Is it good for a dog to follow his or her owner everywhere?
ByMy gf’s dog will stop whatever he is doing no matter what it is to follow her out of the room. Even if he is doing his favorite thing, such as chewing on his favorite toy or, being petted and such. Why does he do this and how can we stop it. It has caused some problems, for instance yesterday when she left the room he jumped up and bounded to go with her and she almost had the door shut and he tried to squeeze through and knocked a table over that had drinks and other items on it and broke them. She told him to stay(he knows that command well by the way) and still he bounded after her and broke stuff. Also he follows her to inapporpriate places such as the bathroom. Also we think it contributes to his seperation anxiety. Help me please. Only suggestions that will help, please no smart alek answers. I have heard enough of them on this site. By the way he is a 17 month old collie/heeler mix and is about 40 lbs. so he can bump things and scratch you when he is running after her.
He will stay most of the time, I would say 90% at least. I just want him to become more independant. It seems like he thinks he wont be ok without her. If she leaves the room sometimes and he doesn’t make it out with her he whines or lays at the door untill she gets back. It just doesn’t seem mentally healthy for him to be that way. My gf did no training what so ever with the dog I have done it all and have only been in the picture for a few months. She always let him follow her because it was “cute” now it is becoming a problem. I want to know how to fix it, before he breaks anythig else or scrathes me or the kids again, while trying to go with her. It just seems like he HAS to be with her, and I don’t think that can be good for him or his seperation anxiety. Is it because she always let him follow her everywhere before and it is habit or because he has an obsession with her, and doesnt feel like he can survive without her. he lft hs mthr as sn as he 8 solid food, cd ths b y
7 Comments
March 22nd, 2011 at 5:00 am
My friend’s border collie does the same thing. You MUST teach him to STAY. You say he knows that command, but he obviously doesn’t or he would.
Take him to obedience training. (your g/f needs to, since he will listen to her) Have her tell the trainer what his specific problem is so they can tailor the training to his problem.
March 22nd, 2011 at 5:48 am
the dog just wants to make sure that the owner is safe from harm
March 22nd, 2011 at 6:24 am
geeze, the dog loves you, he will stop as he or she gets older.
March 22nd, 2011 at 6:24 am
He is obviously a protective dog, like Lassie. She would always follow the boy to protect him, like from the wolves. So, it’s probably a natural duty for a collie to protect their owner.
March 22nd, 2011 at 6:27 am
He is a working breed in need of a job. His job is apparently to be her dog. I had a heeler that made her job to be my shadow. I liked it, but she wasn’t neurotic about it either. The dog is young, and sounds like a rambunctious teenager. He should not be corrected in anger for this. I would suggest a positive training method such as clicker training. He should be very smart with his genetics, and will pick up on it quickly. Look into clicker training websites, and read the book “Don’t shoot the dog” by Karen Pryor. Most libraries have it.
To begin with, work with him on ONE separation item at a time. His owner could teach the dog to stay in 1 spot while she moves across the room. He could be given a towel in each room to learn to stay on unless she releases him. Start with short periods of time that she moves further away from him, increasing the time as he progresses in his understanding. Make it fun, and make it easy for him to succeed by making it a game and not a punishment. After a while he will get better about it.
Another thing that you can do if it is truly a bother in the house and you need to keep your furniture in one piece is to get eyebolts and attach them low in the wall or by the floor and tie him (rather short) to the eyebolt. Make sure of course that he is comfortable and is only there for brief times, but that will allow her to accustom him to her leaving the room, and coming back.
I would also be sure that the dog is getting enough exercise during the day. Walk him for 1/2 hour at the very least, and if he fetches, be sure that he gets a good 1/2 hour of running after something during the day. Collies are high energy dogs, and the collie heeler mix is an excellent working animal. He can learn to be calmer, but will succeed best in a positive, attaboy environment.
I applaud you in not just getting mad and putting him outside. This dog needs the company of his person and home environment desperately.
March 22nd, 2011 at 7:20 am
You hit the nail on the head: separation anxiety.
There are a series of steps you can take to eleviate this problem. Each of them is EXACTLY the same, but over progressively longer periods of time -until the dog chills out.
Be in the apartment/house with the dog for an hour or so. Then, tell the dog “I’ll be back” and leave. Come back 5 minutes later and say, “I’m back! Did you miss me?” Practice this exercise a few times a day for a few days (or even a week, depending on how smart the breed is). Eventually, you should be adding 10, 20, 30mins, and eventually a whole hour to the delay in returning. Then, progress to multiple hours.
It is VERY important to tell the dog EACH TIME that you will be back. AND greet the dog upon your return. This is reassuring him that you (& gf) will return ever time you leave -regardless of how long it’s been. But you HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT! Regardless of how YOUR day is (i.e., bad mood, etc). It’s actually a good thing that the dog is so young because it’s best to teach them this before they start any REALLY bad habits.
BTW, since we’re talking about a pup, you may want to consider getting anything breakable away from him for a while.
Another thing to consider is that dogs are instictively protective of their owners. Accompanying your gf everywhere may also be for that reason, but that’s mostly found in older dogs.
Good luck.
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:15 am
Sounds like you have a dog with Separation Anxiety (SA). Does he howl or bark or distroy things when she leaves as well?
There are many, many ways to try and help a dog with SA. The first thing is patients!! There isn’t an overnight fix, and dogs with SA can take years to treat. The good news is, that most dogs show great strides in beating their SA with just a little training.
Is he crate or kennel trained? You or your GF may think that crates are cruel or confining, but in reality – dogs are den animals. When trained correctly, dogs will come to think of their crate as “their” place. You can buy a crate for relatively inexpensive – just make sure it’s big enough to house your dog comfortably. If you’re not willing to go the crate route, choose a small – realitively dog proof – room in the house (eg: the bathroom or a small bedroom). Make it “fun” for the dog to go in there. Treats, praise, etc. When she leaves the house, put the dog in the crate or room. If the dog freaks out, start small. Put him in the crate for 2 minutes. Praise the dog while it’s going into the crate – but make coming out a relatively non-exciting experience (goal here is to make going into the crate positive, coming out of the crate no big deal). Leave for 2 minutes, then 5 then 15, etc… Soon, the dog should start feeling comfortable in the crate, and less anxious about you leaving. You can enhance the crate experience by using toys like stuffed kongs, nylabones, etc.
Dogs with SA are not comfortable or they do not feel safe when they’re alone. You could also try using a DAP diffuser (emits doggie hormones – I know, completely crazy right?). DAP’s are well documented in calming high anxiety dogs. They’re available at most pet stores and plug into your outlet just like a glade plug in. They are not smellable to humans.
The dog has identified your GF with being happy, safe and comfortable. If you can teach the dog that these feelings are possible even when she’s not in the room, your SA problem will go a long way in being resolved.
You can also try looking up SA on the net.
Good Luck!