# Change in Behaviour



## EmilyC (Jul 15, 2013)

Hello all, 

I have a 10-month old Viszla who has recently displayed some 'out-of-character' behaviours. 

For example, he has always enjoyed traveling in the car, until yesterday. Before we even entered the car, he was pulling on his leash, refusing to go in. His tail was tucked far between his legs, and he looked terrified. I ended up getting him in the car, only to have him panic, and subsequently curl up (as as small as he could) in the passenger seat well. He wouldn't move from there until we got to our destination. At the dog park, he still had his tail between his legs, and was skittish around other dogs. He eventually warmed up, but I faced the same issue with getting him into the car. 

The strange behaviour continued, with him peeing on my bed, then later in the day, on a sofa. 

Rafiki, up until now, has been very sociable, and well-tempered. To see him skittish, submissive, and lack so much confidence is not only sad-but concerning. 

Can anyone relate?


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## BlueandMac (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi EmilyC,
Welcome to the forum! We'd love to see pictures of Rafiki if you get a chance. Puppies do go through fear stages, so it could just be that. However, due to his unexpected peeing, you might want to check with your vet - he may not be feeling well and could have a Urinary Tract Infection. Rule out anything medical first, and if he is just entering a fear stage, search for "fear" in the search box and you should see some other post threads about dealing with it.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

My first thought would be to get any medical problems checked out first. Keep us updated! I can imagine how disconcerting the sudden behavior change must feel.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Hello, EmilyC, and welcome to the forums. I had to deal with a similar behavior change a few years back. It turned out that my girl's behavior was precipitated by a bee sting. When they get hurt, it scares them, and they don't know how to tell you about it. Sometimes it is impossible to really know what brought it on. You might never know! Try to proceed calmly, and (hopefully) just the passage of time will help him to overcome his bad experience. Something did happen... but what?!


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## EmilyC (Jul 15, 2013)

Hello everyone,

Thank you for the warm welcome. I took Rafiki to the vet yesterday to rule out anything physical. It turns out he is fine, which, is of course great, but only means he has behavioural problems. The vet said that he may grow out of the behaviour problems, as it could be in part, his age...here's to hoping!

Thanks for the input!


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