Why doesn’t my dog love me anymore?

It’s hard not to take it personally when your dog doesn’t seem to love you anymore. After all, dogs are generally so happy to see their owners when they come home and when they are around their owners. So why do they stop being so affectionate? There are a few possibilities here and this post will show them to you.

So, why doesn’t my dog love me anymore? Likely reasons why your dog does not seem to love you anymore are intimidation, injury, illness, a change in its environment, or that you have been interacting with it differently.

There are a number of possible reasons why your dog seems to have stopped loving you and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.

Reasons why your dog stopped loving you

Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog has stopped loving you and what would make them more likely.

Intimidation

It might be the case that you have been intimidating it. You might have been intimidating it by approaching it too quickly, being too loud or aggressive around it or because you accidentally hurt it. Instead, it would help to be calm with it and to approach it slowly.

Injury or illness

Another possible cause is that it has gotten an injury or illness. This would be more likely if your dog has started behaving differently suddenly and if it has been showing others signs of illness or injury such as not moving around as much or being fatigued. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

A change in its environment

The cause might also be that there has been a change in its environment. Changes could include getting another pet that intimidates it or new noises in your environment causing it to hide.

It thinks you do not want it to show affection

It could also be the case that it thinks you do not want it to be affectionate. This would be more likely if your dog has stopped being affectionate since you stopped giving it as much attention yourself or since you started moving it away when it came near to you.

An issue with its diet

The cause could also be that an issue with its diet has been causing it to behave differently. It might be eating too much, not enough, or it might be eating things it should not be. An issue with its diet would be more likely if it has started behaving differently since a change in its diet or when it eats certain food.

Not enough exercise

A part of the cause might also be that it is under stimulated. This would be more likely if it has started behaving that way since getting less exercise and if its behavior improves after getting exercise.

You started petting it differently

It could be the case that there is an issue with the way you have been petting it. It could be the case that you have been petting it too strongly or you have been doing it in a way it does not like. This would be more likely if your dog does show affection sometimes but it stops when you start petting it in a certain manner.

Things to consider

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

What else happened when your dog stopped loving you

It would help to consider what else happened when your dog first stopped being affectionate towards you, it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start behaving differently. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in its diet, a change in how you interact with it, illness, injury or a change in its environment.

It might be showing affection towards you without you realizing

It could be the case that your dog has been showing affection towards you in ways that you have not been noticing.

It might be the case that your dog has actually been showing you affection but you have not been noticing it.

Examples of ways that your dog be showing you affection would be if:

• It keeps pace with you when out on a walk
• Comes to you when you call it
• It follows you around
• It noses you which is where it sniffs you with its nose a lot
• It doesn’t like it when you leave
• It licks you
• It jumps up at you
• It leans on you

What is different when your dog does show affection

If your dog does show affection towards you sometimes, it would also help to consider what is different when it does show you affection. For example, if it does show you affection when it is not hot inside, it could be the case that the hot weather has been causing it to get fatigued.

How can I get my dog to love me more?

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Get help

If it seems like the cause is injury or illness or it has been 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 to your particular dog and to rule out medical causes.

Show more affection to it yourself

It might be the case that your dog thinks you do not want it to show affection towards you. To fix this, it would help to show your dog affection throughout the day by petting it and playing with it.

Pet it differently

As mentioned above, it might be the case that there is an issue with the way you have been interacting with it. Instead, it would help to pet it in a way that it seems to like and to be calm around it.

Give it exercise

If it is healthy, it would also help to make sure that it is able to get the daily amount of recommended exercise for its age and breed.

Ensure it is getting the right diet

It would also help to make sure that it has been getting the right diet, it has been eating the right amount of food and that nobody else has been feeding it without you knowing.