Why Do Dogs Bury Their Food? Vet-Verified Reasons & What to Do
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View 1 More +Have you ever seen your dog try to bury their food? Maybe they take a treat and run to the backyard or drag a food bowl over to somewhere where they can dig. This behavior might be baffling on the surface, but it is quite common. Food burying is a behavior inherited from your dog’s wild ancestors, who had to guard and store every meal from their potential competitors. Today, your dog might not need to bury food, but they could still be responding to the same instinctive impulses.
The 2 Reasons Why Dogs Bury Their Food
1. Instinctive Burying
For many dogs, burying food that they treasure isn’t a sign of a problem. It might even be a source of satisfaction. For them, burying is pure instinct. In the wild, wolves and other wild canids often bury excess food so it is less likely to be taken by competitors. Burying food can also slow spoilage, because the ground helps regulate temperature, especially in cooler environments. Digging holes activates some of the same parts of the brain for modern dogs, so they might still want to bury leftovers. This is generally harmless behavior, but it can be annoying.
2. Anxiety and Hoarding Behaviors
On the other hand, some dogs may start burying food because of anxiety or stress. Just like their wild ancestors buried food to keep it safe until the next meal, your dog might not feel secure and want a backup cache of food. This is more commonly observed in dogs who have been abused or neglected in the past, though it is not limited to those dogs. It can also be a response to introducing a new pet to the home. You should start being concerned about burying food when it is accompanied by resource guarding aggression or other problematic behaviors around food.
How Should I Respond to My Dog Burying Food?
There are a few different approaches to stopping your dog from burying food. If your dog seems to be burying leftovers by instinct, you might be feeding them too much. Feeding them appropriate portions, or exercising right before feeding will sometimes help curb the behavior, along with some behavior training. Consider giving your dog toys or chews to bury instead.
If your dog is hoarding food because of stress, that approach won’t work. Reducing meal sizes will likely worsen your dog’s anxiety. Instead, work to overcome anxiety about food by improving food security, establishing predictable feeding routines, and reducing stressors. Working with a trainer can help.
No matter the cause, you can change your environment to make burying harder. Feed your dog where they don’t have access to soft dirt. You can also switch to a heavier bowl if your dog likes to drag their food bowl around.
Conclusion
Food burying isn’t always a cause for concern, but it can be frustrating. The good news is that it is often a manageable issue. Training and environmental changes can help your dog get the nutrition they need without needing to bury food. And even though the behavior seems strange, it is pretty understandable; after all, we all feel more comfortable when we have resources on hand for a rainy day.
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Featured Image Credit: freestocks-photos, Pixabay
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Chelsea Flake Mortensen is a writer with a passion for pets . She grew up around everything from cats to chameleons and loves working with all kinds of animals. Chelsea has a BA in English and Creative Writing from Brigham Young University.
Chelsea loves reading, writing, sewing, and board games. She's lived in half a dozen US states and two countries. She is currently living in New England with her husband. Her articles have been featured in various magazines and literary journals for children and adults. Her writing has been translated into over 40 languages.
