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View Full Version : Please help! I don't know what to do :(

cynnie27
02-03-07, 04:42 PM 02-03-07
Hello,

I have a cocker spaniel who is 1 years old.. Ever since he was a pup he would try to bury his food whenever it was time to eat.. I would hear his nose scratch against the wood floor over and over .. I asked the vet about it and she said "some dogs just have different habits".. Well a year later it still hasn;t stopped... It's so bizarre and now his nose has actually gotten scratched at the top.. Like it's worn down... I don't know how to stop him.. I try to be there every time he eats but sometimes I can't be there to stop him! Does ANYBODY else have a dog with this bizarre and eventually harmful habit??:(
Iridal
02-03-07, 05:44 PM 02-03-07
Hmmm that is odd. You could try those Kong toys that dispense treats, and fill it with his food. Maybe he'll be having so much fun getting his food out of the toy that he won't bury it?

Otherwise, I'd say be sure to watch him while he eats. You may not always be there, but somebody has to get him his food. So whomever feeds him should watch him. My cocker spaniel takes no time to eat LOL, so it can't be that much of an inconvenience. Maybe rotate the chore among your family? :)
Tazwell
02-04-07, 11:39 AM 02-04-07
What he's doing is burying his excess food. He doesn't eat it all, so by instinct, he wants to bury the rest so no one else gets it, and save it for later. If he eats some first, then tries to bury it, just don't feed him as much.
That's just my guess on how to solve it, I've never had a problem with my dogs burying their food :p
Chaos
02-04-07, 11:46 AM 02-04-07
What he's doing is burying his excess food. He doesn't eat it all, so by instinct, he wants to bury the rest so no one else gets it, and save it for later. If he eats some first, then tries to bury it, just don't feed him as much.
That's just my guess on how to solve it, I've never had a problem with my dogs burying their food :p

If that's the case that he doesn't finish all his food, then start picking it up when he starts trying to "bury" it. A dog won't starve itself, he'll learn to eat it all or he doesn't get it. If he's eating it all, there won't be anything left to bury.