[nio]

Hi all

I have a male mini pinscher who is 7 month old. Me and my dog we are living in a flat, until now my dog was very energetic, very happy and he used to play all the time in the flat with his toys or with me and so on. He was so energetic that i couldnt sit 5 minutes to relax alone. He was on me all day, wanted to play. Usually i take him out 5-6 times per day and usually i take him to a big stadium so he can run a lot to take out his energy, otherwise he was driving me crazy in home.
My problem is that before 3 days a friend of mine took him for a walk and he lost him. The dog run and he didnt come back. The dog was outside for 2 days without any food or water. After searching all day the 3rd day i found him laying down next to a tree. I called him and he didnt come to me. From that day he change behaviour. He doesnt play anymore, he is not in a happy mood, he looks sad. He is not energetic anymore and the only thing that he wants to do is to sleep and lay down doing nothing. Even now when i am taking the dog for a walk he doesnt have the same energy, he doesnt like to run like before, nothing is the same. He doesnt play with his toys or even with me. Its very sad to see him like this and i dont know what to do. Any ideas whats wrong with him?

Thanks

[Yogi]

This was a traumatic experience and will just take time to reform the bond. This is not an uncommon reaction in situations like this. He needs to re-acclimate himself. Considering he is a puppy and still learning many things, this episode created a natural fear that over time he will overcome. Just be patient and loving and he will come around.

[Marc]

Very likely he is traumatized. I'd probably put money on it.

You may also want to check him carefully for health issues. You don't know what all may have happened. Massage his whole body very lightly to see if there are any sore spots. Some people do this often to comfort/relax their dogs. He will jump or wince if you trigger a sore spot. Check his ears for warmth and his nose for warmth/dryness. Make sure he's not dehydrated by pinching the nape of his neck and make sure it springs back into place, also touch his gums to make sure they are not sticky and dry. Make sure the gums are pink and not gray to endure good blood pressure (not definitive, but a simple check). Is his stool the right consistency? If not, he may have caught a fast acting parasite.

If any of these things trigger a response, you should consider going to the vet. When in doubt, have him checked out (corny, but I've never heard someone say 'I shouldn't have gone to the vet' - but I have heard someone say 'If only I'd gone sooner').

[german sheep]

Dogs live in a strong dependency to we humans.
During the time he was lost, he had no leader and was in all probability totally panic. No food and maybe one or another bad experience with another dog, I could imagine. So all its bodily reserves were gone and now he needs to sleep to recover his energy, integrating that such an experience is a traumatic.

When you think it is abnormal then check the dog via vet.

LG
gs