It's a common behavior in many species of birds and mammals, including in the canine ancestors of domestic dogs — gray wolves — which is where dogs inherited their burying instincts. .
So, when dogs exhibit this seemingly unusual behavior in your backyard, rest assured — they're simply following their instinctual "inner wolf.".
Most dogs today don't need to store food because they have doting pet parents to feed them, but that doesn't mean their natural urge to squirrel things away for later doesn't still exist.Sometimes, the instinct to bury things has nothing to do with storing food or protecting it from scavengers.
"Dogs specifically bred to hunt or chase critters into their dens often like to bury toys, bones and treats," Anderson said?
Besides bones, what types of things do dogs like to bury.Anderson told Live Science it runs the gamut.