Does anyone else have a very needy dog??

[kdibattista]

I know this sounds strange but my dog (the one in my sig) is driving me nuts. He is by far the best tempered dog I have ever had and I love him to death... absolutely adore him but his is also the neediest dog I have ever had. He's on top of me at all times. As I'm sitting here typing he's sitting practically on me swatting me with his paws to give him attention. If I go to the bathroom he sits outside the door whining. When I'm on the couch, he's on my lap. If I'm trying to clean, he's practically up my butt the entire time from room to room. If I raise my voice when he gets really annoying he runs to his crate and pouts... I swear, the dog pouts . It's driving me insane. Believe me... he gets PLENTY of attention from us. He also has access to the outside a good bit and we have another dog as well so I know he's not bored. He doesn't have separation anxiety but he just thinks that we are here on this earth to give him attention ALL. DAY. LONG.

Has anyone else had such a needy dog... any ideas

 

[ninjashoes]

I have an american eskimo who acts like a spoiled child. If you dont give him attention he goes into depression mode.

 

[Cindy B]

My poodle is like that as well. He needs to be next to you the entire day. Just now, its very windy in S. Jersey, and he's coming over and barking at me because the tree branches are moving.

If I'm on the computer he's right at my feet. If I'm upstairs, he follows me. If he's bad with me, he's completely worse for my husband. He works from home so the dog is his shadow all the time.

 

[poohandwendy]

Yes, that describes my Comet to the T. Constantly underfoot or on lap, or in my face. He really needs puppy Prozac, he is so needy and clingy. And the weird thing is that he looks very much like your dog (except much older and gray in the muzzle) I think we discussed this a long time ago, in a pm.

My DH saw your siggie picture once and said "OMG, they have a Comet too"

This is an old grainy picture of him, but it's the only one I have in my photobucket album right now:

 

[THE HAT]

our dog a 100lb lab (male) lives up my butt. If I stop on the stairs he runs into me as he is that close at all times. When I shower he has to be in the bathroom, and lays in front of the tub waiting for me. The absolute worse is when I am making the beds and go from one side to the other pulling up blankets and sheets...he follows me from side to side. He is also deathly afraid that the ironing board is going to attack me, and has to be in between it and me when I open it up, either that or he is jealous of me spending time with the clothes and not him. He is not allowed down in the basement as that is where the cats stuff is so when I go down to do laundry he sticks his big head through the cat hole and whines. He is the same way and if I raise my voise he goes and pouts in his crate as well. He is the best dog ever, and we love him to death. He thinks he is a lap dog which we find amusing given his size.
My vet said that male dogs tend to be a bit needier then females, and labs even more so.
SOOO nope you are not alone.

 

[kdibattista]

Awww... Comet is sooooooo cute!!!!

One day I must not have closed the bathroom door all the way when I was getting a shower. Next thing I know he's nosing his way around the shower curtain and peeking in... scared me to death . I got out and he was laying right next to the tub.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Do you really want the answer to this?

OK...here ya' go.

Stop giving him affection all the time. Only give it to him when he earns it. Pawing you is a "owning sign"...It means the dog is brazen and is demanding pets from you. That is not a healthy state of mind for a dog.

An insecure dog wants YOU to be the boss. So shooing him away when he is in your space will actually make him happier. I know that sounds dumb, but it is true.

Have him earn all praise. Dogs love to earn their praise!!!
Walk the dog...walk, walk, walk....part of it is he needs exercise thru walking with his pack. He is bored. Make sure you heel him or add accessories for a harder workout.
If you have trouble walking them go to Cesar Milan's site and get an illusion collar.
I am going to get them for my dogs. Also my lab mix really seems to love a harness, like for the blind. We are looking into to getting that for him because he is a different dog while he wears different stuff for a walk.
The primal instinct comes out in him...it is weird.

That is what a dog wants most of all. A tired dog is a happy dog.

Oh and I have Butters...a rescue who was so insecure the wind scared him.

Needy and insecure is the hardest work you will ever do with a dog. Good Luck!

 

[crz4mm2]

Our Lab (2 yo) is neurotic too LOL. She is DH's dog and we adopted her from another couple who could not keep her due to a move.
She was with them just a few short months so has had several families. She follows DH EVERYWHERE. Has to be within inches of him. If he is not at home, she goes and gets every shoe, or article of clothing she can find that belongs to him and brings them into the living room. weird!
Guess she thinks that makes her 'closer' to him

 

[poohandwendy]

Awww... Comet is sooooooo cute!!!!

One day I must not have closed the bathroom door all the way when I was getting a shower. Next thing I know he's nosing his way around the shower curtain and peeking in... scared me to death . I got out and he was laying right next to the tub.

LOL, but can't you see the sad, needy look on his face? He has that look perfected. He always looks forlorn. It;s why he always seems to get his way. Many nights, my DH and I are shoved to the far side of the bed and Comet is lounging, spread out...taking up 3/4 of the bed. If we try to get him to move, he plays dead...a big old lump who refuses to move. It's so pathetic...

 

[kdibattista]

Perfect example just happened....

I was at the stove making some Cream of Wheat and didn't realize he was RIGHT behind me laying down.... I just stepped on his paw

 

[kdibattista]

Do you really want the answer to this?

OK...here ya' go.

Stop giving him affection all the time. Only give it to him when he earns it. Pawing you is a "owning sign"...It means the dog is brazen and is demanding pets from you. That is not a healthy state of mind for a dog.

An insecure dog wants YOU to be the boss. So shooing him away when he is in your space will actually make him happier. I know that sounds dumb, but it is true.

Have him earn all praise. Dogs love to earn their praise!!!
Walk the dog...walk, walk, walk....part of it is he needs exercise thru walking with his pack. He is bored. Make sure you heel him or add accessories for a harder workout.
If you have trouble walking them go to Cesar Milan's site and get an illusion collar.
I am going to get them for my dogs. Also my lab mix really seems to love a harness, like for the blind. We are looking into to getting that for him because he is a different dog while he wears different stuff for a walk.
The primal instinct comes out in him...it is weird.

That is what a dog wants most of all. A tired dog is a happy dog.

Oh and I have Butters...a rescue who was so insecure the wind scared him.

Needy and insecure is the hardest work you will ever do with a dog. Good Luck!

Wow... very insightful. Thanks

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Perfect example just happened....

I was at the stove making some Cream of Wheat and didn't realize he was RIGHT behind me laying down.... I just stepped on his paw

Start shooing him away to gain some personal space. It will take some time but he will learn that there is a new sheriff in town.
All pets must be earned...all of them.

The good news is dogs pick up on things right away...it is the people that are hard to change.

 

[KimR]

I had a Doberman that was exactly the same way. He was an amazing dog but what I wouldn't have given sometimes for a little peace. He was constantly underfoot. We had a fenced in yard for him but he never went out there except to do his business and then he came right back inside. He loved his walks though, so it's not like he didn't want to be outside. He just wanted to be with us all the time.

It was funny because at the time we had him my sister was also living with us and as soon as we left for work in the morning he'd go upstairs and jump in bed with her. Nothing like being woken up in the morning by a 95 lb dog jumping on your bed! I sometimes wonder what he did when noone was home - pout, I would imagine. He really did not like to be alone at all.

 

[janey99]

Hi - My name is Janey99 and I have a needy dog . . . please tell me you're starting a support group!

Our pitbull Tucker is so needy it defies reason. We actually have another dog so they can keep each other company, but Tucker is sooooo annoying that Bailey spends half the day hiding from him and the other half of the day growling at him. Although they have separate and multiple beds around the house, he can only sleep in her bed with her. He follows her around unmercifully - he compulsively licks her ears and face, when she lays down he stands over her or collapses completely on top of her, when I pet Bailey he runs over and jams himself in between us.

I have recently changed my work schedule so I am home 3 days a week (yay me!). I now realize the extent of Tucker's neediness. In addition to all the things he does to Bailey all day, he also now follows me around the house making this infuriating whining/keening sound, kind of like a nervous groan. If I sit down, he tries to crawl into the chair with me, and if it's not a chair that makes it easy, he puts his front paws up on me and tries to bury his nose in my armpit. If I'm cooking (standing for long periods), he stands RIGHT behind me with his nose touching the back of my knee. Sometimes, just so I remember he's there, he'll jab me with his nose. If I go to the bathroom and close the door (because yes, we need to share those moments too!), he jams his nose to the crack in the door and inhales deeply and loudly until I come out. By mid afternoon I have to gate him in his room so I can get two minutes to myself.

The only person who can stand Tucker's neediness is 8yo DS - he's in the puppy pile stage with his dogs, so he loves nothing more than laying on the floor in a pile with Tucker and rolling around.

We have NO IDEA why he is like this, but I feel your pain!

Jane

 

[kdibattista]

Hi - My name is Janey99 and I have a needy dog . . . please tell me you're starting a support group!

 

[Shugardrawers]

Petey is my little velcro dog. Wherever I am he has to be. I got Petey just a few months before I got sick so the majority of his life has been spent closed up in the house with me, lying around. As a result, he's just kind of lost when I'm not around. Over the weekend we went shopping with friends. Some stores the dogs could go into and some they couldn't. Uncle Matt got to poodle sit when they couldn't. He likes Uncle Matt. He likes his buddy Reilly. But you'd think I tied him up on a street corner and left him for weeks the way he carried on so

He's clearly much too attached to me, but for a long time, aside from Dh, he was the only real company I had. As much as I admire Cesar Milan and his way with rehabilitating dogs, I don't want to change him. That dependence is what helped me through some dark days. He does need more socialization though and we are working on that. If/when I can go back to work I want to put him in doggy day care where he can have fun with other dogs and not just lay on human laps all day. He needs the doggy companionship too.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I also have needy dogs. They aren't that way all the time and are fine a lot of the day, but there are times that they are obnoxious. I used to think that it was just the personality of our older dog, but then when we adopted the younger dog and she became that way I realized that we are bad dog owners and don't know how to say "no". The Mystery Machine is right on with the advice--at least I know that in my head. My problem is that I've treated our dogs like I treat our cats and it just doesn't work the same. Thankfully the rest of my family isn't so wussy with them and the dogs aren't like this all the time, so it isn't a terrible issue, but if the time ever comes that we get another dog, I need to go to owner obedience FIRST.