Why Is Your Dog So Quiet? Are They Bored? Or in Pain?

If you've noticed that your dog is quieter than usual, you may be wondering if it's normal.

While many dogs become quieter or more reserved as they mature from the crazy puppy and adolescent stage into adulthood, a change in activity levels or typical behavior for your dog can mean there are other things going on that you need to address.

There are a few reasons a dog may become quieter than usual: pain, stress, or boredom. While a quieter dog may not feel like such a "problem" to us, it's important to make sure their behavior change isn't a sign of a bigger medical or behavioral issue.

Determining why your puppy is suddenly quieter than normal or your aging dog is more reserved than they used to be can help ensure that you're meeting their needs and they are enjoying a good quality of life.

Is Your Dog Quiet Because They Are in Pain?

It's easy to assume that a quieter, slower dog is "just getting older." But dogs don't become withdrawn, grumpy, or disinterested simply because of age.

As dogs get older, their risk for things like joint pain, dental disease, hormonal disorders, and organ disease increases. And discomfort from these conditions often shows up as sleeping more, moving less, or engaging less with their people. Because these changes tend to happen gradually, they're often brushed off as normal aging, which means many dogs live with untreated pain for far longer than they should.

• Pain or injury, even if you didn't see anything happen
• Teething pain in puppies, which can make them sore, cranky, or less interested in eating and play
• Diet changes, which can cause stomach upset - get tips on changing your dog's diet here
• Medication side effects
• Infections or illness, such as gastrointestinal or respiratory issues

How to Tell if Your Dog is in Pain

Here are some things to look for that might help indicate that your dog is in pain — you don’t want to miss or brush off these signs. Unfortunately, many of the more reserved and “slowing down” dogs are actually in pain.

Fortunately, once they're properly diagnosed and evaluated, that pain can often be minimized or even alleviated.

NEVER self-diagnose or self-prescribe medications for your dog, even if you’ve had dogs your whole life or if you are a member of the human medical profession. It's also important to speak with your veterinarian prior to giving any previously prescribed medication to your dog, as circumstances may have changed related to the dosage or interactions with other supplements or medications your dog is on.

Of course, not all dogs who are quieter than usual or slow down are in pain. Let's look at other reasons your dog may be more quiet than usual.

Is Your Dog Quiet Because They Are Stressed or Anxious?

Stress in dogs is much more common than many people realize. And while not all stress is "bad," a dog's cortisol levels (the stress hormone) increase due to abrupt changes in the home environment, scary events, or even as a response to perceived stress in humans. This could be the addition or loss of a family member or another pet, a bad experience at the 

If a dog is constantly stressed and doesn't have a chance to decompress, that constant high level of cortisol keeps their brain in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. You may notice your dog is quiet because they are hiding (the flight response).

For some dogs, stress means they simply shut down and don't offer any behavior — that "unusual quiet" you may be noticing.

Here’s a list of some common stress signs. If you think your dog is stressed or anxious, connect with a certified canine behavior consultant to help you figure out why and address their underlying stress and anxiety.

Another aspect of stress and "quiet" behavior to consider is the training methods used with a dog and their learning history.

When punishment-based training methods are used, we tend to see a dog who stops offering behavior and appears quiet and subdued.

Why? They live in a state of anticipated punishment.

And if you're always worried about being on the receiving end of punishment, often you just stop doing anything.

This is just one reason to always use force-free, science-backed, positive reinforcement training methods. You can learn more here about why you should avoid using punishment and aversives with your dog, like shock, prong, or choke collars.

Is Your Dog Quiet Because They Are Bored?

Boredom is not usually the cause of a quieter-than-normal dog. It is completely normal for a well-exercised and well-enriched dog to lounge around quietly during the day, resting and recharging for their next fun activity.

Puppies tend to sleep a lot! It feels like they're either going 100 mph or passed out for a nap. You should notice a change in daily sleep patterns as they enter adolescence (around 6 months of age). 

However, some dogs may exhibit boredom by quietly following you around — watching and waiting to see if you'll interact with them, and perhaps giving you that particular "look" of boredom.

If a dog is bored, we often see them engage in destructive behavior — chewing up things around the home or even starting to lick and chew on themselves (lick granulomas). A bored dog may also engage in boredom barking. To help prevent or treat boredom, you can try a few different things:

• Use interactive food puzzles for all of your dog's meals.
• Try out a new enrichment activity every day.
• Go on a sniffari walk for both physical and mental exercise.
• Consider whether your dog will enjoy and do well in dog daycare one or two days a week.
• Here are our Top 10 Boredom Busters for Dogs for more ideas!

If you suspect that your dog's destructive behavior or barking may be due to separation anxiety (especially if it only happens when your dog is left alone), visit our Dog Separation Anxiety page to learn how to fix it.

If you're worried about your dog's behavior being quieter than usual, or there is a sudden change in their energy levels, it's always best to contact your veterinarian to rule out pain or other illness.

Once you identify the cause of your dog's quiet behavior, you can make sure that they are getting the care, enrichment, and activity they need to live their best life!