7 Authentic reason why do dogs bury bones . There are instinctive, behavioral, and psychological reasons that cause dogs to bury bones and they all could be traced back to their evolutionary history. Although the present pet dog is normally well-nourished, this old practice still exists.
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The reason behind dogs burying bones can be explained in detail here:
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Evolutionary instinct (Survival Behavior)
- Ancestral Origin: The wolves that became domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are descendants of wolves, which used to live in the pack, and had uneven access to food.
- Food Preservation: Wolves would bury food or bones to conceal them to scavengers (such as birds, foxes or other wolves) and to prevent spoilage.
- Safety and Secrecy: Soil assisted to keep the food cool and hidden to increase its life-span and decrease the odour that could attract predators.
- Modern Impact: Although your dog does not need to actively seek out food, the desire to do so is hardwired in their DNA (to cache food).
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Natural Hoarding Behavior
- Resource Guarding: Dogs will bury bones so that they will have a future source of food or entertainment in the event of hard times.
- Competition in a pack: In the wild the stronger members of the pack were first to eat. Junior members buried their portion to escape a fight and to have a good dinner later on.
- Home: Your dog may bury a bone just because it does not want to be left in the open as it is too much of a treasure.
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Play and Entertainment
- Burying as a Game: Digging and burying things may be an enjoyable and enlightening activity. Dogs like to paw, dig and cover something.
- Chewing and Burying Cycle: A dog can chew on a bone, and then bury it when it is exhausted, only to dig it up and chew it again.
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Scent Masking
- Camouflage: Coating food with dirt conceals its smell, and it is difficult to detect by other animals.
- Instinctive accuracy: Dogs are extremely sensitive to smell and can quickly find what they have buried back up later- even when you can not.
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Environmental Triggers
- Excess Food or Treats: A dog may bury the remaining bone to consume at a later time.
- Soft Soil or Blankets: Dogs usually bury in gardens, couches or even under pillows when they can not dig in the soil.
- Stress/Anxiety: Sometimes dogs hide things in Powering; this is a means of controlling their situations.
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Breed Tendencies
Some breeds have been shown to be more likely to bury bones due to their genetic background:
- Terriers and Dachshunds: Terriers and dachshunds are bred to dig out their food, and thus burying it is natural to them.
- Retrievers, Huskies: Will tend to exhibit caching particularly associated with food or prey acquisition.
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Domestic Variations
- Burial indoors: Dogs who cannot reach soil can fake burying objects by scratching on carpets or moving toys about, or by burying objects beneath cushions.
- Owner Influence: When you offer a dog a very high-value reward (such as a rawhide or marrow bone), he or she tends to bury it instead of a typical chew toy.
Key Takeaway
Dogs bury bones because:
- It is a strong survival instinct of their wild parents.
- They desire to store precious resources in the future.
- It has a psychological stimulation and relief.
Although the current dogs do not require concealing food to survive, this prehistoric practice is a very intriguing remedy of the wolves that existed a long time ago.
In case the burying of bones by your dog is causing havoc in the yard, messing up the house or becoming compulsive, you can lessen the habit without punishing them.
The following is a guide, step-by-step:
1.Manage the Environment
- Restrict Excavation locations:
o Watch outdoor play or hedge popular excavating areas.
o Block garden beds with chicken wire, decorative rocks or raised planters.
- Control High-Value Items:
o Give bones/treats when you can watch.
o Eliminate unfinished chews after predetermined time interval to avoid the occurrence of leftovers, which evoke caching.
2.Get enough Physical and mental activity.
- Daily Walks and Play: The dog is exhausted, and differs in seeking additional opportunities to work such as burying.
- Brain Games: Puzzle feeders, sniffing games or training sessions will fulfill the instinctive desire to work towards food.
3.Provide Proper Alternatives in Digging.
- Assign a Dig Pit (to owners of yards):
o Prepare a sandbox or other small piece of soil and put safe toys to discover.
o in that only dig to be rewarded.
- Indoor Substitutes:
o Snuffle mats, treat dispensing toys or a box with crumpled paper can be used to simulate the digging/hiding experience.
4.Use Training & Redirection
- Trade or Recall Commands: Train to leave it, put it down or come when burying begins.
- Positive reinforcement: Reward your dog when he or she calmly chews on a bone in their bed rather than run away hide the bone.
5.Modify Feeding & Treat Routine.
- Right-Sized Portions: Storing instincts can be activated by overeating or feeding a large bone.
- Timed Chews: You can also give high-value chews at the supervised quiet time and then remove them once your dog is no longer interested.
6.Reduce Anxiety Triggers
- Offer a Safe Resting Place: There are dogs who bury since they are insecure about what they owned.
- Regular Schedule: Feeding and playing help to lower the necessity to save.
When to Seek Help
- Obsessive Behavior: When the dog constantly digs, hides or guards them, it could be a sign of anxiety or compulsive disorder.
- Aggression Over Bones: Resource guarding (growling/snapping) should be dealt with by a special trainer or a veterinary psychologist.
Key Takeaway
You may not be able to take out the instinct, but you can make it work:
- Manage and monitor opportunities.
- Provide good alternatives to digging.
- Having a mentally and physically satisfied dog.
Conclusion
Dogs bury bones due to the instinct or hard-wiring that they have acquired as their wild ancestors. What used to be an essential survival strategy, saving food, avoiding odors, and securing resources, now appears in the form of players digging up the garden, or hiding cookies even in a contemporary house where there is plenty of food. You can never get rid of this instinct, but you can control it through high-value objects, providing lots of exercise, and providing safe sources, such as digging pits or puzzle toys. Also, you can maintain a happy and mentally contented dog that keeps your yard and belongings safe by utilizing patience, structure and positive reinforcement.
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