Anyone Speak Dog?

Wanted. Someone who can speak Dog. Some knowledge of a Chihuahua or Pomchi dialect is likely to be useful.

Something has spooked our boy. Unless Chi (just to be confusing—pronounced ‘kye’ as in the Greek letter Χ) is sprawled across a lap or grabbing a pat, he's isolating himself from the rest of the family ‘pack’.

Tony and I will be working in our studies and discover that he isn't with either of us. Instead he is underneath a chair or the dining table in the back room or curled up in a semi-dark corner between the lounge and the wall. The other night Quila and I heard a strange noise in the back room and found him with his ID tag jammed in the cupboard door track, struggling to free himself. In his quest for solitude, he was heading for the dark floor compartment in the partially-open cupboard.

Hiding in corners can be a sign of anxiety and insecurity and Chi, being very sensitive, has always been a nervous dog. Raise your voice or go mad at Quila and it's Chi who hightails it out of the room. We think he was mistreated because he used to quiver whenever Tony tried to pat or feed him. However, over the last year we felt he was settling down and seemed more confident and secure. So we cannot figure out what is upsetting him.

Was the trigger for his insecurity due to Tony rearranging his study late last year? Or maybe the chimes of my great uncle's clock reverberating through the fireplace of the adjoining room are spooking him? I only just started winding it up again after months of silence.

Maybe it's a sign of old age. Approaching 10 years, he's a senior whereas Quila, our ‘rebel’ is only 4½. He seems happy during the day when Quila is exploring the yard but, at night, he moves to a different room when Quila comes in. She can be quite unpredictable if she's has a lot of pent-up energy and is bored. She might decide to gnaw at one of his legs if she gets peckish, pull his cushion off the bed and drag him around the room if he won't play, or even pick a fight to trick him into leaving the ‘better’ bed so she can grab it.

It's funny—before I go to bed he'll gleefully trot off to bed so that I can tuck him (and Quila) in. However, if Tony is still up, he returns to the back room after I've gone. We don't know why Chi would want to leave because Tony doesn't tuck him in later, so he cannot be as snug as when I left him.

So, if you do speak Dog or know someone who does, we would really appreciate some insight into Chi's behaviour. In the mean time, I'll do my best to balance a snoring dog across my lap and arm while I blog.