Congratulations are in order for the new baby.
However, your dog doesn’t exactly know how to tell you this.
Instead, they do one of the most worrying things…
And it’s trying to bury your baby in blankets.
It makes you think, what’s your doggo’s intention for doing that?
Plus, should they be excused or disciplined?
Continue reading to discover:
- The instincts behind this behavior.
- 5 methods to curb your dog’s burying behavior.
- 7 reasons why your dog tries to bury your baby.
- And many more…
Table of contents
Why does my dog try to bury my baby?
Your dog tries to bury your baby due to an innate behavior called caching. They do it in an attempt to protect. This behavior can also be due to a parental instinct. Sometimes, it can be from resource guarding, encouragement, or lack of training. Other times jealousy is the reason.
7 reasons why your dog tries to bury your baby
#1: Caching
Replay the scenario where you catch your dog burying your baby…
You might have panicked a little, which is okay. It’s an acceptable reaction to what you had just witnessed.
However, do remember this one thing:
Your dog wasn’t acting with the same level of rationality that you have. And that they don’t know the seriousness of what they had just done…
Moreover, Fido can’t foresee the consequences of their actions.
“So why did they do it?”
They’re only acting on their impulse
I’m talking about this natural urge in dogs to bury their valuables.
Note: This only applies to food and other objects like toys. Dogs won’t do this behavior toward their puppies.
Now, dogs in the wild used to practice this behavior. All the time.
Animal behaviorists call it caching.
The instinct is basically dogs being a hoarder.
It’s where dogs save their possessions by burying them on the ground.
By doing so, other scavengers won’t take these valuables away from them.
And did you know? This behavior led dogs to have more than what they could eat from the past.
They always save and save, regardless of how much they actually have.
Now, during these modern times, dogs still practice this.
You might catch your dog burying half of that tasty bone treat. Sometimes, it’s their chew toy that’s buried in the backyard.
And in this case, you caught them burying your baby under the blanket.
All scenarios are done under their instinct of caching.
Moreover, this means that your pooch sees your baby as a possession.
But, don’t take it personally, as that’s just how dogs think.
And no, your dog isn’t burying your baby to save them for later, as if your child’s a treat.
Let’s be clear:
Fido doesn’t see your baby as a snack. So, don’t worry…
Moreover, remember that you should refrain from humanizing your dog. You must do so regardless of how intelligent your fur baby is.
Recognize that dogs will always be driven by their instincts. And they’re bound to do things like this, which will puzzle you at first.
Continue reading: 15 Weird Reasons Why Dogs Hide Their Treats, Toys & Bones
#2: Your dog is protecting your baby
And yet another instinct of your dog is to protect.
It just comes out naturally to them…
That when someone knocks at the door, expect your pooch to be the first on the scene.
Or, when the doorbell rings, your pooch will likely bark. As if the bell’s not enough of an announcement that someone’s outside.
How about when they see another animal approaching? Then they’ll likely turn on their protective mode.
Moreover, that nature gets triggered when they see a foreign, little person, aka your baby.
Then, they notice how much you seem to value this new creature…
With that, your dog knows that you cherish your baby. That might make them decide that they must do so as well…
However, they show it in the oddest and concerning way: burying the baby under the blanket.
What’s this nature, exactly?
Experts from AKC call it a dog’s ‘pack drive.’
It can manifest when your family has a strong bond with your dog.
With that, your fur baby will consider your family their pack. And your dog will do anything to protect you.
So, when a newborn baby comes, Fido sees the importance of this addition to the family…
With that, get ready.
That’s because your baby has a designated bodyguard now.
Want a clue? This personal guard has four legs.
You might also want to know: Why is my dog not protective?
#3: They’re nurturing your baby
In this case, the intention is pure…
However, the execution is questionable…
I’m talking about the fact that your dog tried to bury your baby.
But if you look inside your dog’s loving heart, their only intention was to nurture your child.
The reason for such a feeling is their parental instincts.
Note: This instance is more common if your dog has experienced having puppies.
Sometimes, dogs can view your baby as theirs, too.
With that, they’re driven to take care of your child, as well.
And yet again, they show this intention in a worrying manner.
Regardless, cut your dog some slack next time.
You can make adjustments to prevent this behavior (to be discussed further in the article).
And you can do so without dismissing the chance of a great relationship between your babies.
Moreover, there’s something you should know…
Don’t give up on your dog when it comes to their bond with your child.
Why?
That’s because…
Dogs can help your kid’s development
Aww, kids and dogs…
They do so well together.
Children love their furry best friends so much. No matter the size.
And dogs love children in return. You can catch your pooch being very affectionate towards your baby…
Moreover, this isn’t just a simple mutual relationship. It’s also a highly beneficial one.
Take it from the findings of this research:
Conclusion #1: Interactions contribute to many positive outcomes in your child’s development.
Conclusion #2: It says that kids who grew up with dogs have lower peer problems.
That means that a child who grew up with a dog socializes well.
Your kid would know how to act around their peers appropriately.
Conclusion #3: Children who grew up with dogs are about 40% less likely to develop conduct problems.
With that, you can expect your child to be more well-behaved if they grew up with Fido.
Conclusion #4: Having a dog in the house impacts a child’s social-emotional development.
Conclusion #5: Kids that have a dog sibling engage more in prosocial interactions by 34%.
What does that tell us?
It means that the kid will be more empathic.
Your child will grow up concerned with how others feel. And they’ll be compelled to help anyone as much as possible.
Note: The data collected consists of 1,646 respondents. Overall, the conclusion tells us that kids with dogs are well-behaved and cooperative.
Dogs also make your kids more active
Your canine has exercise needs, and so does your child.
That’s another reason why they’re perfect together.
You can take both your dog and child for walks and playdates. They’re going to be each other’s playmates.
Moreover, let’s discuss another study’s report:
It tells us that dogs increase the physical activity of children.
The data from the study shows that 55% of the subjects walk their dog.
Thus, the activity will contribute to a kid’s exercise.
Moreover, it can also help improve your child’s mobility. That means that they’ll learn how to control their movements even more.
#4: Resource guarding
This is a little different from what I’ve discussed earlier…
Remember caching?
Well, that behavior only aims to save and protect something that a dog values. They also do it for survival purposes…
They perform it so they have something stocked up in case of a famine.
Now, resource guarding is a whole different area…
In this case, your dog still sees your child as a possession.
Here, your pooch becomes possessive of your baby.
Fido’s burying them because they want to protect and keep them as well.
But this time, they’re willing to be aggressive.
AKC also calls it…
Possessive aggression in dogs
It’s common for dogs who hoard to become hostile.
And when it’s come to that point, possessive aggression is the name.
Yep…
It’s your baby. And yet, your pooch is determined to safe keep them…
To the point that they’ll try to bury your baby.
Still, your canine might let you and your husband near your baby…
But other people?
Oh, they gotta get ready for how your dog might react.
Signs that your dog is resource guarding:
#5: It’s bound to happen
In some cases, you could foresee this scenario…
How?
As I said, dogs hoard food and toys.
With that, you might have already dealt with your pooch burying those items.
Maybe once, you’ve stepped on a random chew toy shallowly buried in the yard.
Other times, you might have found a stash of food on your potted plants.
If you have indeed, then this behavior is somehow expected.
“Is there a way to correct this?”
Don’t dwell on it, dog parent. There’s indeed a way to turn this behavior around…
Curb your dog’s caching behavior
Before I proceed, let me say a little disclaimer…
A while ago, I explained that caching is an innate behavior.
That’s a fact. And an instinct is a difficult thing to curb.
But, it’s not an impossible task.
Here are some things you can do to lessen your dog’s caching tendencies:
Method #1: Monitor how much you feed them.
Sometimes, the reason for saving food is because your dog has extra.
You might be feeding them more than they actually need.
Method #2: If they have any leftovers, watch what they’ll do with it.
If they don’t intend to eat it anymore, it’s best that you take it away from their reach.
Method #3: Don’t encourage your dog’s excited behavior over food.
When your pooch is thrilled by that food you’re about to give them…
Wait, stop for a second. Command your canine to sit or stay first.
Only give them their meal once they behave.
This is an effective control method that curbs your dog’s greed.
Method #4: Say that your pooch is hoarding a few of their toys…
With that, you must take these hoarded toys away from them.
Leave 1 or 2 for them to play with.
This is useful because fewer toys mean reduced playtime.
Your canine won’t feel compelled to bury their toys because they only have a few.
Method #5: An established mealtime routine will greatly help as well.
Scheduling your dog’s meals will help them know when to expect food. With that, they’re less likely to be greedy over food.
#6: They need training reinforcement
Unfortunately, you didn’t properly prepare your pooch for the newcomer.
It’s a responsibility you have to face as a parent of both.
With that said, you must train your dog for the anticipation of a newborn baby.
If you don’t, scenarios like trying to bury your baby are bound to happen.
“What preparation should I have done, then?”
The specific one for this is a reinforcement of their basic command training.
I’m talking about strengthening or recalling commands like sit, stay, or leave it.
So, you can ask your partner to do this in expectation of a new baby.
Moreover, I mentioned that this training could also curb caching behavior.
You can use it whenever you catch your dog trying to hoard their valuables.
Now, when the baby arrives, you can practice these reinforced commands.
When your pooch tries to get near the baby, you can tell them to leave it. And because of the recalling sessions done, you can expect Fido to follow.
#7: Jealousy
This reason is the most unlikely. It’s only the explanation behind rare occasions…
However, it’s still possible. So, I add it here, and let me discuss it.
First of all, let’s put it out there:
Dogs get jealous of babies.
This is highly possible if it’s your first baby, and your pooch was first in the equation.
In that case, your canine was so used to the spotlight…
And when the newcomer shows, that attention is shifted away from your pooch.
Note: I said earlier that you must stop humanizing your dog’s actions. Let me clarify that jealousy is the most basic way to describe this emotion in dogs.
According to PetMD, jealousy in dogs is of a competitive nature.
In this case, your pooch is fighting for your attention. They miss being the only baby.
And so, Fido tries to bury the baby to hide them from you.
Other signs of jealousy include:
- House-soiling.
- Sudden aggression.
- Showing you a trick without a command.
- Being more attentive to you or becoming more clingy.
- Walking out every time you bring the baby in the same room as them.
“Then, what can I do?”
Preventing jealousy between your dog and baby
I recognize that it’s hard.
With the new baby, which you should be mainly focusing on…
And then, you’re dealing with a jealous dog who tries to bury your child…
But there’s a way to make both of your babies safe and recognized.
The key to controlling this situation is to make your dog feel included. You can do this while ensuring the utmost safety of your baby.
So, I recommend putting a crate where the family mostly hangs out.
For example, the baby is staying in a nursery. You can put a crate for your canine near the door.
And if your pooch wants to belong at the moment, they can stay in that little den. There, they’ll observe the family and feel part of it.
A baby gate will do as well. That if your pooch wants to watch the moment, they can by staying behind the gate.