Why do dogs hide when they are sick?
When a dog is sick, they tend to hide so they can find a safe and isolated shelter. While they may not have the cognitive ability to understand the reasons behind their illness, they do know that a weakened physical state makes them vulnerable. In the wild, predators, rivals and other dangers can threaten their well-being, so hiding is a form of protection. While you may not think your dog has anything to feel threatened by in your home, their natural instinct is strong.
However, we need to know that illness and disease is only one reason why a dog may go into hiding. We also need to be aware that each dog is an individual. While there are behaviors and instincts common to all domestic dogs, some dogs have certain idiosyncrasies which may involve hiding in certain places.
It is not only important to know possible reasons why your dog hides, you also need to know what is usual behavior for your canine. Getting to know their personality and habits is a vital part of forging a strong bond between dog and guardian.
The most frequent reasons a dog is hiding and acting strange include:
To best work out why your dog is hiding or behaving irregularly, you will need to look at the overall context of their behavior. Take into account their personality and you will be able to make more sense of the situation.
To understand why your dog is acting strange we need to define what is ‘strange’. Firstly, it is relative. If you think your dog is acting weird, it is because they are deviating from their normal healthy behavior. As we stipulate above, you need to know what is normal behavior for your dog before you can tell if anything has changed. For example, dogs may develop compulsive behaviors which they did not do beforehand.
A dogs behavior is informed by various factors. Genetic predispositions, whether passed down from specific family lineages or due to certain breed characteristics, can influence how they act. Their experiences early in life are also fundamental. The socialization period of puppies is particularly important. If they have not been socialized sufficiently, behavioral problems are likely.
Acting strange is also a vague signifier. We need to look at it more specifically as a symptom of a larger physical or behavioral problem. Apart from hiding away, we need to ask in what way are they behaving strangely? Is their gait affected? Are they vomiting? Are they making odd vocalizations? By looking at the entire symptomology of the dog we can get a better idea of why they may be hiding and acting weird.
When disease is affecting the dog, when different organs are affected, different symptoms emerge. For example, if the dog is suffering kidney problems, they may hide to lie down and minimize pain. If the dog is infected by rabies, the disease affects the brain, so they may be hiding out of confusion.
If they have already been diagnosed with an illness or disease, there may be another reason why your dog is hiding. Not all dogs understand the benefits of administering medication, especially if they have experienced it before. Whether administering a syrup, tablet or injection under the skin, the dog may find the process undesirable and hides in anticipation.
7 Reasons Why Your Dog is Acting Strange and Hiding
Whenever my dog’s behavior changes all of the sudden, it always makes me Google the symptoms or ask questions on dog discussion boards.
I assume that you do the same since you’re reading this. Let me preface this by saying that I can’t tell you EXACTLY why YOUR dog is suddenly acting strange and hiding. Changes in behavior have many possible causes.
What I can do, though, is give you a rundown of the most common reasons to help you narrow things down. Before I do that, though, I just want to say one thing: CALL YOUR VET.
I can’t stress this enough: whenever your dog suddenly exhibits strange behaviors, your veterinarian should be your very first phone call.
The first thing that comes to my mind whenever someone says that their dog is acting strange and hiding is an illness.
That’s because dogs instinctively hide whenever they’re in pain to protect themselves from predators.
In addition to this, some dogs don’t want to be around people when they feel unwell.
Instead, these dogs prefer to lay somewhere dark and safe, for example, under your bed or in the closet.
Don’t freak out just yet if your dog is acting strange and hiding. Observe your pooch.
If Rover is ill, you’ll notice other health warning signs such as lethargy, vomiting, lack of appetite, diarrhea, frequent urination (or a sudden decrease in urination), change in coat’s appearance, and fever.
In addition to this, when you’re a pet parent, you develop something like a maternal instinct. For example, I always can tell that my pup is feeling worse for the wear by the way he moves or looks at me. So trust your gut.
Once again, I cannot stress enough the importance of calling your vet. Sure, your dog’s odd behavior could be related to a mild illness (like an ear infection). However, there are just too many potentially dangerous health issues that could be behind it. Kidney disease, liver dysfunction, a urinary tract infection…the list goes on and on.
Another reason why your dog is acting strange and hiding is fireworks. Dogs are sensitive to loud noises and bright, flashing lights.
Fireworks are not something that occurs regularly in your dog’s life. It’s an event that happens a couple of times a year.
It’s scary because it’s unpredictable, and your dog doesn’t understand what’s going on out there.
As such, fireworks tend to scare dogs senseless, especially if it’s your dog’s first exposure to illuminations.
It’s not unusual for a dog to spend the whole of New Year’s Eve hiding under the bed or shaking in the closet once the festivities begin.
The bad thing is that your dog might continue to be fearful of loud noises for weeks or months after the initial event. As a result, Rover might dash to his hiding place whenever something noisy is going on in the house.
To ease your dog’s fears and help them deal with fireworks, you should close all the windows and draw the curtains to block the lights and the sounds.
Besides fireworks, dogs often have storm phobias. They don’t like the sound of thunders or the bright flashes of lightning, so they pace, pant, whine, or hide during a thunderstorm.
Moreover, some dogs might act strange and hide all of a sudden because they are sensing an approaching storm. Such fearful behavior might continue for a while after the storm has passed.
During storms, you should provide your dog with a safe place to hide and be near him to provide emotional support.
Some specialists also suggest playing white noise or turning up the TV to drown the ranging storm.
Think about the days before your dog started acting strange and hiding. Did something happen that could have traumatized your dog?
For example, a fight with another dog during your daily walk when he was an impressionable puppy? Perhaps mistreatment by a previous owner?
Furthermore, sometimes dogs accidentally break something when they are alone at home. If they get hurt in the process, it could explain your dog’s weird behavior.
So anything that could startle your dog badly can make your pooch fearful and likely to hide if he feels that he’s in danger of experiencing the same trauma again.
In addition to this, dogs sometimes hide whenever they get reminded of a traumatic experience or an abusive situation from their past.
Angry voices, tensions in the house, a particular smell, or a hand gesture might scare an abused dog easily.
Once you discover what’s the trigger, you can work on desensitizing your dog to the stimulus. Or make sure that your dog doesn’t get exposed to them.
Separation anxiety and stress are other possible reasons why your dog is suddenly acting strange and hiding.
Dogs don’t like it when things change because they don’t understand what is happening. It seems like the end of the world is coming, and the only logical solution for your pet is to hide.
It’s not even just big changes that cause stress in your dog. Some dogs might get anxious because you’ve thrown away their favorite couch or moved a piece of furniture.
You working late or lack of enough daily exercise can also make your pooch anxious. Basically, anything that upsets their daily routine and schedule can be enough to send Fido racing under the bed.
To avoid stressing your dog, you should always introduce changes slowly whenever possible. In severe cases of anxiety and stress, your pooch may even need medications to help him calm down. Again, your vet or a good dog behaviorist can help you determine that.
Not all dogs are people-friendly. Some dogs are wary of people because of previous traumatic experiences or lack of proper socialization. Other breeds are just suspicious and alert by nature.
If your pooch gets nervous around other people, having strangers in your house might explain why your dog is acting weird and hiding.
In these situations, it’s better to leave your pooch alone for the time being.
Work on socializing your adult dog when Rover is calm, and you can control the situation. Then you might invite your friends again and allow Rover to get used to them.
Finally, sometimes, dogs act strange and hide because they want some peace and quiet.
Your furbaby might be tired of all the attention you’ve been giving him, or your children might be getting too much for Rover to handle.
In these cases, your dog might seek the comfort of a hiding place so that he can have a nap without someone disturbing him.
A dog who is acting strange and hiding is not always a reason for you to panic. Just like humans, dogs need space when they’re sad, worried, or anxious.
However, hiding could also be a sign of illness, especially if it continues for more than a day or two.
So, you talk about it with your vet if you believe that something isn’t right with your pet.
Why is my dog acting weird all of a sudden?
It is important to first check his health to make sure that he is not suffering from an illness. Once you can rule out health as a reason, there are several other causes why your dog may be acting strange. These reasons could include:
Be sure that your pet has been socialized with other dogs and people. If he hasn’t been exposed to other dogs, people or situations, it may cause him to act strange when confronted with new situations.
If your pet has been subjected to a stressful event in his life, he may be acting strangely as a result. The events may include physical abuse, being abandoned by a previous owner, being in a fight, witnessing domestic violence, or being abused by children. It is important to know what kind of life your dog had before coming into your home.
If your dog is fearful of something specific such as loud noises, it may result in him hiding or acting strange when he hears such noises. He could have also had an experience that resulted in him becoming fearful of certain things such as thunderstorms.
If you have recently moved to a new home, your dog may still be getting used to being in a new place and trying to adjust to all the sights and sounds of his new surroundings. If you have moved from an apartment to a house with a yard, your dog may feel as if he has been set free in the world, which can make him feel anxious or scared. If you have moved from a house with a yard to an apartment, he may be missing his yard and the freedom it gave him.
If your dog is acting strange, it may be because he is ill. He might be hiding in a corner or under the bed at the first sign of trouble. If this is not like him and has gone on for more than 48 hours, it could be a sign of illness.
Why Your Dog Is Acting Strange and Hiding
The most common reason your dog barricades in the corner of the room is because of fear. Your dog may be experiencing loud noises, new smells and people, mistrust, or even mistreatment. … The second most common reason a dog may hide in the corner is anxiety.