Have you ever found something – like your dog’s favorite toy or chewy – buried in the bottom of your laundry basket?  How about some dog food buried underneath the cushion in the corner of your couch? You should have seen how surprised I was when I pulled out my wallet only to find a half-eaten bully stick buried in the bottom of my purse! A group of us were at an outside event when we caught my dog strategically using her nose to roll and push her marrow bone under some plastic bags. This is also called “Caching.” It was clear to us she didn’t want to eat it at that moment, but she was definitely making sure nobody else could either! Obviously the 10,000 years of domestication have not been able to breed out all the wild dog’s survival traits.

Personally, I try to cleverly stash my favorite chocolates from my husband all the time. Dogs can have some peculiar behaviors, too. For instance, trying to safeguard things they deem valuable. Remember it’s what the dog deems “valuable”! Our domesticated pups must be following in the footsteps of their ancestors. Wild dogs would dig out an area in the ground to keep their treasures safe. It takes a lot of time and energy to find, catch, and kill food before eating it. They had to keep it safe so there was something for later. For survival reasons burying food disguises the fresh smell of meat. Successful hunters and their immediate family would eat quickly before other predatory animals would catch the kill’s scent and try to steal it.

The clever hunter would save the remaining meat in a manner that reduced spoiling. Without a refrigerator in the wild, the best way to preserve the meat was to bury it. Burying was a way of keeping the bones and carcasses away from the direct sunlight. The smart hunters dug deep cavities in the ground to deposit their game. A culinary plus, the organic content of the earth virtually marinated the meat giving it a satisfying taste for their future meals. Burying the carcass also kept non-burrowing insects away. And, when buried deeply enough the smell of the meat could not be detected by other wild animals! I’d say that’s pretty darn clever! Am I clever for hiding my chocolates? I’d say so!