Our faithful four-legged friends sometimes surprise the owners with their non-standard behavior. Digging pits, hiding food, bones, toys, eating inedible objects. How to respond to strange tricks of the pet, what to do in a similar situation?
Why do dogs hide food, scientific theory
According to scientific theories, the most common reason explaining the hiring of food, congenital reflexes. It is generally accepted that the ancestors of modern dogs were wild wolves, other representatives of the Psov family. In nature, in order to survive, predatory animals made reserves “for a rainy day. “
Hunting larger animals, the wolf could not eat a whole carcass at once and buried the rest in the ground, hiding food from other predators.
Our smaller brothers do the same. Perhaps the pet just ate and hides the treats in reserve. Thus, the hiring of food, according to scientists, is explained by natural reflexes. Moreover, this behavior is characteristic not only by homeless street animals, but also by home dogs.
The key moments of hiring food is a secluded place and a soft loose land. After the dog makes a cache, he remains near him for a while. Dogs remember for a long time where they hid food. The dog can come to his cache, noticing a competitor, being in a playful mood or when he is very hungry.
Other versions
There are many versions that can explain the hiring by dogs of food in reserve:
- Adult dogs that were taken from the shelter hide and dig food, as they often experienced hunger until they gained loving and attentive owners. The dog has preserved a persistent reflex, so to wean a pet from this habit, it will take a lot of time and patience.
- The smell of food. According to this theory, the food buried in the ground loses its aroma and smell. Thus, the dog makes its “cache” less noticeable and attractive to other animals.
- The presence of other dogs or animals in the house. In this case, hiding food is worried that his tidbit will go to competitors. For example, a cat comes to a puppy bowl and brazenly takes or steals food. In the dog, the instinct of self-preservation is triggered and the resourceful dog makes stocks.
- Psychological problems caused by errors in care, feeding. If the dog does not mean, often experiences hunger, rarely receives his favorite goodies or vice versa, the owner is overfeeding the dog, do not be surprised that the dog will hide food.
- Nervous disorders. Unfortunately, dogs hide food, food, and other objects due to neurological pathologies. This behavior is caused by head injuries, phobias, fears, panic attacks.
Important! The instinct hiring food is caused by the desire of the dog to “protect”, “hide” their treats from prying eyes. As a rule, if the dog received a large bone, a huge meat piece, it is not able to immediately eat it immediately, but while the treat is in the mouth, other animals can grab it.
Another reason why the dogs dig food, bones, other favorite goodies are the sincere desire of the animal to keep the tidbit to be unspoiled as long as possible. The food buried in the ground is less susceptible to decay, it will not dry quickly. Perhaps your doggie burns out and hires exactly the food that is most to taste.
There is another theory. Dogs hide food that they do not like too much. The dog just makes a cache for a rainy day or, which is possible, believes that a bone, another food that has been in the ground will be tastier.
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Is it worth scolding a pet and what is dangerous of hidden food
To scold, punish, and even more so to beat the dog if it hids food. At the same time, you need to understand that food in the ground in any case is subject to decay processes. For months, the dog may not instill its cache, and during this time the food is spoiled and the eaten “treat” will cause intestinal disorder, acute poisoning.
If the dog will do hiding places at home, over time the food will begin to deteriorate. An unpleasant odor will appear, the source of which does not always manage to find at once and this is not to mention that the dog has eaten spoiled, parted by bacteria, moldy mushrooms can be poisoned. Therefore, stock up on, try to delicately eradicate the habit in order to avoid possible serious problems.
What to do if the dog hides food
If the dog constantly hides tidbits, bones, analyze what exactly, when and how often you notice such an addiction from your pet. Any deviations in the behavior of the brothers of our smaller ones have a reason. Perhaps it is worth adjusting the diet, revise the diet of a pet.
If the dog leaves food in a bowl, hides food, reduce portions, increase physical activity. Interesting the dog with active games, toys and then the pet will not have time to instill “treasures”.
If you have several dogs, there are other pets, equip the place of Kirkland dog fooding for each pet. Feed the animals at the same time, but in different places. Do not allow the dog to approach the bowl bowls and vice versa.
Advice! If the dog has the habit of hiring recently, the dog can be weaned. But at the same time it is very important to adhere to the regime, the daily routine.
If, nevertheless, such a behavior of your pet is alarmed, the dog hides food in the house, apartment, on the street, tolerates treats from place to place, shows concern, aggression when you approach the “Caches”, consult with the zoopsychologist, dog handle. The specialist will determine the reason, find effective ways to solve this problem, select methods for adjusting behavior.
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