Doesn’t your German shepherd leave you alone, even in the bathroom, or let you go out? Wondering why does my German shepherd follow me everywhere? Though most pet parents desire a dog that’ll always stick to him, sometimes it becomes annoying, especially for busy people.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to stop a German shepherd from following you everywhere, including ignoring you, using desensitization, offering a job or ample exercise, or taking the aid of a vet. However, it’s vital to address certain reasons and handle them accordingly.
Read on to know the most common reasons that inspire a German shepherd to follow their owner everywhere, along with the safest and simplest solutions.
Why Does My German shepherd Follow Me Everywhere?
It’s not uncommon to see your German shepherd get up with you and follow you out of the room to everywhere, including the bathroom. Though it’s annoying for some pet parents, this is the way GSD shows affection. Since they feel so connected to the owner, the German shepherd wants to be everywhere and a part of everything as pack mates.
Below is a short list of reasons and potential solutions
| Reasons | Solutions |
| Seeking Attention | Ignore the dog |
| separation anxiety | Use desensitization and counterconditioning |
| Scared | Give plenty of exercises and calm him |
| You reinforce the behavior | Keep them busy |
Following is a brief discussion of the reasons that encourage your GSD to follow you everywhere, along with safe yet effective solutions:
Seeking Attention
In general, German shepherds are bred to work with their owners. Though GSDs aren’t a working breed, their natural instincts inspire them to stay near their owners. So your pet can follow you everywhere to spend time with you, which becomes a habit if you reward it.
The German shepherd’s signs of affection are:
- Kissing or licking
- Staying close
- Cuddle or snuggle more often
- Lean on the owner
- Allowing them to hug them
- Asking for rubs
- Being happy to see the owner
- Want to play
Even if you’re wondering, “Why does my German Shepherd stare at me?” still affection is the answer. Likewise, humans and dogs also stare into the lovable person’s eyes to express affection. During initial staring, dogs release love hormones that improve the bond and feelings between owner and pet.
Solution
If you want to control this movement, simply ignore your shepherd. This way, your pet will understand he won’t get everything he wants. Don’t respond, even if your pooch starts whining or barking, so he can realize your dominance.
But if your GSD does something good, give him attention and treat him to encourage good behavior. You can also pet your dog for a while and finish the interaction by saying ‘that’s enough.’
Separation anxiety
Separation anxiety is common for many dog breeds, including German shepherds. They are extremely social and easily feel lonely if they don’t have a partner to play with or spend some time with. Therefore, your dog may always follow you everywhere.
In this situation, if you pet him, he may put his ears back to be submissive and friendly. If you didn’t know why does your German shepherd puts his ears back when you pet him, this is the reason.
See More: How To Make Dog Ears Stay Down?
Solutions
First of all, pay more attention to your dog and reward him with treats and affection. Remember their loneliness is concerning instead of the ear position.
Another effective solution is using counterconditioning and desensitization to help your pooch recover from separation anxiety. In this case, changing a simple action like wearing shoes or grabbing a bag can do the trick. For example, you can desensitize your GSD slowly by sitting on the couch after putting on your shoes and taking the bag.
As a part of counterconditioning, put on shoes, give a tasty treat to your pooch, and leave him for several seconds. Repeat the action a couple of times to lengthen the time before going out.
Scared
Though German shepherds are a fearless breed, sometimes they can set off and start following you everywhere for comfort. For example, certain people or loud noises can make them scared, and they may see you as a protector. Hence your GSD may follow you everywhere, even in a bathroom, to be safe and calm.
So instead of wondering, “Why does my German Shepherd follow me to the bathroom?” let them be around you. However, a dog can follow their owner into the bathroom due to their pack mentality and animal instinct. And the dog’s desire to be attached to its owner is known as a “Velcro dog.”
Some scared German Shepherds also sleep by the door. If your dog has a high level of fear, he may also start guarding his territory and barking at night.
Another reason is that no dog wants to be alone in the house and wants to be a part of the fun. Hence your dog may start following everywhere to ask to take him with you and clearly plop down in front of the door so you don’t forget to bring him with you.
Related Article: How To Stop a German Shepherd From Barking?
Solution
Luckily there is plenty of ways to calm a hyper German shepherd dog. The most effective options are:
- Reward during calm behavior
- Apply calming product
- Stop rewarding during hyperactivity
- Let the dog exercise in a calm environment
- Show a calm demeanor
The German shepherd is a highly energetic dog and gets bored and scared if there is nothing to do. Hence give your pooch enough exercise so they can remain busy and refreshed. In this case, you can take your dog for a walk or give him a long play session.
You Reinforce the Behavior
The owners are also largely responsible for the bad behaviors of their pets. A thing can happen you pet him, give treats or pay attention when your dog follows you which encourages this behavior. Since they are getting love and treat, they’ll continue following you everywhere. Though it wasn’t your purpose, your reward won’t let the GSD stop following you.
However German shepherd behavior stages are also responsible for annoying behavior. Typically German shepherd picks one person within the first six months and desires to always be next to him which ends up with following everywhere.
Solutions
You can keep your German shepherd plenty of jobs so they don’t get enough time to follow you. Your GSD will happily accept the job as they love to make the owner, please.
Fortunately, German shepherds are also trainable and it’s extremely easy to train to command, tricks, and tasks. Some of the tasks you can easily teach your GSD are picking up toys and putting them in a basket or flushing the toilet.
How to Maintain Space between You and German Shepherd Dog?
The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook shared some handy tricks to maintain some distance between the pet and its owner to prevent the dog from behaving something annoying. The tricks are:
- Give a minimum of half an hour of exercise to your GSD regularly
- Train the dog commands like stay, sit, and come
- Leave the dog at home with some tasty distraction like a toy stuffed with a food treat.
Alternatively, you can give a nice and comfortable bed to your GSD and place it next to your bed. Once the dog starts spending more time in bed or remains busy with activity as well as a response on command he might not follow you everywhere.
Things to consider while Trying to prevent your GSD from Following You Everywhere
When determining why does my German shepherd follow me everywhere and planning for treatment, keep these things in mind to avoid overacting or doing anything worst:
Don’t Punish the Dog
Never punish your dog even if you don’t want him to follow you everywhere. Apart from being productive, things can cost your dog other issues like stress, destruction, anxiety, and a lack of trust. Hence your dog might not listen to your command anymore.
It’s Not Uncommon
Though you are annoying, following the owner everywhere is natural for a German shepherd. It’s particularly common for a pet owner who adopts a German shepherd puppy, fed and bathed on their own.
They also want to stay with the owner to create a bond that is good for the owner. This way pet will you’re your common easily at a distance and respond quickly. But if you don’t like this habit handle it with care.
Be Patient
You must be patient while trying to stop your German shepherd from following you everywhere. Remember it’s a time-consuming process and you may have to try plenty of tricks based on your pet’s problem. So don’t expect to get rid of this lovely problem overnight and keep trying.
Hire a Professional
If your German shepherd still follows you after doing all of the possible things, it’s time to consult with an expert. The vet can effectively diagnose the problem and treat your GSD accordingly and apply the appropriate medication if required.
FAQs
1. Why do German Shepherds pick one person to follow everywhere?
German shepherds tend to create bonds with one person in the family, particularly who take care of them most. It means the person feeds him, spends time in training and plays become their favorite. In general, German shepherd puppies start choosing their favorite person within 6 months of age.
1. Why does the German shepherd become so affectionate?
Though German shepherds aren’t friendly to a stranger, they are loving and gentle with families. They are a naturally dedicated and affectionate breed. Even German shepherds are emotional and respond to the command of a caring master easily and quickly.
3. Is a male or female German shepherd more protective?
In comparison, male German shepherds are better guard dogs than females. Male German shepherds are more dominant, territorial, and protective as they are stronger and bigger than females. In addition, male GSD shows more aggression and marks their territory off attackers.
Also Read: Will a German shepherd Attack an Intruder?
Final Words
After getting an idea of why does my German shepherd follow me everywhere, hope now you can handle this annoying problem efficiently.
Your foremost job is to address the underlying issue so you can maintain a safe distance from your pooch without hurting him physically or emotionally. If you find neither of those problems inspiring your GSD to remain to attach with you, consult with your vet immediately.