If or when your dog starts acting strange and he also starts hiding, you will have to know one thing. There is a reason why he is doing this. He doesn’t do this just because he likes it. In fact, he hates doing this. My dog is hiding and acting strange is common these days. Below are 7 reasons that explain the behavior and should help you understand your pet much better.
7 Reasons A Dog Is Hiding And Acting Strange
1. He Is Sick
This is the most serious reason here and you need to know about it. When a dog is sick or in pain he will hide. He will act strange as well. Dogs hide when they are in pain to protect themselves from predators. My dog is hiding and acting strange issues can happen due to this reason at any given time.
Keep in mind that your pet will also refuse to eat, he will be lethargic and he will be sad. You will have to take him to a vet as soon as you can. Many times the reason can be a simple injury that will need a few days to cure. In rare situations, it can be a severe disease.
2. Fireworks or Loud Noises
Your dog doesn’t like fireworks. Almost all dogs hate this and they hate loud noises. Hunting dogs are familiar with loud noises hence this doesn’t refer to them. But, is your pet a hunting dog? Probably not. Fireworks occur a couple of times every single year. A dog will be able to tolerate these ever.
In the lack of a better word, this will scare him. He will hide. He will act strangely because he can’t see the source of the noise which makes things worse. Try to protect your dog from this. Be with him or take him somewhere where he cants hear loud noises.
3. Stress and Also Anxiety
Dogs can suffer from stress and anxiety. In reality, this is more common and more severe than you believe. Even the smallest change can cause stress in dogs. For instance, if you move a piece of furniture your dog can be stressed about it. He can be under stress when you move or when you make some major change to your life.
Dogs don’t like when something changes and they don’t understand why that happened. As a result, we have stress. He will hide due to this and he will always behave differently, strange. If you are planning to make some changes to your life, do it slowly and take time. Allow your pet to process these changes slowly.
4. Solitude
If you are petting your dog all the time or your children are rough on him he may hide. Dogs do need some time to be alone and rest. He will act strangely because he is also confused and scared. This will last 1 day or a few hours. If it lasts much longer, this is probably not the explanation. There is no need to panic and stay calm. Try to give space to your dog first and see what will happen.
5. Trauma
Traumas are a huge problem for humans and dogs. Some dogs are extremely sensitive hence they can end up traumatized due to all kinds of things. For instance, if he breaks something while you are at work, it can cause trauma. If he gets into a fight with another dog when you walk him, trauma can occur. One way or another, there are all kinds of reasons that can cause trauma in your pet.
More commonly, aggression in the house, loud noises, yelling, and similar things will cause trauma. As a result, a dog will hide and try to avoid all of that. Obviously, he will be scared and confused so he will act strange even when he is not hiding. The only thing you can do is eliminate these issues and allow your pet to be happy and satisfied.
6. Storm Phobia
Many of us don’t like storms. Many dogs don’t like them as well but they can cope with a storm. However, some dogs have storm phobia. This means that he will be scared when the storm comes. He hates loud noises, flashes, thunder, and all the rest. What can a dog do here? He will hide. He will also show strange behavior simply because he is severely scarred.
There are a few things you can do when this happens. You can play white noise. You can turn on the TV and play some series, music or something relaxing. You can even try to play him YouTube videos with dogs playing and running around. The goal is to decrease the level of noise the storm makes and to help him feel better.
Keep in mind that a dog can act like this when there is no storm. He can feel it and he knows that a storm is coming. Monitor his behavior to determine if this explains the behavior.
7. Strangers
Not all dogs love all people. Some are not social enough or better said they are not people-friendly. You will notice this issue when a friend comes to your home. If your dog hides and acts weird, now you know why. A dog can act like this to all strangers that come to your home or act strange when you walk him in the park.
This is why it is important to socialize your pet when he is young. Take him to public places where he can meet new people and dogs. Expose him to new situations as much as possible. If he is an adult dog, do the same things but start from the simplest ones and build your way up.
The Final Word
What can I do when my dog is hiding and acting strange? First, determine why he is acting like this. As you can see, there are 7 main reasons why a dog will behave like this. Once you know what causes this, you can deal with it properly and help your dog.