Why does my dog want me to pick him up?

If your dog wants you to pick it up, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about them.

So, why does my dog want me to pick him up? Likely reasons why your dog wants you to pick it up are that it likes the attention, it is fearful, it wants something from you or separation anxiety.

There are actually a number of possible reasons why your dog wants you to pick him up and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.

Why does my dog want me to pick him up?

Below are likely reasons why your dog wants you to pick it up and what would make each of them more likely.

Your dog likes the attention

The reason why your dog wants you to pick it up could be that it simply likes the attention. This would be more likely if your dog wants you to pick it up more when you have not been giving it much attention in a while and if it tends to get excited when you pick it up. In this case, it could help to give it attention throughout the day by playing with it, training it and petting it.

Fearfulness

It could also be the case that it does it because something is causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it tends to do it when there are things that might be causing it to be fearful such as when there are people or animals around that it does not like or when there are loud noises inside or outside. In this case, it could help to let it stay in a different part of the house.

Your dog wants something from you

The cause could also be that your dog actually is trying to tell you that it wants something from you. This would be more likely if your dog tends to want you to pick it up before you have given it food or exercise.

Separation anxiety

The cause might also be that it has some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it does it more just before you leave home or shortly after you arrive home and if it starts getting anxious when you are leaving it.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.

If your dog has always wanted you to pick it up

If your dog did not always want you to pick it up, it would help to consider what else happened when your dog first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as moving homes, a change in the home environment or because you stopped giving it as much attention as normal.

The timing of when your dog wants you to pick it up

It would also help to consider the timing of when your dog wants you to pick it up since the timing could have something to do with it. For example, if it tends to want you to pick it up first thing in the morning, the cause could be separation anxiety or because it wants you to feed it.

What to do about my dog wanting me to pick it up?

Below are some things you can do about your dog wanting you to pick it up.

Limit reasons why it might be anxious

It would help to limit reasons why your dog might be anxious by doing things such as letting it stay in a different part of the house and feeding it, exercising it and letting it pee before leaving it for a long time.

Give it attention throughout the day

It would also help to give your dog attention throughout the day by doing things such as play with it, train it and give it exercise so that it is less likely to try to get attention from you.

Reward it when it is well behaved

It would also help to encourage your dog to behave the way you want it to by rewarding it whenever it behaves that way with attention and treats and by trying to limit the attention and rewards you give it when it does not behave well.

Get help

If your dog has been behaving very unusually and you are not sure why, it could help to get help from a dog behaviorist in your area. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your specific dog.

Why does my dog want me to hold it?

Likely reasons why your dog always wants you to hold it are that it likes the attention or that something is causing it to feel anxious. It would help to consider the timing of when your dog wants you to hold it and the body language that it shows.