is defending it's property, and protecting possession of a food source is very primal instinct. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Has anyone witnessed a dog viciously protecting buried treasure?

-- Contributed by: Gary

Hi Georgina,

Very interesting. It seems that perhaps the material of the treat itself was enough to trigger your dog's instinct to bury it. Try giving him one of his usual bones and see if he decides to bury one of those. If he doesn't, then it must be due to something about the rawhide. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Our german shep cross will be turning 7 next week and today for the first time ever, he dug a hole in our back yard & buried a rawhide bone. We do not usually give our dog rawhide as in the past he has never taken interest in them and we also understood rawhide to be not suitable for the german shep digestive system. My husband came home yesterday with this treat & 'Rocky' never payed any interest to it at first. I later found it at the side of our driveway, partly covered with dirt so I brought it in and washed it off to try him with it again this morning. Rocky held it in his mouth and walked the perimeter of our yard before digging in an unused section of dirt next to our rose bushes. He dropped the huge rawhide in the hole and used his snout to cover the hole thing up! His black nose has a red abrasion from doing so! Can you help us understand, after all these years, why he would feel compelled to do this? We usually give him rib bones or a large beef bone from our meals and occassionally give him some retail treat "ccokies". Can't see how he may feel a 'ration' coming on as nothing has really changed in his diet. Thanks for your time, Georgina

-- Contributed by: Georgina

Hi Bill,

There is some risk in your dog eating what he has previously buried. Worms and worm ova are often deposited in the soil, and your dog can consume them and wind up with an infestation. The mold spores that cause Canine Valley Fever are also found in soil in certain parts of the USA, mainly in the desert southwest. For these reasons, I'd advise only feeding treats inside of the house to prevent your pet from buring them outside.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Our dog burries raw hides and biscuits. Later he digs them up and brings them back in to chew on or eat. I can't imagine eating a dog biscuit that has been burried for a week or four in dirt can be too healthy for him. Is there any danger in this, we often clean his rawhides, but he usually eats the dug up biscuits faster than we can catch him.

-- Contributed by: Bill

Hi Samantha,

Some dogs will go back for their buried treasures, especially dogs that have stronger scenting senses. However, a lot of dogs bury items and never seem to remember where they put them. Out of sight, out of mind. I suggest offering the dental bones while your puppy is inside of the house. At least that way all she can do is hide them in the cushions and under things, and this will make them easier to retrieve and reuse.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

i buy my puppy special dental bones to keep her teeth healthy, but she always buries them straight away.

after reading why they do this. I'm left with the question, do modern day dogs still dig it back up to eat, even though they have food delivered to them regularly

-- Contributed by: samantha

Hi Megan,

This behavior may well be tied to a fear of having her food stolen. Perhaps your family can try feeding Reba in her crate so she will eat and not bury the food first. It may take a little time for her to adjust, but the crate may provide the security she needs to eat a meal in peace.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

our dog Reba is a cow dog mixed with a beagle. she diggs huge tunnles under the ground and all that weird stuff that doggies do that we have sooo many questions about. But one thing i dont understand is everytime one of us try to feed her she buries her food. We thought MAYBE she didnt like the kinds of foods we were buying her BUT just the other day my dad and mom went and got her wet dog food and i tried to feed her both of them to see what she would do and she did the same as always... we dont understand? my mom said that when my dad went to get Reba when she was a puppy, that all of Rebas brothers and sisters would steel her food. We thought that could be the reasons for what she's doing?

    Do you have any idea what's going on with our Reba dog?

-- Contributed by: megan

I found a dead cat under my deck buried under a pile of dirt. It appears it tried to escape and coudn't get under the deck as the clearance was very narrow. I was wondering if maybe it was killed by a dog and covered for a later time.

Hi James,

It's a possibility, although a dog would have a very difficult time digging under such a low deck. How long do you think the cat had been there? If you only found skeletal remains, could someone have buried a family pet years ago before the deck was built? That's my best guess.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: james king

It costs sooooo much money i cant take it anymore! but i love my puppy :)

-- Contributed by: ???

The bigger and better the bone, the harder my dog tries to bury!! He tried with all his might to bury the humongous bone into our carpet, only 15 minutes later, his nose was rubbed RAW but he was STILL TRYING!!!!

-- Contributed by: Roxy's mom

That's just one of the reasons we love them!

-- Contributed by: Kelly

This is too cute. My dogs always buries their food and bones. I could never understand why, now I do. It's amazing how smart dogs are.

-- Contributed by: Amber
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