Valo wrote:
But an ear infection is painful and can cause serious damage, whereas digging/nesting will not hurt the dog just whatever it digs into. So not quite the same. But yes stupidity abounds ha

I do get where you're coming from and think it's stupid 99% of the time when people don't speuter. Especially with no real reason other than the incontinence or whatever.
Well, the nesting behavior doesn't hurt the dog physically but it doesn't mean they are happy.  Their body is telling them they are going to have/have had puppies but there aren't any puppies (I'm supposed to have babies, what happened to them? where are they?!).  OK it's not torture but bitches in false pregnancy are a bit emotional. 

My Zeffie had false pregnancies and each time she nurtured a little round squeaky soccer ball (called "Squeaky Pup").  She honest to god thought it was a puppy. Zeffie was normally a very sane dog but hormones can really tweak the brain. One day while Zeffie was in the middle of a false pregnancy, a visitor picked up Squeaky Pup, squeaked it then threw it.  Zeffie was horrified because as far as she was concerned, this guy picked up her puppy, made it cry out and sent it flying.  She ran to it, gently picked SP up and took it back to her nest.  I told the guy to leave Zeffie alone, partly because this was a mean thing to do and my job is to protect my dog and partly I think she wouldn't let him do it again.  Zeffie was a pacifist by nature but even pacifists have to draw the line sometimes.