Not coping in vet hospital??

[Carolina]

Hi all,
I've been working as a vet nurse for about 12years now. My question to you all is:
Has anyone seen when dogs start to 'bury' their food and or water bowl when it is presented to them when in a cage when being hospitalised in a vet hospital? I've witnessed dogs, mostly but not always small breeds, do this. They will use their nose to nudge the newspaper, any bedding to try to 'cover up' the bowl. The food can be kibble or more palatable food like chicken meat, their own food from home etc. The breeds, age, ailments are all very different. When their food is given to them out of the cage, most are quite happy to eat it then.
Is this what professionals call ' Displacement behaviour'? If so, what is it? Why do they do it? How can it be minimised? Is it anxiety-based?

[Mary]

one possible reason is dogs have a very strong sense of smell and perhaps at that moment they are covering it up because they don' t feel like having it, so they also don't want to smell it.

another reason could be that when dogs don't feel comfortable or secure or safe, they won't eat their food. it's possible that these dogs don't feel safe or secure inside the cage which explains why they only eat the food once outside the cage when they feel less threatened.

here are some links i found that might help.

WikiAnswers - Why do dogs cover their food and water bowls with clothes

The Food-Covering Canine

[agentaj]

Most dogs will bury there food when they believe it will be a long time between meals. They do not know when their next meal will be. Anxiety most likely is not the case here, I would suggest you try giving your dog something to do. If it is allowed in the hospital, use a chew toy stuffed with some soft dog food. Your dog will probably relax more and eat his food. If you make it interesting, your dog will be OK.