This Is Why Dogs Bury Bones, and it Makes Perfect Sense

Why in the world do dogs bury bones? You may have wondered to yourself if you’ve ever caught your dog doing this in your backyard. It’s stereotypical behavior that is actually quite common in dogs. But why do they do it? Luckily, there’s an explanation. Read on to learn more.

Why Do Dogs Bury Bones?

Many strange animal behaviors can usually be explained by taking a look at their ancestry. This is exactly what we’ll do here for the dog’s behavior.

Dogs are known to be very protective creatures that love to protect anything that belongs to them or that they deem as valuable. This is where the act of burying things comes in. Your dog can be seen taking his front paws and digging up fresh dirt in your yard, hallowing out a hole. This hole is where he will bury his “treasure”, deep in the ground so that it’s safe. What your dog is doing is protecting what belongs to him from other animals.

In the wild, dogs would hunt for their food, and more often than not, this food was hard to come by. So, logically when they found some, they wanted to protect what was leftover for later consumption. This is where the act of burying bones and other things comes from. Wild dogs were very skilled hunters that would spend a lot of their time hunting down and killing their prey. If what they captured was more than they were able to consume at that moment, they would dig a hole and bury the rest. This acted as a great mechanism for food preservation for them.

This method also helped them out during leaner times, because they could always sniff out and come back to the food that they buried later. In times when food was even more scarce, there was fierce competition between pack members over who would get the food. So in this case, the successful hunter and his immediate family would be the ones that got to eat the kill, and they would eat it quickly before any of the other hunters in the group caught the scent of it. The successful hunter would then go on to bury the rest of their meal in a chosen spot away from the other pack members to keep it safe until he’d return for more.

Simply put, the act of dogs burying their food is an act of survival that was practiced long ago by their ancestors. Back then, if other members of the pack smelled the fresh meat they would all gather around to have a bite, meaning smaller portion sizes for each one, and fewer leftovers for future meals.

This is what led a lot of the hunters to hide their food from the others. But it doesn’t end there. Other members of the pack weren’t the only ones that brought competition for food. There were other wild animals that also wanted their share of the carcass—animals like big cats, hyenas, and jackals would also try to claim their share of the meat. This is why burying their food and hiding the remains became imperative for their survival.

Food Preservation

Wild dogs really took advantage of the times when food was more abundant. After providing food to their immediate family after a kill, they’d carefully store all of the leftovers. The hunter would painstakingly save whatever meat and bones were leftover by burying them underground. This was to save it for later during times when food might be harder to come by again. The manner in which they buried the food also helped to reduce its chances of spoiling. Obviously, there are no refrigerators in the wild that a dog could use. Burying the bones of the animals they killed helped maintain the freshness for much longer.

The reason why is because it was kept out of sunlight, which would have naturally caused the meat to rot quicker and attract much more bugs. The cooler temperature of the earth also played a role in keeping the meat fresher. The deeper the hole was dug, the cooler the temperature. So wild dogs that were smart, would take extra care to make sure the hole they buried was deep enough. When food became scarce again, the dog would return to where he buried his food to reclaim the prize.

Also, if the meat and bones were buried deep enough, it could not be detected by other wild animals that were snooping around looking for free meals. This ensured the hunter would have something to return to when the food became scarce again. An additional bonus of burying the remains was that the organic content of the earth actually acted as a marinade, giving the meat a satisfying flavor (for the dogs at least).

Why Is My Dog Burying His Dog Food?

Kibble is still a treasure to your dog. It still has its instincts ingrained in him from his early ancestors to store the food, even if it’s not bones. With plenty of great commercial dog food brands to choose from today, dogs no longer need to hunt in order to eat. But that doesn’t mean that your dog doesn’t still has his natural instincts. Although a domestic dog knows that his food bowl will be replenished and that he doesn’t need to worry about leaner times, his natural instinct to “bury” the food may still prevail.

Some owners have found that their dog has hidden some of their food or even an extra dog treat in a corner or under a sofa cushion (If you haven’t noticed, you may want to check). Even though this behavior can be annoying for the owner, it is normal behavior for dogs. They might not have any real bones or dig holes in your yard, but it doesn’t mean they won’t still attempt to “bury” their food.

Sometimes they’ll even go as far as to bury things that aren’t food. Remember, a domestic dog will bury things that they deem important to them—this includes its favorite stuffed toy. This is why you may find dog toys buried underneath the clothes in your laundry basket, or why you may sit down in a chair and feel a dog toy hidden under the cushion. Since these things are considered important to them, they try to “bury” them around the house to keep them safe. Although it can be annoying, it’s actually kind of cute when you think about it.

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Can Digging Be Harmful To dogs?

Burying things, both food and non-food items is a natural tendency for dogs. In most cases, it’s not harmful, but constant digging could be an issue.

Some overly compulsive dogs may dig too much until their paws are raw and sore. If you notice your dog is digging frequently or for an extended period of time, check its paws to make sure they’re not injured.

A dog’s paws can also be injured if they dig in an area that has been treated with chemicals like pesticides. If this is the case, seek medical assistance from your vet immediately to prevent further damage. Also keep in mind that even though dogs love to bury bones, pet owners shouldn’t give them to their dogs in the first place. 

Although their wild ancestors may have eaten bones without any issues, domestic dogs will have trouble digesting them and may suffer from intestinal or dental problems if consumed. Stick with kibble or any natural dog food that is safe for your dog to consume regularly, and consider your dog’s need to bury things a part of his innate ancestral instincts.

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How Do I Prevent My Dog From Burying Bones?

There are a few things you can try in order to stop your dog from burying bones. Even though this is a part of his natural instincts, there are some things you can try to help limit the behavior. The first and most effective thing you’ll want to do is to stop giving your dog bones. This might seem like an obvious answer, but the fact is that most bones are not safe for dogs to consume.

Today’s modern dogs have much different digestive capabilities than their ancestors. Wild dogs were used to eating entire animals, which included their bones. Since most dogs today consist on kibble, or dry, prepackaged food, their stomachs are not as strong as they used to be.

If your dog doesn’t have access to bones he will not be able to bury them. If the issue is that your dog is burying things that are not bones, you can try swapping out his toys for things that cannot be easily buried—like puzzle toys. These are interactive toys that require the dog to “solve a puzzle” in order to be rewarded with a treat. These toys cannot be easily buried by your dog, so you should not have that issue.

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If all else fails, try to limit your dog’s amount of unsupervised outdoor time. Keeping your eyes on your dog while it’s outdoors is the next best way to prevent your dog from digging holes. You can stop the behavior if you see it occurring and train the dog so that it knows digging is bad—which may help prevent the action in the future.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © schubbel/Shutterstock.com