my poodle is acting weird

Question
I have a 5 month old toy poodle that is very playful and constantly running around and wanting you to play with him but he got up today and although he is not acting sick he is acting very strange and warm to the touch. he constantly runs back and forth he does not play like like normal he is hiding his tail and it seems to take a few minutes to get his attention

Answer
Hello Sandy,
Though there may not be anything wrong, you should keep an eye on him for at least today.  As for his temperature, a dogs normal temp is higher than ours, running around 101.5 or so.  If you are comfortable taking his temp, you need to use a digital thermometer and insert it in the dogs rectum.  You will want to insert it gently until you feel resistance.  Leave it in until it beeps.  You might want to have someone help you in case your dog wants to move.  If it is high (around 103 or above) then you should call your Vet to see what they say.  

He could have gotten into or ate something (which wouldn't necessairly make him sick, but might make him act abnormally), or he could have an internal parasite problem such as worms, which would make his tail and rear area itchy and could cause him to hide his tail.
You might also consider Allergies.  Allergies are very common in dogs (as common as in people these days) and can cause itching, or the hiding of his tail like you are talking about.  You will also see runny eyes and biting or scratching around the base of his tail or undercarrage.  
A benedryl will help your dog if allergies are the problem, but just watch him for a few days to see if he gets over this on his own.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim