Dog Acting Strange?

Is your dog behaving strangely? By that, I don’t mean being goofy or silly, but showing any larger behavior changes that seem to be lasting for some time?

In that case, we should take a close at your dog, as behavior changes can be the first indicator that something may be wrong with them.

Each dog has their way of showing that something isn’t right within them. It can largely be through losing interest in playing games, going for walks, eating, being lethargic throughout the day. Consulting a vet can be your first step in figuring out what may be the reason for the sudden mood change.

That being said, I have put together possible symptoms your dog may show during such periods…

Diet

Your dog may be eating the wrong kinds of foods, possibly because they are eating –

• Too much food
• Too little food, maybe because they do not have enough nutrients in their meal
• ‘Junk food’ that can upset their digestive tract

You can have a look at the food they were consuming before and after they seem to be behaving weirdly. If there was a change, you can start to go through a cleansing process for your dog by giving them nutritious healthy foods.

Vomiting and Diarrhea

Your dog, especially if they are a puppy, may tend to eat off things such as grass, leaves, roots, and later vomit or have diarrhea. There is not much to be worried about this, this is just their way of cleaning out their stomachs. But if the vomiting or diarrhea continues beyond a couple of times – you should have them checked out by a vet.

Especially if your dog has any kind of blood in their vomit or poop, they will need immediate medical assistance. This shows that there may be a blockage in their internal organs, ulcers formed in their stomach, or some other serious illness. Usually, these kinds of illnesses happen along with them behaving lethargic and not consuming enough water.

Loss of Thirst

Drinking water to dogs is more important than eating food for them. As they are usually active, panting, and drooling, you can imagine how much water their body requires to go get through the day. If your dog isn’t drinking any water by themselves, you could try a few simple tricks:

• Bring the water bowl close to them
• Swirl your finger in and place it to their lips
• Entice them with a water hose (using low pressure!)

You can also conduct a dehydration test to see if they are drinking enough water – pull up the skin on the back of your dog’s neck. If it doesn’t go back down immediately it means they are in serious need of water. You may consult your vet for IV, or drips if they are not at all responding to drinking water.

Urinating Too Often or Not Enough

If your dog is urinating often, especially indoors after being house trained – it could signal many different kinds of conditions like diabetes, or liver/kidney disease, as well as adrenal gland disease. Or, if they are not urinating as often and seem to have decreased dramatically it could signal bladder stones or urinary tract infection.

Either way, you will only able to pinpoint the correct condition once a vet examines your dog and goes through some medical testing.

Trouble Getting Up

Larger dogs tend to develop issues such as arthritis and hip/elbow/shoulder dysplasia because of their size and weight. You can clearly see this if your dog seems to have trouble standing on one leg or rising from the ground. It would be best to have a vet take the necessary bone scans to pinpoint the root cause. Make sure to be gentle in handling your dog’s hip or spine on the way to the vet.

Encouraging Behavior

It is important that you handle your reward/punishment system with your dog in an appropriate manner. If you reward them with treats or attention, when they are moving around crazily – they will tend to do the same every day. Find your moments to pep them up and teach them according to the behavior that they are showing.

Sleeping Abnormally

As important as sleep is to humans, dogs need the necessary downtime to recharge their batteries. However, sleeping too much or sleeping too little can get them too wonky. Each dog has different sleep timings according to its breed, age, lifestyle, and overall health condition. As an owner, you know best when your dog is steering away from his regular schedule.

Here are some signs that show your dog may be suffering from sleep deprivation:

• Unnecessarily aggressive
• Lacking energy, lethargic through the day
• Moving around all night, possibly whining or crying
• Unable to perform basic tasks

You can try to make sure the dog has a comfortable environment to sleep at night. You can adjust your air conditioning or fan according to the temperature that isn’t too hot or too cold for them.

Fear

It is quite common for dogs to behave a little wild when they are fearful. This is usually caused by something external such as sirens, fireworks, or construction work. Since dogs have sensitive hearing, these sounds hit their eardrums so loud and scare them.

In such cases, you can close your windows/doors to not allow the sounds to entire the house. If that is not possible, you can cuddle your friend to keep them calm until the noise passes. If you are living in a setting where the noises are unavoidable, you can consider using desensitization training to settle your dog.

Unspent Energy

It’s possible that the dog is acting is a little crazier than usual in the nights on the days they haven’t expanded their energy. Especially if your dog is a young and an active breed, they long for high amounts of physical activity.

You can ensure they get enough exercise through dog walks, playing in the park or being outdoors on a daily basis. This will not only help them be more peaceful come night time, but also help keep their overall health in a better vibrant condition.

Full Moon Days!

A lot of dog owners notice that their furry friends tend to act out more than they usually do on full moon nights. They tend to bark more, howl, restlessly walk around and find it difficult to settle down on such nights. Additionally, they tend to behave in the exact opposite or an extremely heightened state than they usually do.

Such claims have been made by personal accounts of dog owners and are yet to be proved by scientific studies. That being said, if your dog is acting especially rowdy on full moon nights, you can expect it to pass in a few hours’ time. Some common body language you may notice are:

• Growling and/or Barking
• Chewing things, they usually do not
• Howling late at night
• Pacing around the house

Conclusion

Keeping a vigilant eye on your dog’s behavior will help you decide when it may be time to take them to a vet. Although the behavior changes may be small and can be usually avoided, it’s important you watch out for other connected symptoms that may present themselves.
I hope this article gives you a little insight into what may be causing your friend to behave differently. Please feel free to leave your comments below!