Why won’t my dog let me relax?

If your dog won’t let you relax, 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 won’t my dog let me relax? Common reasons why your dog won’t let you relax are boredom, an issue with its diet, wanting something from you, learning that the behavior is rewarded, or anxiety.

There are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are also a number of 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 won’t let you relax

Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.

Boredom

The cause could be that it is bored and looking for ways to stimulate itself. This would be more likely if it tends to stop you from relaxing when it has not been able to get exercise and if stops doing it after getting exercise. It would help to ensure that your dog is able to get the daily amount of recommended exercise for its age and breed.

An issue with its diet

Another possible cause is that there is an issue with its diet. This would be more likely if your dog does not let you relax when it has eaten certain foods or it has started doing it since a change in its diet.

It wants something from you

The cause could be that it is waiting to get something from you. This would be more likely if it only bothers you when it has not already gotten things such as food or exercise. In this case, it could help to start feeding it and giving it exercise at the same time daily so that it learns when it can expect to get fed and exercised. 

Encouraging the behavior

It could also be the case that it has learned that it gets other rewards when it won’t let you relax. If you tend to give it things such as toys or treats, when it doesn’t let you relax, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards. 

Anxiety or fearfulness

The cause could be that something had been causing it to be anxious. This would be more likely if your dog tends to do it more when there is something that might be causing it to be anxious such as noises outside.

One reason why your dog might be anxious is that it has separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it does not let you relax when you want to be in a different room to your dog.

Nature

Dogs were bred to work alongside humans. Due to this, it is to be expected that your dog will look to you for direction and that it will cause it to want to interact with you at times. This is why it would help to give it lots of positive reinforcement training so that it learns what you expect from it.

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 has started doing it suddenly, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing if. If it did start doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as learning that the behavior gets rewarded, a change in its daily routine such as not being fed at the same time or something causing it to be fearful. 

What is different when your dog does let you relax

If there is a certain time that your dog tends to stop you from relaxing, it would also help to consider what is different about the timing. For example, if it does it more before it has been fed, it would be more likely that it is doing it because it is waiting for food.

How old it is

It would also help to consider its age. If it is a puppy still, it would be more likely to be due to being naturally more energetic at that age and it should calm down as it gets older. Whereas, if it is an adult, it would be more likely to be due to things such as an issue with its diet, needing more exercise, separation anxiety or encouraging the behavior.

The body language it shows

It would also help to consider the body language it shows when it does it. If it shows signs of being anxious such as pacing, crying and making itself appear smaller, it would be more likely to be due to something causing it to be anxious or fearful. Whereas, if it shows signs of excitement, it would be more likely to be due to things such as wanting exercise or food.

What to do about your dog not letting you relax

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

Avoid encouraging it

As mentioned above, 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 but to avoid rewarding it when it does not. 

Ensure it is getting the right diet

It would also help to ensure that it has been eating the things that it should be and that it has been eating the right amount of calories. It would also help to make sure that nobody else has been feeding it without you knowing.

Ensure it is getting enough exercise

It would also help to ensure that it is able to get the right amount of exercise for its age and breed if it is healthy.

Positive reinforcement training

Positive reinforcement training involves rewarding your dog for showing signs of behaving in a way that you want it to.

To use positive reinforcement training to get it to leave you alone, you would reward it when it does not bother you but it normally would and stop rewarding it when it starts bothering you.

Give it distractions

It could also help to give it things to be distracted by. Things that you could give it could include toys, bones or chews.

Limit reasons why it might be anxious

It would also help to limit reasons why it might be anxious or fearful. Some things to do could include giving it access to a quiet room and feeding it, exercising it and letting it pee before leaving it for a long time.