The Real Reason Your Dog Follows You Everywhere

a days stumbling out of bed to make your morning coffee you nearly trip over your dog who is following you a little too closely this is a familiar scene for many dog owners but why do dogs follow us everywhere is it normal behavior dogs were first domesticated at least 15,000 years ago they went from being wolves living in packs to dogs living in packs with humans one of the biggest reasons that humans bred dogs was for companion ship they view their Human family members as part of their pack and they feel safe and secure when they are near their packmates additionally dogs have been bred for centuries to be loyal and affectionate Companions of course not all dogs are the same some breeds of dogs like terrier breeds are more independent and may be less prone to following their owners while other breeds sticking Like Glue to their pet parents such as Chihuahuas were mostly bred to be our little friends they tend to bond very closely with one person and will likely follow in their human parents' Footsteps in general most dogs enjoy being close to their humans and following them around K-9 imprinting and the human dog Bond if you adopted your dog before they were 12 weeks old they likely imprinted on you viewing you as a parent figure puppies typically follow their two-legged parents closely but this Behavior May decrease as they mature and gain confidence in different situations imprinting is a social learning process in which a young animal forms a strong attachment to the first individual it sees as its caregiver this process occurs during a critical period in the animal's development and the resulting attachment is typically lifelong in dogs imprinting typically occurs between the ages of 3 and 12 weeks during this time puppies are especially sensitive to social cues and are eager to learn from their caregivers if you adopt a puppy during this critical period they are more likely to imprint on you and develop a strong bond with you while imprinting is most important during the puppy stage it can also occur in adult dogs for example a dog that is rescued from an abusive or neglectful home May imprint on their new owner who provides them with love care and security reasons your dog follows you [Music] everywhere number one their daily routines dogs are creatures of habit and they thrive on routine if you feed your dog at the same time each day or go for a walk at the same time each morning they will start to anticipate these events and may follow you around in anticipation of their reward this is because dogs have a strong sense of time and can learn to associate certain events with specific times of day for example if you always walk with your dog at 7:00 p.m. they will start to get excited and follow you around that time each day knowing that their walk time is just around the corner number two they want attention dogs often follow their owners around because they have learned that this Behavior results in attention or other rewards for example if a dog follows their owner around and gets petted or playtime they are more likely to repeat this behavior in the future future this is known as positive reinforcement most people will find this Behavior endearing however if shadowing Behavior becomes excessive it may become annoying and can be dangerous to you or your dog if the behavior causes you to trip number three they're afraid many dogs are fearful of certain noises such as fireworks and thunderstorms during these times they may cling to their owners for safety and comfort dogs see their owners as their protectors and staying near them helps them to feel calm and secure if your dog is following you around because they are scared you can provide them with a safe place to hide such as a crate or a small room turn on the TV or radio to help mask the frightening noises give them a calming toy or treat number four they're bored if your dog is laying around all day with nothing exciting to do he may focus more on you and tend to follow you around more especially if that is the only action going on around him number five they're trying to tell you something if you notice that your dog has suddenly started following you everywhere it's important to pay attention to their body language and behavior if they seem anxious or Restless it's possible that they are trying to communicate something to you one way to figure out what your dog is trying to tell you is to follow them back they they may be leading you to a specific location such as their empty food or water bowl or to an area where they need to go to the bathroom another possibility is that your dog is following you around because they are not feeling well dogs have a natural instinct to hide their Illness but they may also exhibit certain behaviors to let you know that something is wrong separation anxiety is a very common behavioral disorder with one study finding a prevalence of 177% in a large population of dogs dogs with separation anxiety follow their owners excessively and experience extreme distress when left alone this distress can manifest in a variety of ways such as barking whining pacing destructive behavior and house soiling if you are fortunate enough to have a dog that has imprinted on you cherish your special bond these relationships are truly unique and rewarding if your dog follows you everywhere it is a sign that they love and trust you it is also a sign that they feel safe and secure in your presence so next time your furry friend follows you into the bathroom or kitchen don't be annoyed if you have any other questions about dogs or if you'd like to see me make more videos about dogs please let me know in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more great videos about dogs thank you for watching

Channel: Doggy Quarters

Views: 161,517

Keywords: dog behavior, my dog follows me everywhere, dog training, puppy, golden retriever, German shepherd, French bulldog, bulldog, Australian shepherd, Rottweiler, jack Russell terrier, beagle, poodle, daschund, Great Dane, spaniel, puppy training, good dog, good puppy, dog myths, dog false facts, dog facts, dog barking, dog mistakes, puppy mistakes, dog behaviorist, dog behavior explained, doggy, follows me, wolf, dog follows me everywhere, dogs, funny animals, funny dog challenge

Id: adecrid70P8

Length: 6min 32sec (392 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 28 2023