Can someone explain this behaviour please?

[frazzled]

My 10 yr old mini schnauzer does this every day after his dinner, never after his breakfast or any other time. After eating he goes and finds a shoe , doesn’t matter who’s and hides it my bed. If he can’t get into our bedroom he goes and finds another bed to put it in. So every night I get into bed to find at least one shoe buried often more.
Any ideas why he does this, he is so specific with this behaviour ? He has done it since he was a puppy , always at the same time .

 

[cobgoblin]

A present for you. Fair exchange for dinner!

 

[frazzled]

A present for you. Fair exchange for dinner!

That’s what I like to think, but thought I might be anthromorphising.

 

[cobgoblin]

That’s what I like to think, but thought I might be anthromorphising.

Cats definitely leave presents, so why not dogs?

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Mitch always has to bring a gift when I come home, same sort of thing?

 

[Landcruiser]

Primal behaviour? Can't eat the whole carcass so take a leg (foot ) away and hide it it for later. Same with cats and "presents" being brought into the house. Think "Leopard dragging impala up into a safe place (tree) away from hyenas."

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Can you remember what your reaction was, the first time you found a shoe in your bed? Did the pup witness your reaction? If you laughed or otherwise reacted favourably and the dog saw that, there is your answer; he is recreating a scenario that he enjoyed.
We unwittingly (and we should have known better, these were far from our first dogs) taught the Rotters to ' mop-surf' by laughing when they did it when they were tiny. All their lives, they wanted to get involved in mopping, sweeping, even digging, because we didn't stop them that first time.

 

[skinnydipper]

My 10 yr old mini schnauzer does this every day after his dinner, never after his breakfast or any other time. After eating he goes and finds a shoe , doesn’t matter who’s and hides it my bed. If he can’t get into our bedroom he goes and finds another bed to put it in. So every night I get into bed to find at least one shoe buried often more.
Any ideas why he does this, he is so specific with this behaviour ? He has done it since he was a puppy , always at the same time .

Did you laugh at him when he first did it? If so, you could have unintentionally reinforced the behaviour.