burying stuff

[Misty Taylor]

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Hello
Our whippet Misty (nearly 7 months) has suddenly taken to burying stuff in the garden. We've been in the habit of giving her a paddywhack type chew occasionaly which she always enjoyed chewing on the floor, but last week when given one she whined to go out and then spent ages burying it. Since then if offered any such treat if she's not let out she will try and bury it in a plant pot or a cushion so we've stopped giving these. Any ideas? ps so far she hasn't tried to retrieve her buried treasure.
Anne

 

[JudyN]

This is just a guess, but could she be heading for her first season, so wants to build up supplies?

Our Yorkie would do this with bones as big as her head. Then months later, she'd dig one up and drag it indoors, leaving a trail of maggots across the carpet.....

 

[Hemlock]

You are on the right track - just stop giving her buriable items for now. She may grow out of it or she may not. Hard-wired instinct is a strange thing, and making caches of favoured items (not just food) is about as primitive as it can get.

Many humans cache things too.

 

[Misty Taylor]

Hello
Our whippet Misty (nearly 7 months) has suddenly taken to burying stuff in the garden. We've been in the habit of giving her a paddywhack type chew occasionaly which she always enjoyed chewing on the floor, but last week when given one she whined to go out and then spent ages burying it. Since then if offered any such treat if she's not let out she will try and bury it in a plant pot or a cushion so we've stopped giving these. Any ideas? ps so far she hasn't tried to retrieve her buried treasure.
Anne

Thanks for that - I never thought of that but could be.

 

[RGC]

If Mabel is given a heavy duty chew she’ll trot all over the house looking for a place to hide it. We also have a cat (George) and Mabel’s very much into ‘meum et teum’. I find it easier to give her chews that she can eat straightaway. She’s coming up to 5 and was spayed by her previous owners so it’s just down to her possessiveness and jealousy of the cat.