A while ago Pippa started acting a little odd, hiding under tables and beds. I made a thread about it here.

I should start off by saying we've been at my parent's house this week and I've been here by myself. My brother's camping and my parent's went on a trip so I've been staying with their dog Maggie. Because of this I've had a much longer commute to school and therefor Pippa's spent more time by herself and more in her crate than normal. I don't know why this would have such an affect, but maybe it would.

The hiding under things hasn't stopped and now she's started a few other things. I was trying to take her for a walk today and tried to put her backpack on. She normally loves it and eagerly puts her head in to put it on. Today though she freaked out and thrashed around when I was trying to put it on. I finally got it on a minute later, and she was fine. Trotted out of the house, ears up, tail wagging.

Yesterday we were walking at the park and about halfway through it was like all of her leash training went out the window. She was pulling and wouldn't stop and was paying zero attention to what I was saying. She would sit when I asked, but wouldn't look at me. I don't know a lot about dogs, training, or their body language, but it's weird. When I say her name, even today, or do that weird clicky/kissy noise thing (you all know what I'm talking about) she won't look at me.

As an aside, this morning she was in her crate while I was upstairs cleaning and I heard her scratching at the plastic. I went downstairs to see what was wrong and she had managed to get the bottom out from the crate and had bend the bars at the bottom slightly in the process. I took her outside and her stool was practically liquid. So maybe she's just been feeling a little under the weather?

She just seems very fearful all of the sudden. But I don't know what she has to be fearful about. When I tell her to do something (come, leave it...) and she doesn't, I say it more forcefully the second time and that's when she'll try to hide. It's so weird. I've never punished her for not coming or been physical with her.

I'm sorry this is all so jumbled and out of order, I'm just not sure what things have to do with each other or what I'm reading too much into. Things were going really well and we'd made a lot of progress with her training since August, but I'm not sure where to go from here. How do I work on building that bond and trust up again?

Also, we were planning hiking tomorrow, which she's really enjoyed in the past, but now I'm not sure. Thoughts on that?

Thanks everyone for your help. My family things I'm obsessing and that there isn't anything wrong, but her demeanor seems to have changed and I don't know what to do.

You said you are staying at your parents? They aren't there, though?

Is there anyone that could have had contact with her that gave her a negative association for some reason?

Has she been to that house before?

I have heard that demeanor changes when they get sick. She could be in pain somewhere and you don't know it yet. If you could, I don't think a vet visit would hurt. (Than again I stress a lot like you. My Fiance always thinks I am going overboard. :/)

Did you adopt her or have you had her since she was a puppy? If you did adopt, there could be something negative she is associating with the change somewhere for some reason.

Good luck and keep us updated, too!

Chelsii wrote:

You said you are staying at your parents? They aren't there, though?

Is there anyone that could have had contact with her that gave her a negative association for some reason?

Has she been to that house before?

I have heard that demeanor changes when they get sick. She could be in pain somewhere and you don't know it yet. If you could, I don't think a vet visit would hurt. (Than again I stress a lot like you. My Fiance always thinks I am going overboard. :/)

Did you adopt her or have you had her since she was a puppy? If you did adopt, there could be something negative she is associating with the change somewhere for some reason.

Good luck and keep us updated, too!

Yes, they're out of town and didn't want to board their dog. She's old and doesn't do well there for long periods of time anymore. I'm here almost every weekend for one reason or another though, so it isn't really a change. She was here when I first got here, here over Thanksgiving, my month-long winter break, and my spring break.

I don't think so. Just my family and they all love her and do really well with her. We went to the dog park for the first time in a while, but she had a blast and nothing out of the ordinary happened.

I adopted her when she was roughly six months old and I know essentially nothing other than she was likely an outside dog.

I'm hoping she just ate something weird and that's what's causing the upset stomach. I'll definitely be taking her in for that if it doesn't settle in a day or two. If the weird behavior continues or gets worse I'll take her in for a general exam for sure.

Ooh, I see!

Well, those were all of the areas I could think of where she may have had some type of negative association. D: Sorry I couldn't be more help!

I hope she is OK and that everything gets resolved soon!

That's ok! I appreciate the response and the questions for clarification.

I'm hoping it'll work itself out, but I'm not sure where to start if it doesn't.

I think the vet as you said is the starting spot. From there, if the Vet feels everything is OK, you might be able to defer to a dog psychologist. (If that is what they are called--a behaviorist, or whatever.)

I have heard some weeeeird stories... One story: A dog was VERY loving and kind, but there were just some time where people would come over and he would attack them for no reason! They couldn't figure out what was wrong. Long story short, it turned out it was the smell of Pizza that set him off... It happened that when he was little, a pizza delivery guy kicked him to the point of scarring him. He associated that smell of pizza with the kick and attacked anyone with the smell of pizza.

Crazy stuff! It could be as little as a smell or something that is setting her off.

How is your parents puppy? She's old... is she sick, maybe? Is your dog upset because she is sick?

Just ideas!

That is crazy! Maybe I should look into that.

Their dog is old, she's 15. She isn't sick, that we know of, and she and Pippa are separated. We didn't socialize Maggie well at all when we got her and she doesn't do well with dogs, especially dominant ones (like Pippa). Maggie stays upstairs, and Pippa's in the basement where I am most of the time.

Appreciate your brainstorming! I wish someone could chime in with a situation that was exactly like this haha. Just want to know I'm not going crazy.

Maybe Pippa can sense the aggressiveness of Maggie? As was suggested by Chelsi, perhaps Maggie is sick, and it happens to have scared Pippa?

The only thing that Baron has ever done that was kind of out of the ordinary and all of a sudden was this past week when the chihuahua female here went in to heat. It was like night and day with him; he marked the living room couch the next day, and tried marking me. In a matter of hours his appetite had dwindled down to nothing. Now that the female is gone (we found her a new home), he's almost completely changed back to his old self. We showed him through the house and he knows she is gone now. He ate a whole bowl of food, chewed on a rolled up pig hide and just laid down on
the bed and howled with me.

Huskies are so strange sometimes; I swear they have to be the most people-like dogs out there.
I hope you get it all figured out soon, and that Pippa is back to normal soon. <3

Quote :

When I say her name, even today, or do that weird clicky/kissy noise thing (you all know what I'm talking about) she won't look at me.

Have you cleaned or checked her ears?

She might have come down with a bug that has affected her health in a way she lost hearing. To me, it would explain the added anxiety, the sudden change in behaviour, and the reasons why she isn't responding to your voice or clicker.

~Chris~

okay this will sound bizarre, but Arya was seriously scared of the type of wood flooring in the upstairs of my sisters house. I had to carry her across the particular floor to her crate when we stayed over.

madisonmenece wrote:

okay this will sound bizarre, but Arya was seriously scared of the type of wood flooring in the upstairs of my sisters house. I had to carry her across the particular floor to her crate when we stayed over.

Our baby is terrified of the tile floor, lol! I think it is because it is so slippery. :/

I have been making him walk to me on it so he gets used to it, but, he'll lay down on it and bark at it because he hates slipping around--lol!