Why Dog Pretends To Bury Food With Nose?

Dogs are loveable, quirky creatures. That leads to several behaviors that, although they make perfect sense to your dog, can seem bizarre to dog owners.

Few things are as strange as dogs that pretend to bury their food with their nose. Especially because usually, the dog burying their food has no recourse to anything like dirt. But, as is so often the case in nature, there’s a method in that canine madness.

why dog pretends to bury food with nose — Why dog pretends to bury food with nose?

Here are some reasons why dogs pretend to bury food with their noses.

Why Dogs Pretend To Bury Food With Their Noses?

There are many reasons why dogs pretend to bury their food with their noses. These are the most common explanations.

Your Dog Wants To Save Their Dinner

Before becoming domesticated, dogs survived for years in the wild. Most of the dogs you meet today wouldn’t last five minutes alone in a ravine. But old habits die hard, and one of the oldest is burying food.

A Siberian Husky dig and sniff on the ground beside the fence.

Back when dogs moved in packs and caught and killed their dinner, they buried their food. The reasons for this were twofold; It kept the food from spoiling, and it stopped other animals from eating their dinner.

Today’s dogs don’t always appreciate that there is no risk to their food. You might notice this behavior if:

You live in a multi-pet household.
Your dog likes to graze on food.
Your dog was rescued in poor/near-starving condition.
You have recently started your dog on a diet.

This last point is an interesting one. Your vet might prescribe smaller portions to help your dog lose weight, but they see that as a sudden scarcity of food. So, they naturally tap into dormant hunting instincts and ‘bury’ what food they do have.

Fussy Eaters

Like people, some dogs can be snobbish about their food. They only want a certain brand or a specific flavor.

Corgi looks at the food — The Corgi looks curious to a new dog food.

If you notice your dog buries their food with their nose but never eats it, this might be the cause.

Ideally, you want to rotate the types of food your dog eats regularly. It reduces the chances of developing allergies to individual proteins, and it stops your dog from becoming fussy about what they eat.

That said, you should never switch to a new food suddenly. The best way to transition your dog onto a new food is to mix it with their current food. Each day you can add incrementally more new food and a bit more of the old favorite until you only feed your dog the new brand.

As you do this, you may notice your dog continues pretending to bury their food with their nose. That’s a common reaction from dogs expecting to find something in their dish that isn’t there.

They Aren’t Hungry

Some dogs never met a meal they couldn’t eat. Our Dachshund, for instance, is highly food motivated and would eat all day, every day if allowed.

It’s also true that few things look as poignant as a pair of wide, canine eyes. More than one person throughout history has capitulated to the infamous puppy dog eyes and fed their dog table scraps.

While that delights your dog, it also spoils their appetite. If that propensity to feed Fido human food sounds familiar, the reason why your dog buries their food with their nose may be that they aren’t hungry.

They’ve had some lovely meals, and there’s no room in their stomach after a generous portion of chicken, liver pate, or the treat of the hour.

Hard though it is, you must resist feeding your dog these treats.

Then, feed your dog their standard kibble and watch to see if they still pretend bury their food with their nose. A hungry dog is typically too preoccupied with eating to bother.

Some Dogs Play With Their Food

Yet another reason why some dogs pretend to bury their food with their nose is that they want to play.

A Labrador eating a smoked dog bone — A Labrador sniffs a smoked dog bone

This behavior is particularly common in dogs who enjoy puzzle toys. While they offer excellent environmental enrichment, puzzle toys also teach dogs that burying or hiding their food can be a game.

A dog that starts pretending to bury their food may be bored. Other signs of a bored or under-stimulated dog include:

Destructive chewing/gnawing tendencies
Inappropriate elimination
Excessive barking

Puzzle toys make an excellent way to entertain bored dogs, but they aren’t the only way to do that. Long walks and thorough play, whether independent or with you are equally effective ways of curbing the most ebullient dog’s more playful impulses.

Crucially, when dogs have an appropriate outlet for their playfulness, they are less likely to resort to creating their own entertainment by playing with their food.

Attention-Seeking Behavior

You often see this in dogs suffering from separation anxiety. That’s especially common if your pet recently lost someone close, like another pet or favorite human.

black Labrador looks at the owner — The black Labrador pose for a photoshoot!

However, the need for attention may have nothing to do with your dog’s emotional health and more to do with their pedigree. Some dogs are naturally more clingy than others. Breeds that act up for attention include:

Labrador Retrievers
Pugs
Border Collies
Greyhounds

Nausea

Many things can induce canine nausea, and these range from ingesting garbage or other dogs’ stool to cancer.

Chihuahua open mouth — Chihuahua mouth wide opened.

Without observing other symptoms, it’s impossible to diagnose the cause of your dog’s nausea from home.

What’s important is that they won’t feel like eating. If weight is a concern, try tempting them with bone broth or cooked but unflavoured chicken.

Also, note that most causes of nausea are benign and resolve within 24 hours. If they don’t, you should ring the vet.

When To Worry About Your Dog Pretending To Bury Food With Their Nose?

While dogs burying their food with their nose is odd, it shouldn’t cause concern. However, there are some exceptions.

Resource Guarding

The most notable is in cases of resource guarding.

dog eats bell pepper — Dog bites a bell pepper.

Resource guarding is a phenomenon common in but not exclusive to rescue dogs with anxiety. Dogs that resource guard regularly steals and hides:

Food
Toys
Blankets

It can be charming but quickly becomes problematic if the guarding develops aggressive components. An anxious dog that resource guards may snap, snarl or bite at you or other dogs that try to reclaim the object they see themselves as protecting.

When you notice resource guarding, always intervene. You want to curb the behavior not only before it becomes aggressive but before it becomes a habit.

With toys and blankets, the best way to do this is by removing the object from the environment. Food guarding can be trickier, but one way to control it is to use bowls with microchips and timers.

Long Term Illness

The other occasion when a dog pretending to bury food with their nose causes concern is when it points to a long-term condition like:

Diabetes
Heart disease
Cancer

Westie lies on the ground and looks sad.

Usually, when a dog has one of these conditions, they display other symptoms, too. Look for signs like:

Sudden anorexia
Muscle weakening/wasting
Discoordination
Reluctance to move

If the symptoms persist for more than 24 hours, consult a vet.

Final Thoughts

So, why do dogs pretend to bury their food with their nose? There are many reasons for this funny canine behavior.

Your dog might want to save their meal for later, or it might be playing with its food.

Whatever the reason, there’s seldom anything to worry about. That said, watch out for signs of resource guarding and report any unusual behavior to your vet. You know your dog best, and if they don’t seem themselves, a reputable vet will agree it’s worth investigating.