It’s quite common to see dogs hiding their favorite food or toy under a blanket, cushion, or in an underground hole, a behavior that is not unique to dogs, but is widespread in the animal world. “Its evolutionary past still influences in modern behaviors”, explains Mia Cobb, researcher at the Center for Animal Welfare Sciences at the University of Melbourne (Australia), in an article published in The conversation.
According to Cobb, this behavior in modern dogs “it’s an instinctive rest” which is divided into two categories. The first, called “pantry”is explained by the habit of animals like squirrels, which store nuts in one or two places to enjoy them during the long winter.
The second category is that which Cobb defines as “dispersed accumulation”and which consists of “animals that store smaller reserves of surplus food in different locations, thereby reducing the possibility of losing everything to a competitor or going hungry in times of scarcity.”
In this case, it is a behavior that we observe in nature, particularly in foxes or wolves, and which domestic dogs have inherited as a vestige. “This reflects the the competitive feeding patterns of their ancestors who lived by hunting, for whom obtaining food was unpredictable, but crucial for survival,” suggests this expert.
So, “when we see dogs today taking their toys to quiet places to hide them, sniffing blankets to cover treats or digging a hole for a bone in the garden, they are not consciously concerned about not being fed again,” notes Cobb. In reality, this behavior is “driven by an inherited survival mechanism.”
However, there may be the case of dogs, for example those who were strays, who experienced this at some point in their lives. food shortage or stressand that this habit is more of a “coping mechanism influenced by this experience”.
Likewise, this behavior might also be more common in breeds traditionally selected for hunting, such as the terriers or hunting dogs.
For this reason, Cobb concludes in his article that this gesture of hiding or putting away an object shows in dogs “a normal and natural behavior which evokes its wild past.
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