I have an otherwise healthy, intact 6 year old male. He has been well socialized his entire life...around kids, puppy class and basic obedience class. He has been shown and has Specialty wins and only needs a major to finish. So, the dog has been out and about his entire life. Over the last year and a half he has slowly been changing. He has become more clingy, whiny and just over all acting weird. He now is almost acting like a mental case. He walks around our house panting the entire time. He will go to our basement on his own to the back unfinished part, and even though the doors are open, he will not come out unless we go down looking for him and call him out. He will go lie by himself in our kids' rooms or will follow you all over the house. He all of a sudden is scared of thunder after over 5 years of showing no care. When outside he will jump on the windows and whine to come inside, he used to spend hours outside playing or sunning himself. He wants nothing to do with the other dogs. This past weekend he growled at our babysitter, someone he has met before. He did not act aggressive or go after her but avoided eye contact, cowered and growled. This is the second person over the last 6 months this has happened with. As I have young kids in our home with their friends coming and going its becoming a temperament that is of concern. We have done full work ups,full blood panels, thyroid, checked eyes, etc. As well, we have done entire body radiographs looking for anything that could possibly cause pain as our thought was that it could possibly be a pain response. ? Nothing is showing up medically so far. Thoughts?

I might think something has happened. If he has never displayed this type of behavior before. May have been when you weren't home. Another dog when you weren't looking. Has he always been alpha? Has that changed with a new dog in the picture,

Is babysitter uneasy when you are not home. Did she yell at one of the kids when you weren't home? Is he protective of the Fam. Check him for ticks. They are really bad this year in a lot of areas, does he have a bad tooth. Abscess or swollen, how about feet. Look for anything in the foot. A spur, sliver etc. ears, check those ears,

Are the kids small, could one have pulled on him. Poked him. And one last thought. Could he have gotten into something. Does he roam a lot. Bad meat, even poisoning by neighbors etc. just a thought. If nothing is truly wrong physically.

Trying switching up his brain. Give him tasks, keep his mind busy to take the focus off what is bothering him..

If I were to guess, dogs separate themselves from the pack if they are sick. Knowing they may get attacked by being sick or weak.
So they stay clear of everyone. Some dogs have a huge pain threshold. So you may not even see it before it rears its ugly head. Also to hide it from the pack. Keep an eye on him.i would run a blood panel if you haven't already. And an X-ray of the belly is alway good to rule out masses or tumors. Good luck with your boy.

The thing that came to mind was a flat coat owned by a friend who suddenly became aggressive to a kennel mate
. It was over 30 years ago, so I can't remember for sure, but I think she had some similar issues. In her case it turned out to be a brain tumor. Did you check for neurological problems? I'd also check for problems with vision.

He has had a complete, thorough physical exam with no findings. Eyes have been checked though not by an Ophthalmologist. Full panel of blood work and xrays. Xrays were of his thorax and abdomen. Everything so far has shown nothing. He has always been in a pack environment and I haven't seen any vying for Alpha dog. I did bring in a little 8# mix I found about 2 years ago. He did try to become Alpha dog so I placed him about 3 months ago. This dog has become increasingly worse over the last 4-6 months, whether its related I have no clue. Its like he has overall anxiety issues. He will not chase balls. When on walks he will pull on the leash, whining the entire time. Outside he paces quickly on my back deck in front of the windows and actually repeatedly jumps on the windows. The minute you move he gets up and follows you, constantly nudging you with his head. The most annoying part is that he sits around the house panting heavily.

Is your dog clingy with everyone ?? It sounds like he is very worried
about someone,,,,especially you.
Check with your doctor,,,,some dogs will pick up on illness before humans
will.,,,,,just a thought!

Have you seen a VETERINARY behaviorist? Maybe that would shed some light on the changes. My first thought was that you said he was out showing and doing lots of things. Is he no longer showing and so just staying home around the house? If so, that's a big change in his life...

I had a dog last year who exhibited some very strange, clingy, paced at night, panted all the time - behavior. These things came on little by little, and almost one thing at a time, until they came to what looked like a seizure. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We lost her exactly a month after diagnosis.

I was told that small brain tumors do not always show on a normal scan. Depends on where they sit in the dog's skull. We considered taking her a specialist for further testing, but we lost her...

We consulted with our vet, who in turn consulted on several occasions with a neurologist and treated her to his specifications.

Please, I would look into this further for a medical reason.

I would have an MRI done of his brain(tumor suspected). He sounds unstable and I would not have children and guests exposed to him at my house. I would also definitely neuter him for starters. Hope you find an answer.

Unfortunately I think I would have an MRI done on him to rule out a brain tumor and go from there. Hopefully not what it is.

An MRI isn't surgery. Yes, the dog has to be sedated, but if he has a medical issue, that needs to be determined rather than treating the behavior issues. To me, this does not sound like something that's environmentally caused. When my dog had an MRI, he did have an overnight stay, but that was as much to minimize my travel time as it was because he had to be at the vet school. But it is expensive- you can try behavior modification first. Maybe it will work. If it were my dog, I'd want to know for sure what I was dealing with. Three respondents now have said that this sounds like a medical issue. At least discuss this possibility with your regular vet.

I suggested a veterinary behaviorist as I thought all medical avenues had been explored. If an MRI has not been done, I'd definitely go that route before just giving up on the poor boy.

Many years ago, I had a dog that suddenly became aggressive. This was a dog who had been actively shown and trained as an obedience competitor and had always done well in class, in public, around children, other pets, etc.

Over a period of just weeks, he went from a mild-mannered dog to the point where he went for my sister when she came in my room one night to tell me about the date she had just been on. Something "clicked" in his brain at the last minute and he stopped - less than an inch from her face - with his mouth full open, teeth bared and a deep growl coming from his throat.

We were back at the vet's the next day. Head x-rays showed a tumor in his brain. I made the decision to put him down.

Just sharing this so you know to keep looking. With the advances in today's veterinary medicine, there might be more options than the one I had nearly 30 years ago.

Thanks for al the suggestions. We did another physical and panel of tests since its been awhile since the last were rrun and he seems to have gotten a little worse. Full blood work up, urinalysis, fecal, radiographs (chest & abdomen)all revealed nothing. I was planning on neutering him this summer anyways as he doesn't show anymore because he hates it. We are probably going to move on to a specialist but will have some decisions to make as the quote for just the MRI was $3,000. Not writing it off but cost is definitely a factor, sorry if you don't like hearing that. He overall just seems very anxious about things/life in general.

Hey, I get it. Vet bills these days can be as high as humans. Have you thought of insurance? Care credit etc. then you can pay on time if need be. Good luck with your boy.

Re: Sure. We are offering opinions. The owner is reaching out for help. He/she does not have to follow it. I suggested the MRI first as did others. Neutering may be a mute point if a tumor is discovered in his brain, or something in the blood work comes up as treatable. Whatever it is it sounds like a serious matter.

A woman I know had a dog who had a very similar issue...turns out the dog had a stroke but showed no signs of it...she eventually got worse and had to be put down...possibly could it be a stroke?