Callie loves her crate. She is often fed in it, but not always. She is free to come and go, most of the time. Often she walks into her crate to retrieve a toy, or to lie down and take a nap.
Once in a while, she goes into a corner of the crate and scratches at the floor, as if she’s trying to dig a hole. I’ve never been able to figure out why she does this.
One theory was that she was preparing a place to lie down, as if she was creating a small indentation in some leaves, or in the dirt — much as deer, buffalo, and other animals do. But she doesn’t usually lie down where she has scratched.
The other day, I thought I had it figured out. She had sloshed some water in a corner of her crate, and she was obviously using her paws to dry out the floor. She pawed at it until it was dry.
But this morning she did the scratching thing again, and this time there was no water. So I’m still puzzled. Does she just have a digging instinct? She doesn’t dig in the yard, but maybe we’ve made it clear that’s not acceptable doggie behavior.
Anybody got any bright ideas? Why is Callie doing this?
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