The loyalty of dogs is unparalleled. So is their affection. However, this becomes problematic when their attachment to their owners is exaggerated, to the point of following them everywhere, relentlessly.
All dogs are attached to their owners, but to different degrees. Some are quite independent, while others are like glue pots. They follow their owners everywhere they go. They stick to them even in bed or in the bathroom. For these dogs, separation anxiety is real torture that they live in every day. The life of their owners is not made any easier by this type of behavior either, which can be extremely embarrassing at times.
Why does a dog get into the habit of following his human friend absolutely everywhere? Is it possible to remedy this? How can it be remedied?
The idea of separation makes him anxious
For some dogs, being separated from their owner is a tragedy. From the moment his owner leaves his home until he returns, the animal is plunged into deep distress that manifests itself in different ways. The anxiety of separation pushes him to bark incessantly, to whine, to destroy everything within his reach, and even to emit urine and excrement everywhere in the house.
The return of his master is a kind of deliverance for the dog, but the owner is faced with the damage he has caused. The animal does not understand the disappointment or even the reprimand of his master, even though he is happy to see him again, which only aggravates the problem.
When the master is not absent, his dog starts to follow him everywhere he goes. He doesn't leave his side and is very clingy. While it's nice and touching to see your dog so attached, the feeling of being constantly followed is particularly annoying. This behavior is also observed during walks: the dog does not move more than a few dozen centimeters away from his master and, if he ventures beyond, constantly look for him.
A dog that is overly pampered or that has not been taught to be independent
It is therefore well understood that the dog who follows his master everywhere suffers from a form of anxiety, that of separation. It is the consequence of absent or incomplete learning: that of independence. The latter is acquired quite early in the puppy. After the first few weeks, the mother encourages her puppies to progressively cut their ties. She starts to push away the puppies that are a little too clingy, pushes them to distance themselves. This is how they understand that they must start to fly on their own.
When you adopt a dog, whatever its age, the mistake not to make is to break this learning of independence by pampering it too much. We often do this without realizing it, because we are fond of the animal. We don't realize that we are doing too much by petting him as soon as he asks or by giving him privileges, such as sleeping in the bed.
Accustomed to his masters responding to all his requests (cuddles, food, privileges...), he keeps coming back for more and more and becomes this glue pot animal.
"De-ritualize" the departure and return
Another mistake we sometimes tend to make is the departure ritual. For fear of hurting the dog by leaving him alone at home, we start cuddling and petting him just before leaving. This only reinforces the fear of separation. This ritual makes this fear legitimate in his eyes. The same is true for reunions, which aggravate his future anxieties if they are too sentimental.
To reduce this behavior, it is, therefore, advisable to make the departure and the arrival at home become more banal events. No more cuddling and pampering. Instead, it is recommended to be more firm, to wait until the dog has calmed down, and then to call him to congratulate him. The owner should decide when to cuddle the dog, not the other way around.
To make him more independent, it is also important to stop giving him privileges. He should sleep in his own bed, not in his owner's bed. Access to the sofa and to some rooms (children's room, toilets, kitchen...) must be forbidden to him.