Why Does My Dog Follow Me Everywhere?

The ordinary reasons

• You are the source of good things. Food, walks, doors, play. Following pays.
• Breed instinct. Herding and companion breeds were bred to stay near people.
• Habit. If following has always been rewarded with attention, it continues.
• Attachment. You are the dog's safe base, and dogs check in with their safe base often.
• Boredom. A dog with nothing to do follows the only thing that moves.

When it is something else

• The dog cannot settle even when you are home and still, and paces whenever you stand up.
• The dog panics when you pick up keys or put on shoes, well before you leave.
• The dog will not eat while you are out, and only relaxes when you return.
• The dog follows you while visibly tense: tucked tail, panting, whale eye.
• The dog injures itself, destroys doors or howls when left. That needs a vet and a behaviourist, not a stricter routine.

How to build a dog that can settle alone

1. Put a bed or mat in the room where you spend most of the day, and reward the dog for lying on it.
2. Ask for a settle for a few seconds, then release. Build to a minute, then five.
3. Move to a second room while the dog stays on its mat, and return before the dog gets up.
4. Practise leaving the house for a minute, then five, then twenty, without a fuss on either side.
5. Keep departures and arrivals boring. No long goodbyes, no dramatic welcomes.
6. Give the dog something to do when you leave: a stuffed toy, a long-lasting chew, a puzzle feeder.

Why routine makes this easier

A dog that knows exactly when meals, walks and rest happen does not need to monitor you to work out what is coming next. Predictable days produce calmer dogs, and calmer dogs settle alone more easily. If you are away, a sitter who keeps those times identical gets a much less anxious dog.

If you are going away

A dog that follows you closely at home can be clingy in a new place too. Tell the sitter, keep the routine written down, and leave something that smells of home. For dogs that struggle most, a sitter who is home all day is a better fit than a household where the dog would spend hours alone.