Despite them being our most preferred pets for thousands of years, we still are unaware of the motives behind some seemingly weird behavioral traits and habits of our canine friends. The tendency to bury their bones is one such trait that dogs exhibit on a frequent basis. We normally get irritated or excited when we find them digging away. However, do we know why dogs do it?
First, this behavior indicates a defensive strategy to protect their foodstuff against possible attackers and looters. Dogs have derived this behavior from their past, i.e. days before their domestication, and they still do it to avoid competition. When they are hungry or have nothing to do, they can always come back to retrieve the buried bones.
Second, we can relate this particular canine behavior to a planned strategy to avoid food wastage. Since humans won’t do it, dogs are intelligent enough to store anything superfluous for future use. When food is scarce, they excavate those storage systems again to retrieve their bones.
Another valid reason includes their need of some fun sport. Such an activity keeps them busy for sure. However, this practice has some health hazards associated with it. While deriving pleasure from their practice of burying bones, dogs involuntarily become susceptible to lead poisoning, which further causes diarrhea, ataxia, depression and blindness as well.
