Strange Behavior

[ANLight]

Hello everyone. I'm new here and I currently own 2 Cairns, Duff and Brodie. Brodie is just a little over 1 and has been a great little dog. He's the Alpha in our pack but the past 3 days he's been acting strange. He'll be normal and playing but later in the afternoon he will just disappear. I'll find him hiding behind a utility building or in a fence corner. He will not come to me. Today it was the same routine and he hid under my utility building and stayed out there through a storm.

I was thinking he may have gotten overheated and was looking to cool off (he is black and it is Texas) but I don't know. He has been eating the same food since for months and the only thing that's changed about his diet is that about a month ago I started giving them a tablespoon of pumpkin a day to help with digestion and deter poo dining.

Does anyone have any ideas or experience with this type thing?

[pkcrossley]

hiding is never good, but it can be hard to tell whether the problem is physical or psychological. strange people coming to the house or unusual noises can do it, or he maybe have had an altercation with one of the other dogs that you were not aware of? is peeing and pooping normal? can you feel his belly and joints to see if anything hurts? take his temperature? persistent hiding is not a  good sign. 

 

 

[pkcrossley]

oh, also, since you say it is "later in the afternoon," I do wonder if it has something to do with meals. pumpkin seems unlikely to me just because if he doesn't like he doesn't really have to eat it. is there something else that happens "later in the afternoon" that he wants to avoid?

[ANLight]

His bathroom schedule seems normal. I just brushed him good and he doesn't seem to have any pain. A friend of mine came over with a German Shepherd puppy and they played and had a good time. 

[ANLight]

He seems to love the pumpkin. Him and Duff eat it up. I can't think of anything he would want to avoid. This has only been a three day thing. Out typical schedule is breakfast at 5:30 am. My wife works from about 8 to noon so they're crated during that time. Then it's outside as long as they like. They eat around 2 pm. And I usually walk them around 8:30pm when it cools off. After the walk they each get a greenie and we're in bed by 10.

 

[ANLight]

Well Brodie seems to be his normal self this morning. Not sure what to make of it but we'll see as the day progresses.

[sanford]

I typed a response, but it got wiped out. Glad to know things are ok now!

[ANLight]

Seem to be. Fingers crossed.

[pkcrossley]

good

[Monia]

Could it have been the pressure in the air?  You mentioned it stormed..... they are highly sensitive.  Hope he's still doing well.

[pkcrossley]

that's a good point. I don't know how sensitive dogs are to air pressure, but horses are very sensitive. given dog's long muzzles and complex nasal structure, they could indeed be sensitive.e 

[ANLight]

There were several thunderstorms. He hasn't seemed to react to them in the past though. Maybe that was it? I also thought it may have something to do with my friends German Shepherd pup being there. Jealousy?