Question

Why do dogs bury bones?

Answer 1

Mot of the behaviors the dogs display today are rooted in their past. Food was so hard to come by in the wild. When a dog gets lucky enough to find a bone or other type of food in the wild, it had to compete with so many other dogs to keep its bounty. Not only other dogs, but jackals, hyenas and wild cats were in competition with the dog to taste a piece of the carcass. In order to avoid all this competition, the dog learned a trick, which is to bury the food and come back to it later. Hoarding is not only unique to canines. Leopards drag their carcass high up the trees so that they can enjoy it leisurely. This natural instinct surfaces in some of the modern day canines. This is why dogs bury bones.


References

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Why_Do_Dogs_Bury_Bones

http://www.pedigree.com/all-things-dog/article-library/why-does-my-dog-hide-his-bones.aspx

Answer 2

 

Dogs bury bones and other items because of ancestral instinct. [1]

 

The ancestors of domestic dogs would hunt in packs. If the hunt was successful, they would usually have leftover food. To keep that food longer and keep it safe from other animals, they buried it in the ground. [2] If their hunt was unsuccessful, they would bury what they had to keep other animals from smelling it and taking it.

 

No matter how successful the hunt was, the pack would later return to where the food was buried when they were hungry. The spots in the ground where they buried the food were considered their safe spaces. This instinct is why domestic dogs bury bones and other items in certain spots, or "safe spaces," whether in the ground or in the home.

 

The ground also acts like natural refrigeration. Animal carcasses and bones in the ground keep longer because the dirt keeps out sunlight, and it also masks the smell so that other animals cannot find and take them.

 

The process of burying food in the ground is known as food hoarding. [3] Dogs are not the only animals that perform this process. Species like squirrels, leopards, and beavers also hoard their food in the ground.

 

References: 

 

[1] https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/digging/why-dogs-bury-things

 

[2] http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/why-does-my-dog-bury-objects

 

[3] http://www.pedigree.com/all-things-dog/article-library/why-does-my-dog-hide-his-bones.aspx