Why Does My Dog Hide Under the Bed? 8 Causes and Tips

What Does It Mean When My Dog Hides Under the Bed?

"We have had a real setback with our rescued puppy mill pup, Kira. We have had her for nine months, and for a while, she seemed to be doing better. I don’t know what has caused this recent setback. I am very concerned. She now hides under our bed all day, every day.

She will come out and sleep in her dog bed in our bedroom when we are sleeping, but as soon as we wake up, she scrambles under the bed.

She will not come out for her morning walk, which she usually enjoys. At dinner time, she creeps out very cautiously to eat her dinner but disappears again quickly.

I am beginning to think we need professional help since we have done nothing but be patient, calm, and loving to her since she came to our home. We have not pushed into anything at all.

I am very sad and depressed about this. Thank you in advance for any advice or guidance."—Meg

Fearful Dogs Need Dedicated Emotional Support

Hi Meg, I am sorry to hear about your dog's recent setback. It sounds like she must have gotten startled by something, which has instilled deep fear in her, to the point of feeling the need to retreat under the bed.

To better help these fearful dogs, we can put ourselves a little bit into their mindset and perceive the world from their perspective. These can be challenging cases that require the utmost care, patience, and a well-structured behavior modification plan.

Let's examine why dogs tend to hide under beds, what we should avoid doing and what may help, and the importance of working alongside a professional when we are stuck and the dog is emotionally impacted. This is important to ensure we provide the best care and support for our dogs' well-being.

Why Do Dogs Hide Under the Bed?

The reasons why dogs hide under beds can be various. Beds likely provide dogs with the ideal environment to help them feel a little more safe and protected compared to their surroundings. Paying careful attention to what happens just prior to the dog hiding can provide us with helpful clues about his/her triggers.

Following are several potential triggers that may cause dogs to seek shelter under a bed.

1. Fear of Noises

In many cases, dogs will hide under the bed in response to certain noises.

This is most likely to occur in dogs who haven't been adequately socialized during their peak socialization period and have missed the opportunity to acclimate to typical household noises.

On top of developing fear of certain appliances or unfamiliar household sounds, dogs who were recently rescued may also struggle with unfamiliar noises produced by their new owners.

I once stumbled upon a dog who struggled with the way her owner coughed and it took some time for the poor dog to habituate to the owner's chronic cough.

Other potential causes are dogs suffering from specific noise phobias such as the fear of thunder or fear of fireworks or loud, beeping noises.

Interestingly, a recent study has found a potential correlation between dogs suffering from musculoskeletal pain and presenting with noise sensitivity.

The 2018 study, published in the journal “ Frontiers in Veterinary Science” found that dogs suffering from painful hip dysplasia or a degenerative joint disease were found to develop fear in response to certain noises.

This correlation is attributed to a dog's uncanny ability to associate one event with another, a phenomenon known as "associative learning."

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In a nutshell, what likely happens is that, when a dog with musculoskeletal pain hears a noise and reflexively startles and tenses up, this may aggravate any existing pain, particularly in areas where the muscles are already tense.

Such startling events can, therefore, create a cause-and-effect relationship, with the affected dog learning to associate the noise with the pain, explains lead researcher Ana Luisa Lopesca Fagundes from Lincoln University.

2. Frightening Sights

Some dogs may become fearful of certain visual stimuli in addition to fearing sounds. In these cases, we must remind ourselves to consider these 'scary sights' from the dog's perspective rather than our own.

For example, dogs may become startled by anything that changes our appearance or silhouette and this may encompass anything from humans wearing hats to sunglasses, or even carrying a large item such as a ladder, umbrella or a large box.

I once worked with a client whose poor Papillon, named Bailey, developed a deep fear of her after she tripped on a dog toy in the middle of the living room floor and ended up suddenly falling. Fortunately, she didn't fall on the dog, but this startled the dog enough to always act wary when around her. It didn't help that this dog had a past traumatic history and several other concomitant fears.

When dealing with fearful dogs, we must also consider scary sights that dogs may see through windows, such as approaching guests, a delivery truck, or other unfamiliar activities and objects outside.

3. Predicting Unpleasant Events

Is your dog hiding at odd times such as when you go grab the leash, when the doorbell rings or when you run the water in the bathtub? In these cases, your dog may be telling you that she's dreading activities that are associated with these events such as going on walk, having guests over or being given a bath.

In these cases, forcing your dog out of her hiding spot won't do her any good. Dogs need to feel some control over a situation and the opportunity to say no, otherwise fear can rapidly turn into worry, explains board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Christine Calder.

Your best bet is to give up on the intended activity for the moment and postpone it until you have the chance to help your dog find such activity less frightening.

4. The Impact of Stress

Dogs are routine-oriented animals and any changes in their environment can cause stress. Even minor changes in the household such as rearranging furniture or changes in routines, may turn a dog's life topsy-turvy and potentially disrupt a dog's sense of stability.

If a dog is exposed to one stressful event after another, we must consider a cumulative effect which may lead to trigger stacking. This can significantly heighten the dog's stress and anxiety levels.

5. Not Feeling Well

Dogs may sometimes hide under the bed when they are feeling under the weather. When dogs are feeling ill, they may become withdrawn and may wish to be left alone.

It's always important to consider this possibility, especially if the dog is normally social and seeking companionship and now is suddenly hiding.

Further worrisome signs are a dog that is shaking especially if accompanied by other worrisome signs such as crying, loss of appetite, and lethargy.

6. Genetic Predisposition

Every living creature on this earth is pre-programmed to react in a specific way to stimuli and situations in their environment and this happens as a result of the interplay between nature and nurture (genetics and the environment in which the animal is raised).

Some dogs may be genetically programmed to respond with fear to things that are new (neophobia) or different in the dog's surroundings. They may startle in response to things that happen suddenly or with little warning.

To further compound things, fear is prone to generalizing, which means that a dog who may be initially frightened by a specific stimulus may then associate other stimuli with that stimulus, leading to a more generalized fear.

For example, a dog may initially become startled when seeing men wearing hats, but may then may also develop fear in response to women wearing hats, and next thing you know, it's not just people in hats who are terrifying—now it's anyone wearing any type of headgear, from cyclists with helmets to kids with baseball caps.

7. Seeking a Den-Like Enclosure

Many dogs hide under the bed because it provides them with a den-like enclosure where they feel safe and protected. The area under the bed is also often cooler, making it an appealing spot as the weather gets warmer.

While dogs aren't den animals in the real sense of the word, dogs may seek protected areas such as areas under a table or bed as a way to escape from frightening stimuli or situations or to get some respite from an interaction they may be struggling with.

As mentioned, many dogs will head under the bed when they anticipate some dreaded event such as getting their nails trimmed or being given a bath, if they have significant aversions to these activities. Dogs fearful of guests may decide to hide under the bed as well.

Some dogs will rush under the bed if they have been scolded or punished. They don't do this out of defiance, but as a way to avoid further confrontation or in hopes of de-escalating tension.

Dogs prone to resource guarding or just "stealing prohibited items," may hide under the bed in hopes of being left alone or staying under the radar.

8. A Learned Behavior

Hiding is highly reinforcing to dogs. When dogs hide, they learn that they are safe and they stick to that area if they have a deeply ingrained reason to feel that the environment outside of that hiding spot is unsafe for some reason.

Something important to consider is that dogs never stop learning. They are always in a learning state even if we aren't actively coaching them as it happens in a formal training session.

Through daily exposures and interactions, fearful dogs are constantly learning about the world around them. Every interaction shapes their perceptions and influences their behavior.

Even a minor error on our part can reinforce these dogs' fear responses, further convincing them that hiding is indeed needed and this can escalate to the point where the dog may refuse to come out from hiding altogether.

Why Is My Dog Hiding Under the Bed?

From your description, since you mentioned that Kira spends time in your bedroom when you are sleeping, but as soon as you wake up, she scrambles under the bed, it sounds like something must have really spooked her.

We must factor in here poor Kira's past as a rescued puppy mill dog in this context. Dogs from puppy mills often have very traumatic backgrounds, which can lead to everlasting scars.

It's not unusual for puppy mill dogs to startle easily from sudden movements, and they can be particularly sensitive to changes in their environment.

Their upbringing in cages and lack of socialization, which has deprived them of positive human interactions and exposure to everyday sights and sounds, makes the world outside of their hiding places particularly scary.

As a result, puppy mill dogs are prone to developing hypervigilance and heightened fear responses towards unfamiliar stimuli and environments. The confinement and lack of exposure to normal life experiences can contribute to their perception that the world is intimidating and overwhelming.

Therefore, these dogs may find comfort in hiding under beds or other secure spaces as they navigate the challenges of adapting to a more expansive and unpredictable world outside of their previous confinement.

Puppy mill dogs must therefore learn through tiny steps and positive associations that nothing bad is going to happen to them if they come out, but this needs to happen on their own terms.

Developing strategies to create a safe and supportive environment where Kira feels safe, secure and comfortable is paramount.

Should I Remove the Dog From Under the Bed?

No, a dog should not be forcibly removed from under the bed. Forcing a dog out of a hiding space or blocking the dog from reaching the hiding space may cause defensive behavior, which may culminate in growling, snapping, and biting in an otherwise non-aggressive dog.

Why does this happen? Well, let's imagine ourselves in a situation where we are running for our life and then as we finally reach our safe house, we realize that we have left the keys inside.

Our natural instinct tells us to protect ourselves and this may involve putting up a fight with anybody who tries to block us from reaching our safe house.

Even if the dog doesn't react negatively by growling or biting to being removed from the hiding spot, repeatedly pulling a dog away from its safe spot can cause the dog to form negative associations with the person doing so (a negative conditioned emotional response -CER).

This can put a deep dent into the relationship between dog and owner, leading to deep dog trust issues.

Strategies to Help a Fearful Dog Who Is Hiding Under the Bed

Following are several strategies that may help a dog who is hiding under the bed. These methods may not work for every dog, and therefore it's important to carefully gauge how the dog is responding by monitoring the dog's body language and measuring whether the dog is showing signs of improvement.

Persistent hiding where a dog's quality of life is impacted often requires the intervention of a dog behavior professional.

1. Know Your Dog's Triggers

Identifying what triggers a dog to retreat into a hiding space is important so that we know what needs to be worked on. In many cases, an identifiable stimulus gives rise to the dog's escape behavior.

Teasing out the exact stimulus is not always easy, and as mentioned, sometimes we may be seeing generalized fearful responses where the dog responds to stimuli that aren't immediately obvious.

On top of this, dogs may also develop a generalized sense of anxiety in anticipation of being exposed to frightened events.

In your case, it may be that certain types of movements are a trigger, particularly those involving people in an upright position. This can be particularly challenging to address since such movements are a natural and frequent part of human behavior.

2. Watch Your Movements

This may feel like walking on eggshells, but when around fearful dogs, we need to put ourselves into their mindset and literally tiptoe our way around them.

Behaving normally around them in hopes that they'll just "get over it" and overcome their fear won't work with these dogs—to the contrary, this just further convinces them that they are right to be fearful.

With fearful dogs, it's therefore important to move slowly and predictably and avoid any sudden movements that can startle the dog. We may also need to modulate our voices to avoid startling them.

Back to Bailey, the Papillon afraid of her owner after a fall, I learned that she got easily startled by my sneezing. I had to try my best to hold my sneezes (which was a particularly challenging situation with allergy season being in full swing!)

It's also important to avoid doing things that a fearful dog may perceive as particularly intimidating, such as looming over them, giving them direct eye contact, and reaching out for them, which can all trigger a fearful response.

All of this avoidance falls under what is known as management. When implementing management, we basically take steps to minimize the chances of exposing our dogs to full-intensity exposures to frightening stimuli or events.

This helps lower stress levels and may possibly also prevent the dog from rehearsing fear-based behaviors such as cowering, shaking or hiding.

3. Become a Pro in Reading Canine Body Language

With fearful dogs, it helps a lot to be able to read their most subtle body language so that we can better understand how they are feeling and recognize when they are getting worried and close to being pushed over the threshold.

While the most obvious signs of stress and fear may be easy to recognize, there are often subtle signs that risk being missed. Recognizing these subtle signs is paramount when working on behavior modification because it alerts us when a dog is about to go over the threshold.

This article covers some obvious and some not-so-obvious signs: the body language of stress and fear in dogs, while this article specifically covers signals dogs use in an attempt to appease us: dog calming signals.

4. Familiarize With Behavior Modification

Behavior modification for fearful dogs often involves techniques that are similar to those used when addressing human fears and phobias, particularly desensitization and counterconditioning. It's therefore a good idea to familiarize with these methods as much as possible.

Desensitization involves presenting the fearful stimulus in a version that doesn't evoke a fearful response. For example, in humans with arachnophobia (an irrational fear of spiders) spiders may be initially presented under the form of pictures on a computer screen.

Among dogs, frightening visual stimuli are often made less scary by presenting them at a distance or in a less intense form. Similarly, frightening auditory stimuli may be made less scary by lowering their pitch and playing them at lower volume (if a recording is available).

Counterconditioning involves pairing the scary stimulus with something that the dog finds enjoyable. Food is often used if the dog is receptive to it. The goal is to change the dog's emotional response. I personally prefer to not just settle for mere tolerance/habituation, but aim for a positive conditioned emotional response.

Some Examples of Behavior Modification

These are just some examples of behavior modification involving fearful dogs. Every behavior case is different and may require a different approach. A behavior professional will provide the most appropriate approach based on the dog's exact triggers.

• For dogs struggling with hand movements, the professional may provide guidance on how to implement desensitization and counterconditioning so as to make them less intimidating. So, for a hand shy dog, you may start with a very subtle hand movement followed by a treat being dropped to the floor. When implemented correctly, after several reps, the dog may start showing a looser body language, and possibly, even some happy anticipation of a treat (positive conditioned emotional response). At this point, it may be possible to progress to a gradually more pronounced hand movement.
• For dogs struggling with voices or a particular noise, the professional may instruct you to replicate the noise presented at a significantly lower volume and then follow up with a treat. I like to use the hear that method for dogs struggling with specific sounds or voices.
• For dogs struggling with being looked at, the professional may instruct you to have your dog look into your eyes for a split second (by holding a treat or next to your eyes or pronouncing your dog's name if this triggers an orienting response) followed by dropping or tossing the treat. After several reps, eye contact may be gradually prolonged.
• For dogs struggling with people wearing hats, the professional may use the open/bar closed bar method and instruct you to wear something very small on your head initially and having the dog fed tasty treats upon seeing you appear at a distance. Once you then disappear from sight, no more treats are fed.

All of these methods include progressive steps, but criteria must be raised only once the dog gives signs of being comfortable in the previous level. This requires constant gauging of the dog's body language and keeping tabs on progress being made.

A certain level of skill is needed in the way treats are delivered. For dogs fearful of hand movements, dropping a treat to the ground and moving away may be preferable than directly hand feeding.

For dogs who tolerate treats being tossed, it may be preferable to toss a treat past the dog (behind the dog) rather than trying to lure the dog closer to something the dog may fear. This helps prevent approach/avoidance behaviors and potential suspiciousness around food. The treat-retreat game may be helpful for shy and fearful dogs.

Give Your Dog a Heads Up!

5. Help Your Dog Learn It's Great to Hang Out With People

When your dog comes out from her hiding spot, make sure to make the most of this event, but in the most gentle and calm way possible. Remember: attention in the form of praise, touch, or direct eye contact may be perceived as intimidating.

Therefore, it may help to place some super tasty treats on her dog bed so that when she goes to sleep there, she naturally finds them.

You may also find it helpful to hide treats around the bed and in other nearby locations in hopes that her exploring behavior will be reinforced. However, it's important not to place them near scary things that may startle her, or she may start thinking that treats lead to scary things.

These little "treasure hunts" also help provide some mental stimulation which can help activate the seeking system of her brain.

As the days go by, you can try expanding the radius of the hidden treats in hopes of her exploring more and more areas. Additionally, you may want to also drop treats if you happen to be walking past her or just near her while she's under the bed.

Using a dog-appeasing pheromone diffuser or pheromone-based spray may also help in the process. I always make sure to have my Adaptil plugged in when expecting a new foster dog.

6. Work Alongside a Behavior Professional

In order to be successful, behavior modification needs to be instituted correctly. It's important to avoid some common behavior modification mistakes such as progressing too quickly, exposing the dog to stimuli/situations the dog isn't ready for or using food incorrectly, which may result in suspicion rather than effectively changing the dog's emotional response.

Finding a reputable behavior professional who avoids punishment-based methods or tools (such as shock collars, prong collars and choke collars), which can have a deleterious effect on a fearful dog (as well as any dog!), is paramount.

Many prominent veterinary organizations advocate against the use of punishment-based methods due to the safety risks involved and risks for unwanted “side effects.”

The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) advocates the use of positive reinforcement training and encourages avoiding punishment-based methods. This organization offers several resources on how to find a dog trainer and how to find a behavior consultant.

Due to Kira's background as a puppy mill dog and the intricate nature of her situation, I feel that working alongside a board-certified veterinary behaviorist would benefit her the most.

There is the possibility that Kira may need prescription medications along with behavior modification to help her overcome the initial hurdles and develop better coping skills.

While we may not like to have our fearful dogs on meds, we also need to think about how being stressed causes the release of high cortisol levels that cause chronic stress, and this can lead to negative health effects and reduced welfare

Your vet/veterinary behaviorist is the best person for questions or concerns. In particular, board-certified veterinary behaviorists have extensive knowledge in the field of psychopharmacology and can prescribe medications to be used along with a comprehensive behavioral treatment plan.

There are also pheromone diffusers and calming supplements your vet can suggest although these may have less impact on dogs who are too over threshold.

You can find a board-certified veterinary behaviorist here: find a diplomate.

Unfortunately, there aren't many veterinary behaviorists around. They are a rather rare gem to come by. For example in the State of California, there are only about 11 professionals. However, some veterinary behaviorists offer a specialized service for out-of-area clients by offering veterinarian-to-veterinarian telehealth consults.

Another option is to consult with a certified applied animal behaviorist. Even these pros are not easy to come by, but here is a directory of certified applied animal behaviorists: CAAB directory.

If there are none in your area, you may find a directory of force-free dog trainers/behavior consultants from the Pet Professional Guild's directory: find a PPG professional.

The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants may also yield some results if you insert your zip code in their directory: find an animal behavior consultant/dog trainer.

It's always important to ensure that the professional adheres to force-free, humane training and behavior modification methods, focusing on fostering trust and cooperation between dogs and their owners rather than an adversarial relationship based on outdated alpha dog and dominance fallacies.

Some Extra Options

These are some "unconventional" strategies that may or may not work, but may sometimes be worth a try. It's important to carefully gauge whether these strategies are helping or not very early in the process, by carefully watching the dog's body language.

Please ask your behavior professional for guidance before considering these strategies. He or she is the best person to determine whether they may be helpful based on your dog's specific situation.

Lying Down on the Floor

I haven't personally tried this method, and a disclaimer is warranted because there may be some risks involved (such as the dog no longer feeling safe under the bed), but I know of some dog trainers using it with mixed results.

This method is explained in depth in an insightful book called Rescue Your Dog from Fear, Tried-and-True Techniques to Help Your Dog. This book is written by Peggy Swager, a dog trainer and behavior consultant. She mentions using it with many of her puppy mill rescues, "vanishing dogs" and "bed hiders. "

Therefore, it may be worth trying lying down on the floor near your dog (but without blocking her exit) with some tasty food while reading or doing something quiet nearby for a while.

You don't want to coax her to come near you. Ignoring works best because if you try to get up close and personal, such social pressure may cause your dog to feel overwhelmed.

Many puppy mill dogs seem to cope better when we're lying down versus standing up as vertical beings.

It may be helpful to use a word to announce when you're about to get up as a heads-up so these dogs don't get startled. Dropping some treats as you get up can further help create positive associations with your scent left behind.

Again, we must keep in mind the individual dog in front of us. How well this strategy may work will vary from one dog to another. Some dogs find us less intimidating when we're lying down and it can help them come out of their shell, while some others feel even more fearful as we are interfering with them feeling safe in their only safe spot.

It could go both ways: Helping the dog see us less as a threat or seeing us more as a threat. Her body language may give us some clues.

Borrowing a Friendly Dog

I know several adult Shiba Inu who have a general dislike of other dogs, and a potential aggressive behavior towards other dogs is even mentioned in the AKC breed standard, but if you happen to have a rather friendly dog and access to a dog trainer/behavior consultant with a good teacher dog, this may be worth a try.

What we are trying to take advantage of here is what's known as social facilitation, basically, another dog's ability to positively influence your dog's perception of you and your family.

If Kira does fine with other dogs, sometimes it may therefore help to borrow a super friendly dog and have this dog model super social behaviors towards you and your family and have your dog watch this dog have a blast.

I used to have a dog who, when the client dropped her for boarding and training, she would bark at me insistently and keep her distance. However, when other dogs were dropped off and approached to be pet and fed treats, her whole body language suddenly loosened and she ended up approaching too and was then totally fine with me. The change was quite dramatic!

I always arranged having friendly dogs over when I knew she was coming so as to help her readily adjust.

Creating an Alternate Safe Spot

While creating a safe zone to retreat to is often recommended for dogs with noise phobias, sometimes dogs may benefit from having their access to their hiding spot blocked and replaced with something else.

The belief is that repeatedly hiding will prevent the dog from making progress. On top of this, the dog may logistically need to have access to an alternate safe spot that may be more appropriate and quieter.

A safe spot alternative may consist of an exercise pen placed in a quiet area with the dog's bed on one side and pee pads or a Fresh Patch grass pad on the opposite side.

Several crates with the door latched open may be placed inside the ex-pen too if the dog tends to soil where he/she sleeps, so that if one crate is soiled, it can be removed and there are other crates where the dog may be free to hide. Fearful dogs may prefer travel crates compared to the traditional wired ones since they are more covered.

The ex pen can be covered with a large blanket to provide more privacy and a DAP diffuser can be plugged in nearby.

Obviously, the process of creating a different sleeping/hiding arrangement can be stressful, and is not without risks, therefore it would be important following a professionals' guidance for specific recommendations.

Skipping walks for a while can also help a fearful dog decompress and may help you focus on working on building trust, while Kira starts to feel more confident to face her fears with you by her side.

The goal is to establish a positive conditioned emotional response to your presence and the presence of other family members, so as to establish a secure-based effect where the dog feels more confident and secure when in the presence of their owners.

References

• Fagundes, Ana & Hewison, Lynn & Mcpeake, Kevin & Zulch, Helen & Mills, Daniel. (2018). Noise Sensitivities in Dogs: An Exploration of Signs in Dogs with and without Musculoskeletal Pain Using Qualitative Content Analysis. Frontiers in Veterinary Science
• Veterinary Partner: 10 Ways to Build Confidence in Shy and Fearful Dog, by Dr. Christine Calder
• Cimarelli G, Schindlbauer J, Pegger T, Wesian V, Virányi Z. Secure base effect in former shelter dogs and other family dogs: Strangers do not provide security in a problem-solving task. PLoS One. 2021 Dec