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Question

My Spaniel is hiding in my closet and won't come out of his crate. He does come out to eat and drink and defecate but won't play or walk around the house. What could be the problem?

Submitted: 24 days and 19 hours ago via PetPlace.
Category: Dog
Value: $9
Status: CLOSED
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Optional Information

Pet's Gender: Male
Pet's Age: 3
Type of Animal: Springer Spaniel Dog

Already Tried:
Coaxing him out with food. Playing balls with him.

Posted by NancyH 24 days and 19 hours ago.

Info Request

How long have you had him?

Is there anything loud going on outside your home or construction on the home?

24 days and 19 hours ago.

Reply

He has lived here for one year now. The house is quiet and free of stress. The behavior started last Sunday when I sent him to a new groom near my home. I picked him up and he started acting like the afore mentioned behavior. They shaved him and he started shivering and so I bought him a sweater but the behavior is still sedentary and reclusive.

Accepted Answer

I would suspect he got traumatized by the groomer then (not from anything wrong just the noise and fur loss etc) and may not like the sweater too.

Perhaps the last time he went to a new groomer he lost his home and so is being fearful due to bad associations.

If you have been trying to coax him and telling him 'that is OK' etc he may be responding to what he hears as your telling him he is right to be worried.

You might try the 'jolly routine' with him. You can read about this here

http://www.animalbehavior.net/LIBRARY/Canine/PPM/DogJollyRoutine.htm

its a way to change your response to the dog's behavior to get the response you want.

You may also want to read here about calming signals to help you communicate with your dog

http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/calmingsignals.html

Keep an eye on the dog's fur and skin though looking for hair loss, scabs or tenderness. Sometimes when shaving a dog the clipper gets to hot and the dog can get clipper burn which is uncomfortable for them and may make them feel 'off' and hide etc.

Hope this helps you!

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Expert: NancyH
Pos. Feedback: 99.5 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 10/28/2009

Dog Expert:Rescue, Train,Breed,Care

30+ yrs dog home vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior&training, responsible show breeding, genetics

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