“Why does my dog cover his food with his blanket?” If you’ve noticed your dog covering his food with his blanket lately, you’re likely curious about what’s going on. It’s an action that can seem odd but actually holds significance in the world of canine behavior.

In this article, we’ll explain why your dog covers his food with his blanket, covering everything from instinct to resource guarding. We’ll also tackle what it means if your dog covers his food and then doesn’t eat it, or even starts growling when you get close.

And, of course, we’ll also teach you how to manage or discourage this behavior, especially if it’s new or causing concerns at home. Keep reading!

Why Does My Dog Cover His Food With His Blanket?

Your dog covers his food with his blanket because of an instinctual behavior known as caching inherited from their ancestors. This action is often linked to their natural drive to protect their resources, hide their food from potential predators, or save it for later.

Why Does My Dog Cover His Food With a Blanket?

Your dog covers his food with a blanket as a form of resource guarding known as caching, a behavior that can be traced back to wild ancestors who needed to hide food to ensure their survival. It might also indicate that your dog feels secure enough in their environment not to eat immediately, choosing to “save” the food for later.

Additionally, this behavior can be a sign of your dog’s natural instinct to keep their eating area clean or to prevent attracting predators or competitors.

Dog Covers Food With Blanket and Not Eating

If your dog covers his food with a blanket and is not eating, it might be due to anxiety, discomfort in their eating environment, or simply not being hungry at the moment. It’s also possible that this behavior indicates a lack of appetite due to health issues.

Keeping an eye on your dog’s eating habits and contacting your veterinarian if anything seems unusual can help determine if there’s an underlying health concern that needs to be addressed.

How to Stop Dog Covering Food With His Blanket

• Ensure a calm and comfortable eating environment for your dog, away from high-traffic areas, to reduce anxiety or the need to guard their food.
• Consider feeding your dog smaller portions more frequently throughout the day to reduce the amount of food they feel the need to cover or save.
• Train the ‘leave it’ command. Start with a treat in your hand and let your dog sniff it, then close your hand around the treat. Say ‘leave it.’ Wait until your dog stops sniffing and nibbling at your hand. As soon as they back away, praise them and give them the treat. Practice regularly, increasing the difficulty gradually by placing the treat on the ground and covering it with your hand.

Understanding and addressing the reasons why your dog covers his food with his blanket requires patience and attention to their needs and comfort. By following these steps, you can help minimize this behavior while ensuring your dog feels secure and satisfied.

It’s important to remember, however, that the underlying behavioral issues (anxiety, resource guarding, etc.) that were causing all of this to begin with will still be present. And until you address those, any positive changes you see will only be temporary.

“Well, how do I make these changes last?”

By getting your dog to truly choose to follow your direction, that’s how. I tried many times to write out how you can do that before deciding it made more sense to just link you to the free video series that explains it better than I’d ever be able to.

The series is by a man named Dan who is one of the world’s leading dog obedience trainers. In it, he teaches you how to put an end to things like your dog covering food with his blanket and all other misbehavior using his fast and easy-to-follow methods.

In the first video, Dan will reveal to you why the two most common methods of dog training only doom you to failure. You can watch the video now by clicking here. Follow the proven system he’ll show you in his series and you’ll never have to spend another second worrying about your dog hiding food in his blanket ever again!

Dog Covering Food With Blanket and Growling

When a dog covers food with a blanket and growls, it is a manifestation of resource guarding. This behavior is rooted in the instinct to protect valuable resources such as food, toys, or even favorite resting spots.

What is Resource Guarding in Dogs?

Resource guarding in dogs is a behavior where a dog becomes defensive over food, toys, or other objects, often leading to growling, snapping, or biting if they feel their resource is threatened. This behavior stems from an instinctual drive to protect valuable resources necessary for survival.

While common, it’s important to address resource guarding to prevent potential aggression and ensure the safety of all household members. Learn how to do that by going back to the first section now.

Dog Covers Food With Blanket All of a Sudden

If your dog covers food with a blanket all of a sudden and displays signs of resource guarding, it could indicate anxiety, a change in their environment or routine, or an underlying health issue affecting their appetite or behavior. Observing when and how this behavior occurs can provide insights into its cause and how best to address it.

Puppy Covers Food With Blanket

When a puppy covers their food with a blanket, it could be mimicking behavior seen in older dogs, or it may be an early sign of resource guarding developing. It’s important to address this behavior early on through positive reinforcement training and socialization to prevent it from becoming a more significant issue as they grow. Learn how in the first section.

In conclusion, while covering food with a blanket and growling can be concerning behaviors stemming from resource guarding, understanding the underlying causes and employing consistent, positive training methods can help manage and reduce these behaviors.

I’m sure you’re ready to get started now that you have all of your questions about your dog hiding his food answered, so I’ll let you get going on things. Best wishes, and thank you for checking out our article “Why Does My Dog Cover His Food With His Blanket? (+What to Do!)”.