Weird Shut Down

[FuzzyHounds]

Kaja (3 year old staghound, we've had her for 6 months) had a weird behavior today.  We're at the cabin with her and littermate Potter, and they're doing great, having fun on walks and adjusting well to a different house.  Both are pretty timid/passive girls. So today DH and I took them in the car to a place to hike.  After the hike, we went to put them in the car, a Subaru Outback with the back seat down, a "hammock" clipped to the front headrests, and a foam mattress pad and fabric couch cover for padding in the back. Instead of jumping in through the back seat door, as usual (we had a bike on a bike rack so couldn't open the hatch), Kaja crawled into the back seat floor, under the hammock.  She crawled all the way in--and then got stuck.  We had a bike pump and some jackets on the floor, and it was like she couldn't figure out how to get out.  I got in the other side, unclipped the hammock and folded it back, and then flipped up the back seat back.  Now I'm sitting on the back seat and Kaja is on the floor--but she still couldn't/wouldn't move.  I ended up lifting her hind end and then front end onto the seat with me (she's very passive about being handled so I knew I could do this safely.)  And then, she...well, I don't really know what word to use.  It was like she just completely shut down.  Legs limp, lying on the seat, put her head on my lap and closed her eyes.  I could not get her to react/respond at all.  We drove about 5 miles and stopped for food; I stepped out of the car for a minute and she did pick her head up, but when I got back in the car she put her head back on my lap.  Even a piece of pepperoni held right under her nose got no reaction.  It was really weird.  No panting, shaking, etc., but she was definitely not acting normal.  Since she had crawled in so slowly I knew she hadn't hurt herself, so it must have been just a stress reaction. When we got back to the cabin 15 minutes and i opened the door she stood up and jumped out and was completely normal.  Actually, it reminds me of her first day at our house--on the couch, head on Dh's lap, calm but also "shut down" (wouldn't get off the couch, eat treats, etc.)  

I guess that's just how she deals with stress?  Anyone else have a weird little houndie like this?

 

[GreyPoopon]

Yes. Toodles isn't quite as passive, but she definitely shuts down when she's under stress. The vet asked me during her annual if she were my calmest--even her heart rate was slow--but she isn't. She just gets very still when she's unsure. I've had other Greyhounds with similar tendencies, but Toodles is the most obvious.

Edited September 2, 2019 by GreyPoopon

[seeh2o]

Doodles did something like this. It was early morning and cold, so she was sleeping in a coat. I heard a squeak, thought she was dreaming (she was on a dog bed outside of my room), then another a few minutes later she gave a scream. I ran out to check on her and she had rolled off the dog bed onto the floor. Totally dead weight, completely still. I thought she'd had a stroke. I was trying to get her pajamas off of her and, it was just like you described, she was completely limp. I finally got them off of her, they were filled with static. It took a while, but she got up and was physically fine. She was a spook when she came to me, when this happened months had passed and she was doing a lot better, but this set her back for a short while. She became her old spooky self again for a free weeks. 

All I could imagine was that the static made the coat cling more tightly to her and scared her. She had a couple of other episodes like this in her life, but none as prolonged and scary as this.

[FiveRoooooers]

How far was the hike?

[BatterseaBrindl]

How hot/humid was it?

[FuzzyHounds]

Good questions--the hike was only a mile to a mile and a half, and it was about 55 degrees, so I don't think she was overheated/overtired.... She was completely fine until she crawled in and got stuck...but it sounds like she's not the only one who reacts to stress like this!