Burying treats

[ArklePig]

My dog is a weirdo.

She has a pigs ear, that she's had for a while. When I gave it to her she was so delighted and immediately buried it. Every couple of days or something she will go and unearth it, and then she'll do a little victory lap with the tail going 90 and then she'll bury it again. If it means that much to her you'd think she'd have a nibble?

I'm wondering why she doesn't eat it. When I Google all I can see is dogs, who like normal dogs, chew on something and then bury it for later.

Places she has hid the pigs ear: garden bushes, in her crate, in her upstairs bed, in her downstairs bed, in my pillowcase, behind a curtain, in the bin

Any ideas why she does this? It's adorable and gives her great fun but I'm just interested as to why she can't bring herself to eat it. She will happily eat other Chews and then leave them without burying them and come back to them later. Is she just strange?

 

[Unicorn]

Mine does something very similar. A certain treat will occasionally become special and get hidden or buried. Sometimes just a couple of times before it can be eaten, sometimes a few days.
The six month old pigs ear she dug up was grim

 

[Prancerpoos]

Mine often used to do this with treats and bones. As per @Unicorn they would also dig them up many months later and proudly deposit the stinky muddy things on my lap.

 

[ArklePig]

Yes I did give it a quick rinse the other day it was muddy

I'm in awe of her control though and the fact she doesn't just eat it if it means that much to her

 

[meleeka]

Mine does this with most things. She currently has a Bonio that gets dug up every so often. She used to belong to travellers and had no idea what a treat was. My other dog taught her, but she still won’t eat most treats.

My JRT used to bury anything large that she couldn’t eat all at once. I remember doing the laundry once after camping and didn’t see a cooked sausage until it has already gone through a 40 degree wash. I do remember my dad giving it to her but thought she’d eaten it

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Daycare Dog does this at home. When she is here she eats treats/chews with all the others but hoards some of them at home. One weekend she stayed with us and made a great fuss wanting to go home on the 2nd evening. We didn't take her but apparently the first thing she did when she got home was run jnto the garden and dig up a pugs ear!

 

[Escapade]

I really hope any treasures my old golden hid are long gone Current dog I don't think has ever shown interest in digging, but she will hide the odd thing in the duvet in her bed.
If only I knew where to get another of her

 

[ArklePig]

Daycare Dog does this at home. When she is here she eats treats/chews with all the others but hoards some of them at home. One weekend she stayed with us and made a great fuss wanting to go home on the 2nd evening. We didn't take her but apparently the first thing she did when she got home was run jnto the garden and dig up a pugs ear!

What is it about pigs ears I wonder? It's the only treat she does it with. Everything else she will either get stuck into, or have a bit of a chew and leave it for later. Luckily she doesn't dig up the garden she more hides it to be fair but I wish I could tell her it's okay to eat it I'll buy you another!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

DD was getting very cross when she thought that a squirrel was planning to dig up her treasure!

 

[Chucho]

Gave our 11-month old pup a rib bone for the first time at the weekend. After an initial chew, she was more interested in hiding it than eating it, spent ages finding a spot, burying it using her snout and then digging it up and looking for somewhere else to go. I've not had one do this before and so it's nice to know we're not alone!

 

[SusieT]

Nature! Something inside says ' careful better bury that for later!'

 

[JJS]

The Lab is strong in my two. There’s no such thing as saving something for later in Labradorland

 

[AmyMay]

Gave our 11-month old pup a rib bone for the first time at the weekend. After an initial chew, she was more interested in hiding it than eating it, spent ages finding a spot, burying it using her snout and then digging it up and looking for somewhere else to go. I've not had one do this before and so it's nice to know we're not alone!

Daisy would always do that with a bone. Now she’s no longer allowed them she does it with my socks instead.

 

[sbloom]

The Dane likes to bury his pigs ears, we would far prefer he didn't, even after 3 days (his time period of choice it seems) they're not nice. He can hide the whole thing in his chops so can be very sneaky about it.

 

[Widgeon]

Our terrier does this too. He carries it around the house crying and trying to shove it into a variety of totally unsuitable hiding places. It's a bit baffling but funny. Pigs' ears are his favourite too.

 

[ArklePig]

She must have read this thread because she's just eaten the whole thing and hadn't so much as given if a lick before! I'm shocked

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

The Lab is strong in my two. There’s no such thing as saving something for later in Labradorland

DD is in fact a Labrador! She will 'bury' treats in the house too, behind cushions, in her owner's bed, in the basket of clean laundry

 

[Auslander]

Bruno likes to bury treats. He can;t work out why I always know what he's done

 

[Auslander]

I've only just noticed the earthworm stuck in his nose mud!

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

My lab also does this with pigs ears! Only pig ears too!

 

[Splash2310]

Our spaniel does this with tracheas and occasionally pigs ears! Weirdly it’s with the bigger treats, smaller things like duck feet he does eat.

Sometimes I’m a bad person and if he’s being annoying I’ll give him one to keep him busy looking for hiding places for half an hour….

 

[Moobli]

My GSD bitch does this but will eventually decide to eat it. Usually when it’s gone totally grotty

 

[Marnie]

Bunny does this. One day there were 3 carrots on my outside table that a neighbour had left for the ponies. Bunny jumped up and took one and buried it under a bush, came back for the second one and buried it somewhere else and then came back for the last one and buried it in yet another place. There are treats, socks and toys buried all around my garden

 

[ArklePig]

Yesterday Fodhla was on one so I gave her a new pigs ear and true enough she spent 15 minutes finding the perfect spot and then went to sleep. So aside from it being cute it's working to my advantage. I wonder how long it'll take her to eat this one

 

[pinkfluffy]

Old GSD only ever had one bone (can't remember what), she thanked my dad for it (carried it around whistling, ears back, tail doing circles) then took it off and we never saw it again. Forgot about it then a week or so later (when my dad was out) she dug it up and left it in the yard till it was thrown in the bin. I think she was being polite.

 

[Unicorn]

We had a bbq at the weekend. Ellie got given a sausage and had a lovely time burying it, digging it up, nibbling a bit off, reburying it etc... until it was all gone

 

[Auslander]

I am livid (and amused!)
I've just spotted the dog trotting off down the garden with a cheese and ham toastie in his mouth. He then spent a happy 10 minutes digging it a grave and burying it.

 

[hoofprints1994]

Mine does this too - I guess it's just an instinct and stronger in some dogs than others! Mine will bury a lot of different high value things including many of my socks. Once grabbed an entire Yorkshire pudding at a dinner party which had fallen on the floor and buried it in the garden. Not sure if he ever realised the two daschunds also at the party soon dug it back up and ate it.

My favourite is when he randomly chooses a spot in the corner of the room and goes through this elaborate display of pretending to bury it, literally shoving imaginary piles of dirt over it with his nose and then walks away looking pleased with himself, leaving the chew in full display on the carpet. Not sure what is going through his head with that, but I find it quite cute