Question:
Hi

I came back from vacation 2 days ago and noticed that my puppy is acting strange and he may be mad at me for leaving him for so long.

He was in the care of my brother in law and his wife while I was gone and had an amazing time playing with their cats, going away to cottages and going out on other fun outings.

since he's been home he's been acting unlike himself. He is normally very playful and the last couple of days he had not wanted to play, would always retreat to his crate, has barely eaten, has been sleeping a lot, and has been very distant with me and my husband.

Im not sure if he misses my brother in law and their household, or is simply mad at us for leaving him. He is normally very happy and playful but has not been at all. Even when we engage him in play he walks away from us and goes in his crate and stares at us looking very upset.

Is there anything to be concerned about? Would this behaviour pass, or is he sick? According to my brother in law he has been eating normally and has been very playful and active while he was in their care.

Answer:
If I were you, I would start with a vet check.

Answer:
Blazer always acted like this when we would go away but after a few days he would come around.

Answer:
Yup, vet check first and foremost.

If he comes back healthy, maybe you should consider getting him a friend. My brother babysat our dog when we went on vacation about 7 years ago. When we took her home, it was his dog who became all mopey and bored and sulking. So they went out and got him a playmate - another dog (female SPCA puppy of the same age). The pair are inseparable now.

Answer:
I think you are reading way too much into this. Perhaps you are feeling guilty for leaving your puppy. Give your puppy a few more days to get used to your routine again.

Answer:
He was very active, energetic and really happy when he was at my brother in laws cause he had lots of other animal friends to play with. ill take him to the vet in a couple of days if he is still mopey. hopefully he will come around again.

Answer:
He's probably wondering what happened to his playmates! I'm sure that he'll come around soon!

Answer:
I went away for about a month shortly after I adopted my first MinPin Chopper and he stayed with my BF when I got home I was so happy to see him and he bit me and wouldn't hang out with me for a couple days!!!! I think he was pissed!!!!

Answer:
Apparently this is a normal reaction for some doggies after being away for a while. When I was working in the kennel, quite a few dogs were weird when they went home and we had a lot of owners calling in after asking if we abused their doggies because they were depressed and indifferent... (we never ever did abuse them of course).

Answer: