There are a number of causes for your dog to be overly attached. It might just be a taught tendency, or it might indicate a problem. The best course of action is to schedule a consultation with your vet so that you can jointly identify the reason for your dog’s clinginess.
The following are some typical causes of dogs’ clinginess:
Learned Behavior
Dogs’ clinginess is frequently a learnt behavior. Dogs pick up this habit from people through the interactions we have with them. Your dog will learn that following you will result in some sort of reward if you always offer them food when they follow you into the kitchen or pet them whenever they lie next to you.
Puppies might develop a fear of being alone and a desire to stay by your side if you offer them continual attention while they are growing.
Illness or Aging
Older dogs that have lost their hearing or vision, or those who are suffering from cognitive decline, may suddenly become clinging because they are starting to feel unfamiliar with their surroundings.
Clingy dogs can also develop in sick or bored animals. To find out what might be causing the new clinging behavior, talk to your veterinarian.
Anxiety and Stress
Dogs with anxiety problems may exhibit clinging behaviour. It’s interesting to note that dogs might exhibit clinginess if they detect our tension or stress.
If you alter their daily routine or make stressful changes to the house or household, dogs may also get overly attached.
Clingy Dog Breeds
In addition to all of these factors, some dog breeds are prone to clinginess. Shih Tzus, for instance, tend to be needy dogs who make good lapdogs. Additionally, working dogs who are bred to be dependent can exhibit clinginess.
Separation Anxiety
Dog clinginess may also be a sign of separation anxiety, a more serious behavioral issue. Understanding the difference between a clingy dog and a dog suffering from separation anxiety may help you determine the best way to handle the behavior. For this, you will require the assistance of your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist.
Separation anxiety and clinginess are comparable but not identical. The main difference between them is how a dog responds when separated from its owner or owners.
When you’re at home, clingy dogs want to be near you, but they don’t become anxious when you’re not. When you’re not home, a dog who has separation anxiety becomes terrified.
When left alone, dogs with separation anxiety act out in destructive ways. Constant whining, pacing, destructive chewing, and peeing or defecating inside the house are examples of this type of behavior.
When clinginess develops into separation anxiety, it becomes an issue. It’s time to investigate separation anxiety and seek professional behavioral assistance if a clinging dog suddenly starts acting worried or panicked when left alone.
You can make behavioral changes to lessen the anxiety with the assistance of a veterinarian behaviorist. The good news is that not all clingy dogs experience separation anxiety.
Why does my dog cling to me and show affection?
Your dog cuddles up to express its love.”
As Dr. Joanna Woodnutt, MRCVS, a veterinarian tells Romper, “We also know that dogs can smell the oxytocin that our body releases from their interaction when they get close to us.” “Their bodies respond by releasing their own oxytocin when they smell this hormone.
Why do dogs develop such strong bonds with their owners?
If your dog follows you around all the time, you’ll probably either think it’s adorable or become bored of nearly falling over him all the time. In either case, it helps to comprehend some of the scientific principles that may explain why your dog certification may always be by your side.
Reinforcement. If their relationship is combined over time with a lot of positive reinforcement, dogs will frequently follow their owners. For instance, if a dog discovers that a certain person is the source of pleasant things like food, pats, and enjoyable activities, the dog may be more inclined to follow that person.
breed characteristics. Some breeds are more likely to be “velcro dogs,” particularly those that have been developed for working with people for centuries. A dog that constantly wants to be by your side is said to be a velcro dog. Velcro dogs are known for their clinginess and their want to stay near their owners.
Companionship. Some dogs simply prefer the companionship of their human owners, which is perhaps the most obvious explanation. Natural selection developed canines to become human companions during the course of domestication. Nowadays, domesticated dogs and people form bonds like to those between parents and children. This is how our relationship with dogs has changed as a result of domestication.
Separation phobia. When dogs become sad because they are separated from their owners, separation anxiety is set off. Dog owners frequently unintentionally foster canine separation anxiety. We make a huge deal out of leaving or coming home, which reinforces the dog’s anxiety and causes him further discomfort each time we go.
How do you handle an overly attached dog?
One of the best characteristics of their species is a dog’s unwavering loyalty. Your dog could, however, become overly attached to you—a Velcro dog that follows you around wherever you go.
If your dog displays destructive actions as a result of separation anxiety, it becomes a problem, even if you don’t mind them resting their head on your lap while you watch television.
While encouraging them to develop their own comfort and amusement at their own pace, you can take pleasure in your dog’s devotion.
Why Your Clingy Dog Won’t Leave You Alone
Some breeds have a higher hereditary propensity for clinginess. Chihuahuas and pugs, two breeds of lapdog, frequently develop strong attachments to their owners. In addition to being clingy, people-pleasers like Labrador Retrievers can be. Even dogs of the same breed have different personality characteristics.
Dogs can occasionally become overly attached simply because we let them by giving them too much attention. The level of clinginess that is appropriate is entirely up to you; if it’s becoming a problem, you might need to reduce how often you pet them.
It’s crucial to establish limits. Your dog can be trained to go to their bed or box when they are stepping on something. Excessively clinging habits, such your dog crying or pawing at you for attention, will soon end if you ignore them.
Understand Your Dog’s Possible Fear Or Pain
Clinginess may be your dog’s attempt to cope with pain or fear if it is a new behavior.
Have your neighbors recently used fireworks? Is the “poke and grab stage” beginning for your child?
Senior dogs who are suffering from dementia, hearing loss, or vision loss may at times cling to their owners for support.
According to Patricia McConnell, there is no danger in consoling an anxious dog; doing so won’t make them more frightened.
If your dog is gradually trained to have more positive feelings about the things that worry them, they can become less fearful and more independent when it comes to thunderstorms, fireworks, and new living conditions. Your dog should have a secure place to go in the interim so they won’t rely as much on you for comfort.
Your Dog’s Safe Space
A excellent approach to keep our dog out of mischief and provide them with a comfortable sanctuary for rest and relaxation is to crate train them.
Because of this, it’s critical that your dog always has a happy crate experience. Allow your dog to enter and exit the crate at their discretion by leaving the door open. Make it more attractive by putting food, gifts, or toys inside. At least until they get used to it, you might want to keep it where your dog can see you.
Use Interactive Toys For Independent Play
Dogs frequently neglect their toys unless you are nearby to play with them. If you’re not there to throw them, stuffed animals and balls seem to be useless.
Some toys are interactive, so your dog can enjoy playing with them without your assistance.
Toy puzzles are one illustration. You can buy puzzle toys from Ethical Pet, such as the Seek-A-Treat range. You may even give making your own puzzle toys a shot. Try putting sweets in some of the muffin pan’s cups before covering them all with tennis balls. In order to get to the rewards, your dog will lift the balls.
Canines detect death?
Dogs have an enhanced sense of smell and energy, which allows them to understand human emotions before humans do and to piece together an entire tale from a single scent. In addition to these, they can also detect human disease and demise.
Dogs have been used by humans to sniff out drugs and bombs, but did you know that because of their enhanced sense of smell, they can also pick up on human illnesses? They can detect the little alteration in the body’s chemical composition in a sick person. Dogs are therefore capable of detecting the onset of migraines, heart attacks, cancer, seizures, narcolepsy, and low blood sugar in their owners. If you’re still unsure, read these real-life accounts.
Can dogs detect your health problems?
All of us have experienced the dreadful flu or other disease that knocked us off our feet, but some of us have an additional healing assistance nearby—our pets! My dog stays right by my side while I’m ill, as though keeping watch till I get better. Even my clients’ dogs, who I walk and care for on a professional level, seem to be able to tell when I’m feeling under the weather because they cuddle up a little sweeter and understand that our walk won’t be as vigorous that day. Can dogs, however, actually tell when we are ill?
Yes, it is the answer. Particularly dogs have a variety of unique cues that allow them to determine whether a person is sick or not. One of these involves their extraordinary olfactory faculties, or more accurately, their astounding sense of smell. A certain canine breeds may have up to 40–50 times as many scent receptors as an average human, giving them an approximately 100,000 times greater sense of smell than we do. A dog’s sensitive sniffer may be able to detect these minute changes, alerting them to the fact that humans are ill. When a person is ill, their body chemistry will change. Dogs can be taught to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in human tissue, aiding in the early diagnosis of diseases like cancer. A trained dog’s nose can locate a breast tumor, smell lung cancer on someone’s breath, or detect bladder or prostate cancer in someone’s urine with 90% or more accuracy. A dog’s nose can detect variations in blood sugar, the presence of ketones in diabetics, or the impending onset of a seizure in an individual with epilepsy. Therefore, if your dog seems to be more focused on a certain area of your body than usual, it may be time to pay attention to them and have it examined.
Dogs are particularly adept at detecting human happiness. They have the ability to smell and feel changes in our mood-enhancing hormones, including as oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. These hormones frequently drop when we are ill, and our pets are frequently the first to notice it. This may help to explain the common behavior of pets to curl up near to sick or downhearted owners. Your dog undoubtedly senses that being around them makes you happier and ultimately makes you feel better because doing so frequently will raise these feel-good hormones. Happiness is contagious, after all, so your pet will feel good about lifting your spirits. Gain, gain! This aspect must be taken into consideration while discussing whether or not dogs have empathy.
Our canine friends are astute monitors of our behavior and frequently pick up on minor variations in our daily routines to determine whether we’re feeling under the weather. Perhaps we are less alert and mobile than normal, or we have unexpectedly taken a few days off from work. Your pets can tell you are feeling under the weather since they can easily detect the lack of energy you may have when you are unwell.
Dogs are known to be able to read our facial emotions. Our dogs notice when we start to lose our energy when we are unwell and exhausted. When a dog notices a change in our actions or facial expression, a typical reaction is one of appeasement. Owners frequently tell me that their dog will lick their tears away when they are upset, as if sensing that solace is required.
Early-life bonding
The early months of a puppy’s existence, also referred to as the “socialization stage,” have a significant influence on its growth. As a result, during this crucial period, dogs frequently develop strong, lifelong ties with whoever feeds, plays, and generally looks after them the most.
Even if the person they developed a link with has passed away, a dog may still appreciate those who are similar to them. For instance, even if their new human parents are women, they can seem to prefer men if their primary carer while they were puppies was a man.
Are you concerned that your adult dog might have been raised to prefer someone else? The following element may help you win your dog’s approval.
Time, attention, and affection
Dogs tend to form deep relationships with those who provide them the greatest affection and attention (such as through feeding, training, and playing). And keep in mind that in this case, quality matters more than number.
A fun game of fetch or a demanding workout will have a greater positive impact on your relationship than binge-watching Netflix together and other idle pursuits. Check out our breed-specific guide on speaking your dog’s love language if you’re unsure of the kinds of things your dog would find meaningful.
Positive associations
Probably familiar with the adage “what gets rewarded stays in fashion. This adage holds true whether you’re trying to teach your dog a new trick or just improve your relationship with them. There is a reason why vets are so eager to hand out dog treats; they are attempting to foster goodwill because what follows may not be very pleasant.
The easiest approach to train your dog to link you with pleasant things is to always have a tasty reward available when you greet them. Additionally, you want to avoid negative interactions like stern correction or reprimanding. (In addition, the majority of dogs react far better to praise.)
Personality alignment
Have you ever observed that dogs frequently bear some resemblance to their owners? It has been scientifically demonstrated that individuals favor dogs that are physically similar to them in some way; this is not just a coincidence.
The same is true for personality, which is strange. Dogs often have personalities that are similar to the individuals they enjoy spending time with. A Golden Retriever, for example, might get along best with an outgoing, vivacious individual. However, a Basset Hound would probably feel more at ease with a distant or reserved person.
The more in common you have with a dog, the more likely it is that you will develop deep friendships, much like in human relationships.
Breed tendencies
Let’s discuss about breeds while we’re talking about personalities. Dogs have been developed for specialized tasks throughout history, from eradicating pests to protecting property. As a result, depending on their ancestry, pups frequently have different temperaments. This affects both how they develop relationships with humans and the types of pets they produce.
