Why are dogs burying bones

Burying bones, like barking and chewing is a common behavior of dogs. In movies, in cartoons and in children’s books dogs are always depicted as bone-burying animals. Dog owners would know about the dog’s puzzling habit.

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”. Once found, the dog would frantically dig – carefully lay the bone on the hole and then cover it with dirt and soil. Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years but are dog owners aware of the reasons why the pets bury bones Do dogs know why they are burying 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 almost all of the behaviors and habits of modern day dogs are deeply rooted from their past. Dogs bury bones to survive thus this habit is as old as the dog’s existence. 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.

We humans make sure that the pantry is fully stocked. Squirrels work long hours to fill their coffers with acorns and nuts. Even ants fill their anthills with food in preparation for the rainy days. Dogs too hoard and this is done by burying bones and other foods. In the wild, food is hard to come by. 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 buried food will be unearthed when food is scarce. The buried prey may already have rotted but the bones rich with nutritious marrow will remain to fill the hungry stomach of the dogs.

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. A dog may not dig holes but food will be hidden on its crate or on its bed. Dog owners would just have to accept the fact that the dog may destroy the garden once in a while to bury its treasured bones.