Why doesn’t my dog follow me?

If your dog never follows 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 follow you more.

Common reasons why your dog does not follow you are intimidation, injury or illness, an issue with its diet, depression, or it might naturally be independent.

There are actually multiple reasons why your dog might heave been doing it and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are a number of things you can consider when figuring out the main reason and there are a number of things you can do about it.

Reasons why your dog does not follow you

Below are a number of possible causes and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.

Intimidation

It could be the case that it has become intimidated around you. This would be more likely if it stopped following you suddenly after you started shouting or getting mad at it. Instead, it would help to be calm around it and to use positive reinforcement training to change its behavior.

Injury or illness

The cause might also be that it has gotten an injury or illness. This would be more likely if it has stopped following you suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured such as limping or vomiting. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

An issue with its diet

Another possible cause is that it has been having an issue with its diet. This would be more likely if your dog has started behaving differently since a change in its diet or if it behaves differently when it eats certain foods. It would help to ensure that it is eating the right diet and that nobody else has been feeding it without you knowing.

Depression

Dogs can become depressed and it might be the reason why yours has not been following you. This would be more likely if it started behaving differently way since an event that might have caused it to start being depressed such as an owner or another pet dying.

In this case, if it does not begin to improve over the course of a few weeks, it would help to take it to a vet.

Nature

Another possible cause could be that your dog naturally is ok with being alone. This would be more likely if your dog has always not followed you much and it has not suddenly started to behave abnormally.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main cause.

What else happened when it stopped following you

If your dog did follow you before, it would help to consider what else happened when your dog stopped following you since it is likely that there was an event that caused it to start behaving that way. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in its diet, illness or injury, something causing it to be depressed or you suddenly stopped feeding it or giving it exercise yourself.

What is different when it does follow you

If it does follow you sometimes, it would help to consider what is different when it does follow you. For example, if it does follow you before being fed or exercised, it would be likely that it follows you when it wants food or exercise.

What to do about it

Below are some things you can do if you want your dog to follow you more.

Avoid intimidating it

It might be the case that it has been doing it due to being intimidated. Instead, it would help to use positive reinforcement training to get it to behave the way you want and to be calm around it.

Be the one to feed and exercise it

It would also help to ensure that you are the one that feeds it and gives it exercise most of the time. Doing so should get it to pay more attention to you.

Ensure it is not ill or injured

If your dog has been showing signs of being ill or injured or it has started behaving very unusually, the best option would be 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 medical causes.