Why Is My Dog Obsessed With Shoving Things Under the Couch?

My dog, Charlie, is a simple boy with simple needs. This is not to say that he’s not intelligent. As a deaf dog, he’s very tuned into his other senses (and especially the emotions of his people). But as far as his everyday maintenance, he doesn’t really require much. All he asks for is: time outside, food, snuggles, to be able to follow me everywhere I go — including the bathroom, and a nightly game of fetch. 

Every night, while we watch TV, read, or hang out, we play ball. Charlie is obsessed with one particular ball: a glow-in-the-dark ball from ChuckIt whom we’ve named “Glen the Glow Ball.” Every night, we ”tuck him in” by placing him on our dresser, and every day we have to take him back downstairs for fetch. Once we start fetch with Glen, it never stops. He once played the entire length of National Treasure, and even after the Declaration of Independence was safe and sound again and the movie was over, he still wanted to keep going. 

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These days, I’m OK with perpetual Glen Games, but for the first two years we had Charlie, this nightly ritual wasn’t very fun for me. Every time I’d throw the ball (I am his chosen Glen launcher — a huge relief to my spouse), he’d bring it back, and instead of giving it back to me, he’d shove it under the couch as far back as he possibly could. Then, he’d stand there whining and scratching at the floor. Our area rug has a huge bite out of it from the time he just ripped it out of frustration while he was waiting for me to get a broom long enough to retrieve Glen from the depths. I’d rescue Glen, then he’d do it all over again. And again.

Last November, when we were all watching the election results roll in and trying not to throw up, Charlie must have felt our anxiety. He was depositing Glen under the couch even more often than usual, probably just to feel control over something (I get it, buddy). 

Our dog-trainer friend, who happened to be over, suggested we buy couch blockers, a translucent barrier you can put up around the base of your couch to stop the ball from slipping under. As much as we do our best to avoid plastic products, this was the most affordable and accessible option, and we were desperate. We purchased them, and we haven’t gone back. The ball bounces right off the blockers, and fetch goes on and on and on without a hitch. 

Thankfully, they’ve lasted, too, so I don’t feel like I’ll have to replace them anytime soon (or hopefully at all). I do recommend getting the 16-piece set, depending on the size of your couch. You may want a couple extras, too, to put under surfaces where toys and balls tend to get “lost.”

Why do dogs stick things under the couch in the first place?

Why, why, why? Was he messing with me? Or did he think this was just part of the process: You throw the ball, I get it, I stick it under the couch, then I watch you get all sweaty and frustrated, holding your iPhone’s flashlight until you finally find it. Then I do it again, hehe. I asked certified dog trainer Sassafras Patterdale to tell me. 

“Dogs may put their toys and belongings under furniture/couches for a variety of reasons,” Patterdale says. They add that dogs are “naturally protective of resources,” a trait they inherited from their ancestors, who would hide their food so they could stay alive. They continue: “For a modern dog, this often takes the form of putting things under the couch. Some dogs do this to keep toys away from other animals in the home or just because they want to know they are in a safe space.”

OK, I get the whole instincts thing, but back to that “is he messing with me” question. Did Charlie think this was part of the game? Or did he want it to be part of the game because he liked watching me suffer? 

Patterdale doesn’t hesitate to answer: “Yes! For some dogs, this absolutely can be part of the game. Just as we enjoy throwing the toy for our dog to retrieve, some dogs absolutely enjoy the anticipatory process of watching their person find and collect the toy to throw it again for them.” Cool. So, after I’ve worked a full work day to earn money to buy him food and countless more Glens, he wants to make me work even more. Love it.

Did I ruin the game by blocking off the couch?

So, if it’s part of Charlie’s necessary mental enrichment to watch me work to find his treasure, was it rude of me to take away his ability to hide things under the couch? Thankfully, Patterdale is on my side: “I think as long as the dog isn’t distressed by not being able to hide their toys under the couch, this is a great solution.” They add that the barriers are a “great option for making playtime fun and less frustrating for both you and your dog.”

At first, Charlie was annoyed and maybe mystified every time he tried his little couch trick, and it didn’t work. But now he doesn’t even seem to notice. The barriers are just part of the couch, and he’s more concerned with how fast I can throw the ball after he gives it to me. (His new thing is shoving it between my legs and then — disturbingly — shoving the ball against my crotch so I am alarmed and immediately throw it.) 

Can you train your dog to just... stop doing this?

We have a particularly persistent, clever, and strong dog, so these blockers ended up being the only thing that worked for us. But if you don’t want to give into a quick fix like we did and would rather train your dog to just stop the antics, Patterdale has a suggestion: You could change your location of where you play ball. 

OK, but you want to watch your show, and you’d like to be firmly planted on the sofa. You could encourage your dog to give you the ball before they do their thing with the couch, they say. Or if you just don’t want to spend the money, you could create a barrier with household items, like couch cushions, to block the couch.

But, they say, if you take away one hiding place, make sure you give them another — maybe one that’s less frustrating than the couch: “For dogs who like to put toys under the couch in an effort to hide or protect their resources, it can be beneficial to make sure that your dog has a private place to keep their toys, such as a crate where they can ‘bury’ and hide their valuables.”

In short: Let them have their way while taking back your own freedom. Here’s to being able to watch delightfully bad Nicolas Cage movies without having to spend half of it with your head adjacent to the dust bunnies.