Hi, I have a nearly 3 year old lab and recently (the last few days) in the evening she's been going on the cupboard under the stairs (that's dark) and sitting in a box at the far end. Is this behaviour normal?! As far as I'm aware she's not depressed, she's absolutely fine in the day, goes on big walks, nothing has changed in her life to make her anxious... No storms either or anything (not that she's that bothered by storms) but I've read that that behaviour can either mean she is depressed, she's unwell/in pain (or about to die) or she just wants a den? She's got a big pen with her bed in it and it's always left open for her to go into, and she goes to sleep in it at night, and she has a bed near the radiator in our living room too that she likes to lay on. Sometimes she sleeps on me or on the sofa in the evening, and she doesn't stay in the cupboard the whole evening but it's just something different that she's been doing lately that worries me a bit. We're going to take her to the vets anyway soon so I'll mention it then but I just thought I'd post here in case anyway has any insight. Thank you, Lucy
Oh Lucy, I have no answers but as a dog lover and owner for very many years I do understand your concerns and hope she'll be fine. Please let us know.
Oh I really hope it's nothing, Lucy. Dogs can be peculiar, but I'd be worried too if it came out of nowhere. Do let us know what the vet says?
I've never had an intact female, but others here have talked about phantom pregnancies with their girls. Any chance it could be something like that? I hope you get a good answer from your vet and she's back to herself soon.
Can you see what she’s doing in there? We recently had a rat (or rats!) under our stairs (a cupboard) that chewed the kelims that were stored there (nesting I presume) and made a million poos! Could she be inspecting for rats or mice? Best of luck. Hope it’s nothing.
I would be concerned with a sudden change of behaviour if you cannot identify a cause. A chat with your vet for a full health check is a good starting point.
Any recent significant rise in temperature might have her looking for a cool spot. Also, I was dog sitting a Bernese once that got stung on the nose by a bee and spent three days hiding in a spot like that.
Thank you so much for all your replies! Jimmy3D that photo is brilliant, thanks for sharing. She's off to the vet today so I'll let you know what they say! Yes I did think about phantom pregnancies... Bless her. MF Yes that makes so much sense! She just sits in a box with bags underneath her.... I can't see anything in there like mice or droppings thankfully. Thanks so much, I'll let you all know later.
