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The dog is hiding from the owner: what to do
15.04.2024 19:10
Dogs are often a mystery to people, as they can easily go from being a happy member of the family to being barely noticeable.
If your dog is hiding and acting strangely, it may have some kind of illness or psychological problem, or its personality may change over time.
Brushing off this behavior with phrases like "that's just how he is" or "she's just getting old" is not an option.
Being social creatures, dogs always seek affection and human companionship.
Dogs are social animals by nature, solitude and isolation are not in their genes. Dogs' ancestors were always social. They lived in family groups with leaders. And it's not about dominance, but about the fact that the animals learned and cared for each other, realizing their role in the group.
For the first 3-8 weeks of their lives, puppies focus their attention and interaction on other dogs. From the 5th to the 12th week, they begin to develop their own language with people.
Since dogs were domesticated (more than 10,000 years ago), they have adapted to interacting with people.
Experts say that when owners look into their dog's eyes, both experience peak levels of oxytocin, a hormone involved in trust, generosity and well-being.
This means that there is no point in a dog hiding from a person, since at a physiological level, contact should cause a positive reaction in the animal.
Why is the dog hiding?
Before you start worrying, ask yourself the following questions:
Has anything changed in the environment recently? Dogs' hearing is more than twice as good as ours, and their sense of smell is much better than ours.
Therefore, it is quite possible that changes that are unnoticeable to you (smells, sound signals, street noise, etc.) can become a serious problem for your pet.
How old is the animal? Changes in behavior are interpreted differently depending on the age of the dog.
Are there any other symptoms? If your dog is hiding from you, licking a body part obsessively, vomiting, bleeding, or losing weight, it's definitely time to see a veterinarian.
What time of year does a bitch go into heat? Most bitches go into heat twice a year (every six months). This strange behavior may be due to the accompanying hormonal changes.
It is very important that you ask yourself all these questions, as it can be very helpful and save the professionals time when visiting the vet. Here are some reasons that may explain why your dog is hiding and acting strangely:
The animal is sick
Sociable animals, when they feel unwell, try to distance themselves from everyone and hide away. They can also become somewhat aggressive, as they feel vulnerable and perceive any noise or touch as a threat.
It is normal for your dog to be hiding from you and sick. Be especially careful if your dog is older, as diseases such as cancer are quite common at this stage.
Your dog is afraid
Your pet may be afraid of people due to a previous injury. Fear of other animals is possible if there has been no previous contact with them.
The dog may be afraid of street noise or other stimuli that are difficult for humans to perceive, but dogs can hear. This chronic fear often occurs in animals that were adopted from a shelter or were not well socialized from puppyhood.
Anxiety in dogs is usually accompanied by trembling, shortness of breath, excessive salivation, a submissive posture (tail between legs, head down) and avoidance of eye contact. If your pet is suspicious of everything around him, you may need help from a canine ethologist.
Your dog may have cognitive impairment
As dogs age, they can develop something similar to senile dementia. About 62% of dogs over the age of ten suffer from age-related cognitive dysfunction syndrome.
Symptoms that result from deterioration of the nervous system include changes in temperament, avoidance of stimuli, changes in sleep patterns, and confusion in recognizing family members. Although there is no cure for this problem, medical intervention can improve the pet's quality of life.
Something catches his attention
Sometimes, your dog's hiding behavior is related to something that attracts his attention in a certain part of the house. So, if your dog is constantly hiding under the bed or behind furniture, you should thoroughly check the surrounding area, including the floor and walls.
Perhaps the animal has hidden a toy and cannot find it, a field mouse has gotten into the house, or for some reason there is a very exciting smell coming from this place. To correct such behavior, as always, you should positively reinforce it: do not reward negative behavior and reward the animal when it stops.
As you can see, many stress factors can cause your dog to hide from you. If this is an occasional behavior, you don’t need to worry, but if it continues for a long time, you should seek professional help.
Previously, we wrote about what bones should never be given to a dog.
