Why Does My Dog Follow Me Everywhere?

Many of us see every day how our dog follows us to the kitchen, the bedroom, the living room, and even the bathroom. And more than once, the question "why does my dog follow me everywhere?" crosses our mind.

Whether you're patient and don't mind the constant tailing, or you feel a bit overwhelmed by it, you'll surely want to know the answer, so let's dive in.

Pack Instinct

It's often said that, since dogs descend from wolves (Canis lupus), they have an instinct that makes them unconditionally follow the alpha male, as a loyal member of their pack.

But today, that's a bit like saying humans prefer sleeping in the jungle because of some ape instinct. In other words, "pack instinct" has little to do with the reality of why your dog follows you.

Reasons Why Your Dog Follows You

It's been shown that dogs follow a person out of affection, out of love. They know who their "human" is — the one who feeds them, gives them cuddles, pets them, and so on. That's why they get so happy when we come home.

That same love makes them need to be by our side. That's how they feel protected, comfortable, and loved. It's why our dog follows us all around the house, everywhere we go.

• You feed it so it doesn't go hungry
• You also take care of it so it stays healthy and clean
• You pamper it, pet it, and play with it

Humans keep our feelings very much in check, but dogs can't — that's why if we go to the living room, they'll want to come with us, and if we go to the bathroom, they'll want to come too. What's this thing called privacy? Ha!

The Desire to Eat Also Plays a Role

Besides their big heart, we shouldn't forget that dogs have an incredibly developed sense of smell and an insatiable appetite. In other words, besides always being hungry, they can smell food much more intensely than we can.

That's why, if they get the occasional treat from us now and then, it's normal for them to keep us company constantly too, especially on the way to the kitchen — who hasn't given their dog a little bite of their food from time to time?

How to Stop Our Dog From Following Us Around the House

Personally, I think it's a huge mistake to scold our dog for following us — it's like scolding it for loving us, which is absurd. That's why the solution is something much simpler: entertainment.

With my own dogs, it never fails — food beats love in some situations, ha. Try giving your dog a snack it likes and tell it to eat it calmly in its bed.

With my dogs, "nervios" work really well — those are dried bull, ox, or similar animal tendons. Being tough, they keep them busy for a good while chewing to eat them, so they stay entertained in their little beds.

You can also try special dog bones, or a toy you can stuff with some food, like the well-known "KONG for dogs."

Could This Be a Behavioral Problem?

It all depends on how it behaves when we're not home. You'll know you have a problem when you get back and your dog has chewed up furniture or destroyed a cushion or something similar.

When a dog left alone at home causes destruction, it's usually because it suffers from serious separation anxiety from its human, which ends up overexciting it and causing it to lose control.

Otherwise, our dog following us around isn't really a problem. Beyond the lack of privacy — if that bothers you, just apply one of the tricks mentioned above and enjoy ;)

Always remember that even though you might think of it as a pet, to your dog, you're its entire family.