Having a strong, friendly bond with their dog is the dream of every dog lover. Dogs show their affection and trust towards human in many ways. One of the most notable ways they show their love is by following you around. It may seem cute and adorable at first, but having to watch where you land your next step so that you don’t hurt your dog can quickly get on your nerves. Dogs can also start following you everywhere for a number of reasons. We have compiled up a list of possible reasons for that behavior.
Why do Dogs Follow You from Room to Room?
The main reasons dogs follow you from room to room are positive reinforcement, physical ailment, old age, and separation anxiety.
1. Positive reinforcement
The main reason why dogs tend to follow their owners everywhere is because they are seeking positive reinforcement. If you are more likely to give your dog treats, shower them with affection, and pet them, your dog will try his best to be around you all the time. That’s why dogs only tend to follow a single member of the family more than others, as they consider that particular individual their primary caregiver and therefore their source of treats and other good stuff. An easier way to decrease this behavior is to stop giving your dogs treats at irregular intervals, and try sticking strictly to a meal plan.
One way to help fix this issue is to get your dog some toys they can chew on instead of following you around.
2. Physical Ailment
Dogs are highly social animals, and they like to be around the people they love whenever they are feeling down physically or mentally. That’s why it’s essential to give attention to any sudden change in your dog’s behavior. If your dog starts following you around like a shadow out of the blue, then most likely it means that they are suffering with a physical ailment or some mental stress, and they are trying to be around you in order to soothe them down. You should immediately take your dog to a vet if he shows any such behavior.
3. Old Age.
The behavior of following their owners all around the house is pretty typical in old dogs. Such dogs can become dependent on their primary caregiver due to many reasons and therefore tend to follow their caregiver everywhere. These reasons include a lot of things, from blindness to fear. Old dogs are more susceptible to suffer from hearing loss or poor eyesight. Therefore in most cases, their only option is to follow their owner around to be sure of their surroundings. Old dogs can also become quite fearful, leading to them sticking to their favorite human all day long.
4. Separation Anxiety
As mentioned earlier, dogs are highly social animals and prefer to live in packs. That’s why a lonely dog can be highly vulnerable to extreme stress as he will be afraid of its surroundings and won’t have anyone to socialize with. Humans and dogs are pretty similar in this aspect. Therefore, it’s a lot easy for us to develop bonds with dogs and the same way around. But due to that very bond, some dog breeds can get seriously upset and anxious if they are left alone for a long time. This all is characterized as “Separation Anxiety.” While separation dog can affect dogs of all ages, it is most common in younger dogs. It usually happens when you have to leave the dog alone for long periods of time. Other signs of separation anxiety include constant whining, scratching, and barking.
A very common way to deal with this problem is to have more than just one dog, as they will keep each other company while you are at work.
