What is a good substitute for dirt to help a dog bury a bone?

[Baitball Blogger]

My dog is whining because she can't find a suitable place to hide her treat. Behind the curtain doesn't seem to work anymore for her, and she doesn't trust the sofa creases because sometimes the treats get stuck. I don't want to encourage her to bury it outside because of the obvious hygiene issues. So, what artificial solution do you all recommend?

[MissB]

1. Blanket

Or a litter box

[malthaussen]

2. Litter box, I'd say.

Although I don't know that the hygiene issues are so obvious, as dogs have been burying bones for some time now, without much detriment.

-- Mal

[Trailrider1951]

3. Cat litter in a suitable box

Get the stuff that is unscented and non-clumping. Recycled newsprint or shredded corn cob litter (made of cellulose) will work better than the clay litter, and be easier on the digestive system should she ingest some.

[DawgHouse]

4. Under pillows and blankets.

[Baitball Blogger]

5. She actually did try to nose the edge of the blanket over the bone.

[DawgHouse]

6. Is it a real bone, like marrow?

My Bella used to get those until she started resource guarding and going ballistic. She'd take it outside and bury it, let it get all ripe and then want to bring it in the house. She didn't understand why we said no.

[Baitball Blogger]

7. Worse. She is taking the expensive ten dollar treats that are rawhide wrapped with

peanut butter. I had to throw one away because she planted it in the same place she pooped. I let her have the second one, which was buried in a place she never soils. I washed it first, of course. But, that was also heartache because she first tried to bring it into the house and, of course, dirt was scattered everywhere.

[trof]

8. Dirt might bother you, but it don't bother dogs.

Dogs don't care about dirt.
I think they like dirt.
They will happily fetch a saliva soaked tennis ball covered in dirt.
They'll hand it over, ready to chase it down again, without so much as a "ptooey".
You'll maybe wipe your hand on the seat of your jeans, but the dog don't care about the dirt.
I think he just swallows it.
Maybe it's got minerals and stuff in it he needs.

[hunter]

9. We have a little pond and fountain in our backyard.

I don't treat the water, it's a natural ecosystem with plants, mosquito eating fish and everything.

The bottom muck, the stuff the plants are rooted in, is black and somewhat stinky.

One of our dogs is crazy about tennis balls. If I give her a "new" tennis ball (actually a flat ball discarded by the tennis teachers) after she's destroyed or lost an old favorite ball, she'll take the new ball over to the pond and smash it about in the muck before she brings it back to me.

She'd much rather play with a stinky gross tennis ball dripping with muck and dog spit than a clean tennis ball.

[trof]

11. There ya go.

[So Far From Heaven]

10. Wood bin for the wood stove works really well.... (nt)

[PufPuf23]

12. Saw dust or wood chips or or wood shavings or sand maybe?

In a large box inside or in a special place outside.

We had a beagle and moved from a cool climate in Oregon to a very hot climate in California (Redding).

She had many hiding places inside because she was spoiled (seat cushions, under her large pillow, soiled laundry basket > discouraged as had a used sock and undergarment fetish<, behind furniture, corners of closets, etc.

Outside half of yard was undeveloped and mowed and weed-eated and the other half was lawn and flower beds and shrubs and trees in a strip along fence. We bought her a blue cheap plastic wading pool for summer. After summer she chewed the pool up and then started a cute thing; she would bury treats and then cap the burial spot with a cap of blue plastic from the destroyed pool. Also the treats hidden inside were just in storage until could be taken outside for burial. All the backyard except the formal lawn had blue caps. The next year we bought her a new pool.

[GOLGO 13]

13. Cocaine...

Well, you want her to be happy, right?