Why Does My Dog Hide From Me When I Come Home

If your dog hides from you when you come home, it could be because it wants to engage you in play.

But suppose he hides without wagging his tail or showing any playful behavior. In that case, there’re lots of explanations for his actions.

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Why does my dog hide from me when I come home?

Your dog could hide from you when you come home because he is scared of you, has spent up his energy to play, or is sick. It could also be a habit he’s learned from somewhere or due to anxiety he develops when seeing you.

There’s more to this. Find out below.

He’s Scared Of You

Dogs get scared of their owners easily. And this happens for a lot of reasons.

If you have a bad habit of yelling or mistreating your dog whenever you return from a place, then there’s a high chance that your dog will be scared of you.

How To Know If Your Dog Is Scared Of You

A dog who hides from you due to being frightened by you will exhibit other behaviors apart from hiding.

Here’s how to know if your dog hides because he’s scared of you.

Keeps Avoiding Eye Contact: Dogs love to make eye contact with their owner, but if your dog refuses to look you straight in the eye when you pet its head, this is a sign that it is scared of you.

Flatten Ears: When a dog flattens its ears, it represents fear and anxiety. If your dog exhibits this behavior while hiding from you, then it’s scared of you.
Whining: Whining in dogs means a lot of things. But if your dog trembles and pants while whining, this is a sign that it is scared of you.
Submissive Urination: Not all dogs urinate submissively. If your dog does it, it is intimidated by you.

Tail Between Legs

Anxiety Disorder

Humans express anxiety in different ways, and this is the same for dogs.

If your dog hides from you, anxiety could be the reason.

Reasons for a dog’s anxiety

There are many reasons why dogs display anxiety. It could be due to neglect.

Suppose you’ve been absent for some time or haven’t had time to fuel your relationship with your dog.

In that case, this can cause anxiety disorder and fear of abandonment.

Other reasons for anxiety in dogs include sickness, noises, lack of mental stimulation, hormones, absence of a family member, and more.

What are the Symptoms of Anxiety in Dogs

To be sure that your hiding behavior is due to anxiety, here are some other behaviors or symptoms he’ll tend to display periodically alongside his hiding behavior.

Destructive Behavior: Destructive behaviors in dogs are unusual behavior exhibited by your dog that causes harm to objects around your home. Any behavior that is unsafe and unhealthy for your dog is destructive behavior.

Some destructive behaviors that indicate anxiety include scratching windows, walking back and forth, eating objects, excessively barking, chewing on objects like furniture, and more.
Avoid Eye Contact: A dog that avoids eye contact with its owner could be suffering from anxiety, fear, and submission instincts.
Displacement Behavior: Some displacement behaviors displayed by dogs with anxiety include unnecessary scratching, excessive yawning, unnecessary sniffing, excessive licking of the paw, and more.

Excessive Barking
Whining and Licking

Other symptoms include pacing, aggression, trembling, self-harm, dilated pupils, panting, spontaneous urination, and more.

Habit

Dogs pick up habits easily. So it would help if you are careful about them.

Your dog’s hiding behavior could be from a habit he’s learned from you.

If you’ve had a habit of playfully chasing your dog when you get home, then your dog is only trying to get you to play with him.

If you don’t have a habit of chasing your dog around when you get home, think of other activities that could have influenced his behavior.

Do you often play hide and seek with your dog? Do the people around your dog play this game with him? You need to make enquiries about this.

If you’ve recently enrolled your dog in a pet school, it could be that your dog is trying a hide-and-seek lesson he was taught.

New Environment

It’s very common for dogs to exhibit unusual behaviors when in a new environment. Most dogs can’t cope with new routines, environments, and people; hence they develop unusual habits.

Is your dog from a rescue home?

If he was recently adopted, it could be that he’s having problems adjusting to the people around him and his home.

It’s normal for rescued or adopted dogs to hide from their new owners. With time, this behavior will change.

If the above isn’t the case, then you need to reflect on yourself.

Dogs can easily detect the emotions of their owners.

Suppose you’ve been acting strange or unusual around your dog. In that case, it could be that he’s having problems adjusting to your new behavior.

And since he can’t cope with your new behavior, your dog can only hide from you when you get home.

Lacks Energy to Play

Dogs are playful beings, but they also get tired from playing.

If you leave your dog with relatives who love dogs, there’s a high chance that your dog has spent his whole day playing. And so he hides from you due to tiredness.

Signs That Your Dog Is Ignoring You Due To Tiredness

To be sure that your dog hides from you when you come home due to tiredness, here are other behaviors to look out for.

A tired dog will display these behaviors alongside hiding.

Excessive Yawning: Excessive yawning in dogs results from tiredness. If you notice your dog yawning more than usual when you come home, this is a sign of tiredness.
Lays Down: If your dog lays down while hiding from you, it’s tired and wants to avoid playing with you. If he continues to lie down even when you approach him, that obviously means he’s trying to recover his strengths.
Loses Interest in Playing: To ensure your dog hides from you due to tiredness, you should try playing with him. If he acts uninterested and keeps lying down, then you should let him take some rest.

Excessive Panting: You can easily detect tiredness and stress in your dog if he pants excessively.

Suffers from an Illness

Most dogs avoid their owners when they fall sick. It is an instinct and has nothing to do with you.

In this situation, it’s best that you stay observant and watch out for other symptoms that come with their hiding behavior

Other Signs That Points Illness As The Cause of The Hiding Behavior

Suppose the real reason your dog hides from you is due to an Illness. In that case, he’ll show other noticeable behaviors mentioned below.

Wheezing: Wheezing in dogs is a whistling sound that happens when your dog breathes in and out. Wheezing happens when there is a blockage in your dog’s bronchi or trachea.
Excessive Panting: If you notice that your dog pants excessively, this is a sign that it is suffering from an illness.

Lethargy: If your dog acts listless, uninterested in normal activities, and out of character, then the reason he hides from you is due to an illness.
Vomiting: If your dog has experienced vomiting before the behavior of hiding from you, then the only reason he hides from you is due to its sick instincts.
Poor Appetite: Poor appetite and hiding are signs dogs display when they fall sick.

How To Stop Your Dog From Hiding When You Come Home

If your dog hides from you when you come home, here are some ways to put an end to its behavior.

Conduct Training

This solution can only work if your dog hides from you due to habit.

If you don’t want to engage your dog in a hide-and-seek game when you get home, you can easily end this behavior by training him to stop.

Build Trust

If the reason your dog hides from you when you come home is due to being frightened by you or due to his new environment, you can easily stop his behavior by getting close to him and building his trust.

Consult a Vet

If your dog shows signs of anxiety disorder or sickness, consult your vet immediately.