Why does my dog not hang out with me?

If your dog doesn’t want to hand out with you, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do to get it to start hanging out with you more.

So, why does my dog not want to hang out with me? Possible reasons why your dog has been doing it are that it is depressed, it wants to sleep without being bothered, illness, an issue with its diet or it might think that it is in trouble.

Since there are a number of possible causes, it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the main cause, it should become a lot easier to get your dog to stop doing it. 

Reasons why your dog doesn’t hang out with you

Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been avoiding hanging out with you and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.

Depression

The cause could be that something has been causing it to be depressed. This would be more likely if your dog has started doing it suddenly since an event occurred that might have caused it to become depressed. An example might be if it started doing it suddenly after an owner left home permanently. If the behavior persists, it would help to get the help of a vet. 

It wants to sleep

The cause could also be that it wants to sleep without being bothered. This would be more likely if it only wants to be alone when it is going to sleep and it does not avoid hanging out with you at other times as well.

Illness

The cause could also be that it has gotten an illness and it has been causing your dog to feel fatigued or lethargic. This would be more likely if it has started behaving that way suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being ill by doing things such as vomiting or eating less. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

An issue with its diet

The cause might also be that there is an issue with its diet that is causing it to behave abnormally. It might be eating things that it should not be, it might be eating too much or not enough. This would be more likely if it has started behaving that way suddenly, since a change in its diet or if it does it when it eats certain foods. 

It thinks it’s in trouble

The cause might also be that it thinks it is in trouble. This would be more likely if it tends to avoid you when you have gotten annoyed with it. In this case, it would help to try to change its behavior with the use of positive reinforcement training or Nothing In Life Is Free dog training instead of using a fear-based approach.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it. 

What else happened when it first started

If your dog did not always avoid hanging out with you, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in its diet, illness, injury, mistreatment or something causing it to become depressed.

What is different when your dog wants to hang out with you

It would also help to consider if there is a certain time that your dog tends to do it since the timing could also have something to do with it. For example, if it only does it after eating, it might be the case that it is eating too much, it’s eating things that it shouldn’t be or that it just wants to sleep after eating.

What to do about your dog not wanting to hang out with you

Below are some options you have when getting your dog to stop doing it.

Avoid encouraging the behavior

It could be the case that it has learned that the behavior gets rewarded. Instead, it would help to give your dog rewards when it does hang out with you and to avoid giving it rewards, such as treats or extra attention, when it does not.

Ensure it’s getting the right diet

As mentioned above, it might be the case that it has been doing it due to an issue with its diet. It would help to ensure that it has been eating the correct foods, that it has been eating the right amount of calories and that no one else has been feeding it without telling you.

Be calm with it

As mentioned above, it might be the case that your own behavior has been causing it to get intimidated. It would help to interact with your dog in a calm manner and to try to get it to behave the way you want it to with positive reinforcement training instead of fear based methods.

Positive reinforcement training

Positive reinforcement training is where you encourage your dog to behave the way you want it to by rewarding it when it shows signs of behaving that way. To use it to get it to start hanging out with you, you could give it a reward whenever it does hang out with you but it normally would not.