Whenever I give my CKCS a bone he runs off and immediately burys it in the garden. However, he never digs these bones up again.

My question is, should he?

Should he what? Dig them up again or bury them? :D

This is pure instinctive behaviour. Dogs bury 'food' to return to in the 'lean' times or in the case of the domestic dog, when they are bored They won't come to any harm and they all do it.

Molly does the same my BC when I give her a pigs ear she will then go off and bury it but never seems to go back for it? Any suggestions??

Julieann

Back in the good ol' days when dogs did not rely on man to provide their dinner, they would kill to eat. Being a pack animal they usually killed something that was large enough to feed them all. If there was any 'leftovers', the dogs would bury them. Then when food was not plentiful, the pack would return to their stash. It stopped them starving to death.

Your dog although domesticated, still carries the genes that encourage her to 'store' food when she is not hungry

I just wondered if he should be digging them up again. I'm starting to think it's pointless giving him bones if all he's going to do is bury them. He even burys his nylabones.

He has got it bad if he's burying nylabones :D Does he dig for the sheer hell of it tho' or only when he needs to bury something? How old is he? Personally, I would not worry if he digs them up again. Just make sure you worm him regularly.

But that's what I'm saying, he doesn't dig them up again. He just leaves them there. My garden is going to end up a mass of buried bones, nylabones and dental rasks!

But at least it'll be nicely turned over - just right for your next seasons planting - lol

Seriously - very frustrating - but not a lot you can do. They bury through instinct. Don't give him these things when he's outside - stick to balls and frisbees and teach him they are for throwing and chasing and not food. It's the things he associates with food that he'll generally bury - so if you are using the flavoured nylabones - he'll bury them too. Rasks are like a food so that's why they go.

He'll not dig them up coz he doesn't need to. He has all the food he needs so hunger instinct is not triggered.

Just pretend he's a very large but confused mole who's got thigns the wrong way round.

hth

Pam n the boys

BB, this might sound old fashioned but have you tried telling him to desist? Try the word "no" and bring him away from where he is digging. Might take a while, but he should get the message that you disapprove eventually

Yep, I've been telling him this, but does he listen?

I'm about to post a topic regarding the disobedient mutt in a minute, so rather than repeat myself, I'll carry on there.

Have you thought about giving him his own digging place? Like a small version of a childs sand pit - bury some really tasty treats in there, and he can dig there and bury to his hearts content.......

mine bury pigs ears/chews/socks/tea-towels/dishclothes/tail bandages, infact anything!!!!!!

My BC used to bury his dog shapes bono and hard chews until my Lab arrived now he knows if he burys them the lab will get them.

Karen

sam---tail bandages??????

I feel blessed... mine just carry it around in triumph after I've returned home. When I settle at the computer, Chienne settles in the next room to consume her pig ear with much delight :D
:cool: