Why does my dog walk backward out of a room?

If your dog has been walking backwards out of a room a lot, 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 about them.

So, why does my dog walk backward out of a room? Possible reasons why your dog walks backwards out of rooms are that it feels like it does not have room to turn, it wants to see what you are doing, injury, or being anxious and not wanting to turn its back on something.

There are multiple possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are a number of things you can do about it.

Reasons why your dog walks backward out of a room

Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been walking backwards out of a room.

It feels like it doesn’t have room to turn

The cause could be that your dog does not feel like it has room to turn. This would be more likely if your dog walks back between tight doorways and it only does it sometimes when it changes its mind about going into a room.

It wants to watch what you are doing

Another possible cause is that it wants to see what you are doing it. This would be more likely if it tends to walk backwards when you are also walking out of the room and it is in front of you.

Injury

Another possible cause is that it has an injury on one of its feet that is causing it to have pain when turning around. This would be more likely if your dog has started doing it suddenly and if it has been showing signs of being injured such as limping. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Anxiety

Another possible cause is that something has been causing it to be anxious and it wants to watch it when your dog is walking out of rooms. This would be more likely if your dog has been walking backwards when other pets have been around or a certain person that it does not like.

Brain injury

There are some brain injuries that can cause the behavior and it might be why your dog has been doing it. This would be more likely if your dog has started doing it suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of having a brain injury such as having seizures and being sick a lot. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

It just prefers to do it

It could also be the case that your dog just prefers to do it because it feels more comfortable. This would be more likely if your dog has not been doing it constantly, it has not been showing signs of being injured and it has not been behaving unusually in other ways as well.

Things to consider

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

If it has always done it

If your dog did not always walk backwards, it would help to consider if anything else changed when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it might be due to injury, a brain issue, another pet causing it to be anxious, or something else.

What is different when it does it

If it does not always do it, it would also help to consider what is different when it does it. For example, if it only does it when you are also walking out of the room, it is likely that it does it because it wants to watch what you are doing.

What to do about your dog walking backward out of a room

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

Take it to a vet

If your dog has started doing it suddenly, or you are not sure why your dog has been doing it, it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular dog and to rule out the possibility of injury being the main cause.

Avoid encouraging it

It might be the case that it has learned that the behavior gets rewarded. Instead, it would help to reward your dog when it behaves the way you want it to and to avoid rewarding it when it does not.