Why Do Dogs Hide & Bury Things? How to Curb Your Dog’s Digging Behavior

Everything you need to know about why dogs bury bones and how to protect your lawn

• Bone-Burying Instincts
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• Managing Digging & Hiding
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• Do dogs remember where they bury bones?
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• Do all dogs bury bones?
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• Should I let my dog bury bones?
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• Expert Interview
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• Tips
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• Warnings

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You’re getting ready to show off your beautiful garden to some friends when you notice a suspicious, doggy-sized hole in the middle of your petunias with a rawhide bone at the bottom. Is this normal dog behavior, or does your pooch have a grudge against flowers? The urge to bury bones is rooted in survivalistic instincts and is more prominent in some breeds than others (and no, it’s not because your dog has a vendetta against perfectly manicured lawns). In this article, we’ll show you where that instinct comes from and help you curb your pup’s digging habits if your yard is starting to look like a graveyard for chew toys. With a few adjustments to your dog’s meal and playtime routines, saving your yard is a cinch!

Things You Should Know

• Dogs got the instinct to bury bones from their wolf ancestors, who bury food for storage and preservation. Some dogs also just bury things for fun or out of anxiety.
• Curb your dog’s burying habit by limiting how many toys they have at once, supervising meal times, or designating a digging zone for them to enjoy.
• All dogs have the burying instinct, but hunting breeds dig more often. It’s a safe impulse unless your lawn is chemically treated or their paws are injured.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

Bone-Burying Instincts

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   Dogs instinctively bury bones and food to stretch their meal supplies. This practice is called food caching and is very common among domesticated dogs’ ancestors, the wolves. Since wild wolves don’t know when their next meal will be, they eat as much of their prey as they can in one sitting and bury the leftovers in various, faraway spots (“scatter hoarding”).

   • Burying bones and meat for later helps wolves survive winter and other periods when food supplies are low.
   • Even though your dog gets fed regularly and doesn’t have to hoard, the instinct from their wolf ancestors remains (especially if they have excess food or treats).
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   Burying food preserves it longer than if it stayed in the sun. The deeper a dog or wolf buries their food, the longer it lasts. The temperature underground is cooler than at the surface and slows down the decomposition process of meat and carcasses (like a refrigerator). The dirt also blocks the meat from direct sunlight and aerial bugs, which keeps it from going rancid right away.

   • Having stores of food that could last for days or weeks helps wolves eat when they can’t hunt down a fresh meal.
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   Domestic dogs also dig and bury out of anxiety, boredom, or for play. Digging is soothing for most dogs, so they might start pawing at the ground and burying food or toys when they feel anxious or insecure. This might be more pronounced in multi-dog households where dogs feel competitive over resources (especially for small dogs who fear having their meal stolen by a larger companion).

   • Dogs might hide their food or toys in couch cushions or underneath furniture if they don’t have access to actual dirt, too.
   • When a dog buries something of yours like your left shoe or the TV remote, they might just be bored, need attention, or want to play a fun game with you.
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Section 2 of 5:

Managing Digging & Hiding

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   Limit your dog’s access to toys so there’s no surplus to bury and hide. If your dog has a ton of toys, rotate which ones are available so they can only play with 1 or 2 at a time. The need to store leftovers for later is what drives digging, so if they can “guard” their playthings themselves, they won’t be as tempted to start digging.

   • If they have a favorite toy they love to bury, hide it or give it to them under supervision (like giving them a bone in a room where there’s nowhere to hide it).
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   Train your dog to return toys to their proper storage place. Store their toys in a place where they can access them. Play with your dog and the toys often, then teach them a command like “give!” to signal it’s time to put the toys back (give them plenty of praise and a treat whenever they do it right!). If your dog starts hoarding the toys in another spot during playtime, call them over and let them see you move the toys back.

   • If you find missing toys, be consistent and always put them back in their proper storage place.
   • Use positive reinforcement rather than scolding your pooch. If the scolding comes too long after the wrongdoing, they won’t know what they did wrong.
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   Feed your dog on a regular schedule and monitor their meals. Create a feeding routine with consistent meal times to make your dog feel food-secure (they’ll be less tempted to bury if they know their food supply is reliable). Opt for supervised meals rather than leaving a bowl of dry food out for them all day. Try enclosing their feeding area with a baby gate to ensure they don’t smuggle food elsewhere afterward, too.

   • Stay near them while they enjoy chew toys or bones. That way, you can catch them if they try to bury or hide them.
   • Try not to overfeed your dog either. If they have leftover food, they’ll be tempted to hide it and then feel anxious about guarding their cache.
   • For most adult dogs, 2 meals a day with 12 hours in between is a stable, healthy eating schedule.
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   Give your dog lots of entertainment if they’re digging out of boredom. Walk your dog at least twice a day and play with them using active toys, like balls or frisbees, as often as you can. Try keeping interesting toys in the yard to distract them when you’re not around to monitor if they’re digging (and rotate them to keep things interesting, too).

   • Spend 5-10 minutes a day learning commands and tricks or reviewing what you learned in a training class to occupy them.
   • A dog is digging for play if they’re outside without company, playmates, or toys, they need an energy outlet, or they saw you digging or gardening.
   • Try giving your dog a ball or sand pit so they can dig without being destructive.
   • A lack of exercise or entertainment can lead to doggie behavioral problems, like digging and hoarding.
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   Redirect your dog’s attention if they start digging to “hunt.” If your dog picks up a critter’s trail, interrupt them before they start digging and start playing with them as a distraction from the trail they were sniffing out. Try moving indoors and “confusing” their nose with a food-dispensing toy to help them forget about the scents outside.

   • A dog is probably fixated on a creature’s trail if they’re barking or whining and super-focused on the ground. Hounds are especially known for this behavior.
   • Dispose of yard waste and keep your trash bins secure to discourage rodents from entering your yard and tempting your dog.
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   Set up a designated “digging zone” for your dog. If your dog just has to dig, set aside a patch of your yard and train them to use it. Cover the patch with loose soil or sand (or even use a sandbox) to minimize how much of your actual lawn they tear up. Reward them with praise every time they use that spot, and make it more attractive by hiding dog-safe objects or toys for them to discover.

   • If you catch them digging anywhere else, interrupt the behavior with a firm “no dig” command, then immediately take them to the digging zone to carry on.
   • While you train your dog to use the digging zone, temporarily cover other areas with rocks or chicken wire to discourage them from digging there.
   • Try fencing off “no dig” areas, like your garden, to protect them while you get your dog’s digging under control.
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Section 3 of 5:

Do dogs remember where they bury bones?

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   Yes—their instincts help them remember where they stash things. Dogs have strong spatial and associative memory skills that help them track down their buried treasures. Their spatial memory guides them to the exact burial location, and their associative memory helps unlock details about what they were doing or feeling when they buried their bone.

   • Your dog’s strong sense of smell also helps them locate their buried treasure. Some breeds have a sense of smell 100,000 times stronger than ours!

Section 4 of 5:

Do all dogs bury bones?

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   All dog breeds have the instinct, but small game hunters bury more. Terriers, miniature schnauzers, and hounds like dachshunds, beagles and basset hounds tend to dig and bury things more than other breeds. This is probably because of their hunting instincts—they were bred to chase and hunt critters like rabbits and chipmunks, which requires digging and searching.

   • Breeds that dig are more likely to bury things, too. They might as well fill their fresh hole with toys or a treat!
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Section 5 of 5:

Should I let my dog bury bones?

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   It's safe to let your dog bury bones if you don’t mind holes in your lawn. Burying is a natural instinct, and some dogs have a very hard time curbing their impulse to go to town in a patch of fresh dirt. Don’t worry about your dog’s digging or burying habits unless they’re doing it in an area that’s been treated with chemicals, they’re destroying your yard or garden, or they’re digging so much that their paws get raw or injured.

   • When in doubt, take your dog to the vet for a checkup. The vet may diagnose an anxiety or behavioral problem that explains unusual or excessive digging.
   • It’s unlikely there’s a physical problem unless your dog injures themselves while they’re burying something.

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Tips

• If your dog’s digging and burying are completely out of control, contact a dog behavior specialist for intensive training and behavior management techniques.
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• Take your dog to the vet if they normally don’t dig very much, but suddenly start digging and burying things often. It could be a sign of distress or anxiety.
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Warnings

• Offer your dog a rawhide bone instead of an actual animal bone. Real bones can damage your dog’s teeth, splinter and cut their mouth, or even make them choke.
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