Dogs have been integral members of human society for centuries. The process of their domestication began approximately 12,000 years ago. Since then, they have served various roles in our lives such as aiding in hunting, managing livestock, and emerging as cherished companions. Lately, they’ve begun to accompany us even within our homes! Have you ever pondered why dogs trail after us?
There are many reasons why your furry friend might be following you from room to room or down the street: maybe he wants attention, needs to go outside, is hungry, or wants some playtime with you. Does the last one seem like it would be easy enough to answer? How can you tell which reason it is that’s causing their behaviour?
Read on for more information on all four possibilities and how best to handle them when the time comes.
They Want Your Attention
One of the most common reasons dogs might follow you from room to room or out the door is that they want some attention from their humans. We all know how great it feels to get affection, and our canine companions are no different-if. We can give them a little love for following us, then a lot of the time, they’ll choose to follow us again in the future! Making sure that you’re giving your pet enough attention can help reduce unwanted behaviours.
Try spending some time with them every day, whether it’s taking them for a walk or just saying hello when you come home from work. Just make sure that if your dog isn’t asking for affection, they aren’t getting too much giving your dog attention when they don’t need it. It can actually reinforce the behaviour, meaning that it’ll be more likely to continue happening in the future.
They Need to Go Outside
Another reason dogs might follow you from room to room is that they want to go outside. While some dogs will automatically go potty when they wake up in the morning, others prefer to wait until you get home from work or head outside yourself. Also, dogs taking medications may have to go out more frequently than usual if they have difficulty holding it.
Dogs eliminating more often is a sign of certain health problems, so it’s always best to bring them to the vet if they are doing this more than weekly. However, there are also times when it might be best to let your dog hold his bladder-such as during active playtime or when you’re expecting him to calm down for a long period of time, like when he’s sleeping at night. During these periods, it might be best to let your dog find another way to get rid of energy, and you can always go for a walk together afterward.
They’re Hungry
You might notice that your pet is following you around if they are hungry, too! If you feed your pup at specific times each day, then he will begin to grow accustomed to when you’re going to do so. He will soon learn that he might get a treat or a meal out of it if he follows you. Of course, there are other reasons why your dog is following you besides wanting dinner-but this is one of the most common. If your canine companion knows where their food comes from and they have been fed recently, then this isn’t why they’re following you.
They Want to Play with You
Dogs follow us around all the time for various reasons, and one of those might be because they want to have some playtime with you! If your dog has been cooped up inside all day or is just feeling particularly playful, then you might notice him following you around the house. When they do so, it’s usually with their tail up, and a wagging-it can be hard to resist playing with them when they’re showing this kind of excitement!
During playtime, your dog may also be more likely to follow you from room to room-this is because when they play, they are using up energy. When there isn’t enough room to run around in one or two places, your dog might follow you into another part of the house so that there is more space to do their favourite thing. Of course, it’s also possible for dogs to follow us because they want to play outside, just like when they want to go potty. However, many dogs will follow us around because they want some fun.
How to Stop Dogs from Following You
Turning in the opposite direction to show that you aren’t in the mood for playtime. Another option is to literally show them what they need when this happens-if your dog needs outside, then take them on a walk! For dogs with stubborn behaviours, make sure you are ignoring it entirely. This is not easy if your furry friend decides to follow nothing but you around, but it can help with timeouts and just being repeatedly consistent with whatever routine you have set up for them.
Is it true that food is the number one thing that can make your dog follow you around all day?
It’s hard to say with absolute certainty what is the number one thing that can make your dog follow you around all day, but we know that food is definitely a major weight in the decision. Dogs (and nearly every animal on Earth) constantly go about their lives looking for food and seeking ways they might find sustenance. This means that when it comes time to decide whether or not they want to follow you around like a little puppy, most dogs will probably make up their minds based on how hungry they currently are.
Eventually, with time and persistence, most dogs learn boundaries and limits of patience-but at first, most pups won’t go beyond these guidelines unless there was something in it for them. This has less to do with being obedient and more to do with survival instincts.
Dogs were originally kept as entertainment pets, so the more loyal your dog is to you, the less likely it will be for them to wander off on their own. They are essentially domesticated wolves that have been tamed by humans-and just like any other animal on Earth, and they will ultimately follow their instincts wherever they take them.
What are some ways to speed up training a puppy not to follow their owners around the house?
It is hard to predict what training will be like and take place until the dog has been born. Science has revealed that dogs are self-domesticated, meaning that it suffices humans to perform simple tasks such as feeding and taking care of them, so they do not need human contact. Nevertheless, there are a few things people can do to train their pet puppy not to follow them around the house:
- Reward your dog when they have followed a command.
- Make it motivating by giving them treats or using affectionate gestures if they do what you ask. This way, your furry friend knows the difference between right and wrong behaviour, and because what goes unpunished sticks with one’s mind more than what has been punished, it is more likely for your dog to make the right choices in the future.
- Be patient! For example, if you don’t want them running around while you’re cooking dinner, then get a doggy gate and put them on the other side of it where there’s more room for them to be active while you take care of the cooking. If they have more room to walk around, then there are fewer chances that they will follow you into another part of the house so that there is more space for them to do their favourite thing! Of course, it’s also possible for dogs to follow us because they want to play outside, just like when they follow us to the kitchen for food, they might follow us outside if there is a chance it could lead them to the fun.
Conclusion
Usually, dogs will follow their humans because they want some attention or affection-however, there are times when it might be due to other reasons altogether. And if your pet is following you from room to room, then it is probably due to one of the reasons described above.
In most cases, you should be able to identify which behaviour your canine companion is doing when they follow you. If it’s the attention they want, then lavish them with praise and pets. But if it’s simply a case of their bladder being full, then give them some time to themselves.
