Why Does my Dog Follow me And Not my Husband? We all have seen a dog that follows just one person. It can be appealing, annoying, or something you need to get an answer to. Why does my dog follows me and not my husband is, therefore, a question that needs to be answered.
As always, there are multiple reasons why this happens and we will answer all of them below. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Why Does my Dog Follow me And Not my Husband?
1. You are his leader
Why does my dog follow me and not my husband question has one answer that applies in most cases. In other words, it is the most common explanation that can be seen all the time. You are his leader. Dogs have a pack mentality that is extremely strong. If you are the main person in the house and he sees you as the leader, he will follow you and only you. There is no need in telling you that there can be only one leader.
2. You are his mother
Maybe it sounds weird or impossible, but this reason has been approved by science. It is called imprinting and it occurs between 3 and 12 weeks in puppies. They will see a person or another animal and they will start looking at her as their mother. These puppies will show the same cognitive abilities as small children, according to science. Believe it or not, this actually works and it is present in many case3s but only if it starts at the aforementioned age frame.
3. Dog is afraid
Maybe you really like your dog but your husband doesn’t. It is very common that one spouse wants a pet while the other doesn’t. If this is the case and we know that dogs are proficient in picking up the emotions of humans, we can deduce the obvious. Your husband doesn’t show any real emotions towards your dog and your pet is scared of him. Try to solve this issue and help these two become friends. It will be more than just beneficial.
4. The bond between you two is the strongest
Theoretically, a dog can follow and love two people at the same time. But, in order for this to work, he must spend a lot of time with both of them. If you have been spending a lot of time with your dog and your husband didn’t, he will follow you and once again, only you.
5. Your husband ignores the dog
Positive reinforcement is an impressive technique and one that should be used for training as number one. It is effective, easy, and appealing to the dog. If you have been using this all the time, you can see that a dog will follow you. On the other hand, your husband may ignore the dog or simply doesn’t have enough time to spend with him. In this case, he will follow you and not your husband. Then we can see that most owners like this behavior so they will reinforce it. In return, their dog will follow them even more. It is interesting and very easy to understand once you know this.
6. He picked you
Many if not all people believe that if you feed your dog and play with him, you will be his caretaker and favourite person. In reality, this isn’t the case. Dogs choose their favourite person according to the energy level and personality. If these two match or are as close as possible to theirs, that person becomes favourite. Obviously, there can be only one, favourite person and in this case scenario, you are that person. Add the fact you are playing and feeding him and you can see why he will follow you anywhere.
7. It’s in his blood
Some dog breeds that are bred for herding will show this behavior more than any other. It is in their blood and this helps them get the job completed successfully in no time. You can affect this just a little bit.
8. Velcro syndrome
If your dog must be with you all the time and he is unhappy when alone, you either have a dog suffering from separation anxiety or a Velcro dog. The main difference is that a dog suffering from separation anxiety will make a mess when alone. A Velcro dog won’t do such a thing. If your dog has this syndrome, expect him to be close to you all the time. He won’t leave you alone ever. Some dogs even go with their owners in the bathroom, so you can get the idea.
9. Your husband is a ‘’stranger’’
For you, your husband is not a stranger, obviously. But, for your dog, he might be. This will occur if you two started living a few weeks or months ago and your pet has been living with you for years. In other terms, your dog doesn’t see your husband as a family member and someone to follow. You are that person. This issue will go away with time. It is likely that he will accept the husband in the near future. Some dogs do need more time than others.
10. Securing the territory with you
This reason applies when you are outside walking in the backyard or etc. If your dog follows you, he treats you as a pack member and he is using you. He patrols the territory and he knows that doing so in pair is much better than doing it alone. You are his protection. This behavior is deeply in the genes of all dogs and cannot be changed.
Conclusion
Why does my dog follows me and not my husband is a bit time-consuming question. Your dog may do this due to just one reason from the list or multiple ones. Doing that due to all reasons is impossible. Try to understand him better and see does your pet needs help or anything else. In most cases, this is interesting behavior and won’t cause any complications.
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