Why is my dog suddenly acting scared, jumpy, and running from nothing?

That is quite strange behavior! Does he act like something is getting his behind? tucking his tail and running away from something. If so, I would have his anal glands checked by your vet. If not, then you may just want to have a thorough exam done to ensure nothing else is hurting or causing him to be so anxious. Your vet will also be able to check his eyes and ears to ensure nothing is throwing his senses off. If all is normal, your vet may recommend an anti-anxiety medicine to help calm him. If this happens mostly at night your vet may recommend only to give it at night. You could also try Benadryl before bedtime but unfortunately, this isn't always strong enough. See link below for dosing. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/

Any abrupt behavioral change is a good excuse to get him in to see your vet. He may be starting to develop a medical condition that should be investigated but it's so early that the only symptom he is displaying is this strange behavior. There may be something happening periodically that is making him uncomfortable of the feeling comes and goes, but either way, it should be looked into by your vet. Your vet will do a thorough exam, possibly some x-rays and/or bloodwork, as indicated. Based on these results your vet will have a better idea what is going on and be better able to advise you as to what action should be taken.

Tucking the tail and running are normally signs of fear in dogs - it sounds like something may have frightened her. She could also be in pain or not feeling well for some reason. If she doesn't begin to act more normal over the next few hours and you don't see any reason that she would be afraid, I would recommend having her examined by a vet to check for a medical problem causing her to act this way.

Oh poor girl! She is adorable! Sometimes dogs can get scared of a number of things and act that way. Try to think of anything that could have scared her such as a visitor, neighbors or even loud outside noises. Rarely, dogs try to get away when they do not feel well (more commonly seen with cats). Keep her close, pet her and let her know that everything will be ok with a calm demeanor and gentle voice. If no improvement is observed by tomorrow, have her examined by your veterinarian to ensure that there is no medical reason for her behavior. Good luck!

Looking for a pattern such as a noise that startles him, certain time of day it happens, or if you were doing an activity with him prior may help you figure out the cause behind his behavior. It is possible that he may have had a strange dream, or something is waking him quickly and startling him. Sudden behavioral changes can also indicate issues such as pain or underlying illness, so if the behavior continues or the cause isn't found, scheduling a vet checkup to look for any health issues is a good idea.

Dogs have much better hearing than us, and it may be they heard something that scared them. I'm wondering about the weather where you live, and if there is a thunderstorm going on, which could also scare them. One important thing to do to when your dog acts scared is not to reassure him. We think we are comforting him when we do that, but it's actually reinforcing the behavior and telling him it's ok to be scared. I'd just keep an eye on them for now and hopefully they will be back to normal in the morning.

If he seems weak in his rear legs it is possible that he has a spinal injury or some kind of trauma. I don't think that itching would be related however - it's also possible that he has fleas or another skin condition and that the itching is what is making him walk abnormally. I'd recommend having a vet examine him to determine what is going on.