There are several reasons your dog follows you and not your husband. The primary reason is that they like you better! Yes, dogs have favorites, and they tend to follow their favorite around the house. If your dog is following you, take it as a compliment.
If you’ve noticed your dog following you but no one else in your family, you might wonder why they seem so attached to you.
The answer is simple. You have a special bond with your dog…or at least they think so.
Dogs are social beings, just like people. And yes, this typically means they have their “favorite.”
In today’s guide, we will break down some of the reasons your dog will follow you more than your husband, wife, or kids, and what you have done to develop such a special bond with your pet.
What You'll Learn
Do You Feed The Dog?
Feeding is the big one. Dogs are almost always attached to the person who feeds them. Our dog follows me more than anyone else in the house because I’m the one who feeds her. She knows that wherever I go, there’s a chance she may get food or a treat.
This also explains why she climbs into my bed when I go to bed, sits on the couch when I sit on the couch and stares out the window when I leave.
Dogs bond with the person who feeds them. If you’re the one feeding your dog and your husband only feeds them when you’re gone, your dog will follow you around the house more than him.
Do You Give Your Dog The Most Attention?
Dogs love attention, especially if your dog was a rescue (like the dog in our household). Adopting a rescue is a noble deed, but you need to understand that you don’t know what a rescue dog has gone through.
They could have endured abuse, neglect, or a slew of other unpleasant things. Many rescues are starved for attention and will form a close bond with the person who gives them the most attention.
Ours is a rescue from our local Humane Society. From the information in his paperwork, he is about a year and a half to two years old.
I suspect that our dog was neglected by his previous owner, which makes him very insecure. I am the one playing with him most of the time. I speak to him, gave him his name, cuddle with him, and give him treats. I practically do everything with my dog.
This is one of the reasons why he follows me all over the place. He knows that he’ll get more attention from me instead of others in the house.
Anxiety and insecurity
Like some people, dogs, especially rescues, can have separation anxiety or feel insecure when they are not near you.
Our dog always wants to be near me, and anxiety could be the reason he follows me around. A dog’s sense of smell and hearing is more acute than ours. Dogs can smell scents that we can’t and can hear things we can’t.
Believe it or not, your dog can tell when you are coming home by the sound of your car. Even though all cars might sound the same to us, to your dog, your car makes a distinct noise. One that’s different than your neighbor’s car, the cleaning lady’s car, or the car of a total stranger pulling into your driveway.
Your scent might also comfort your dog. This would explain why your dog will lie on your bed or your side of the bed. Dogs can smell your scent from a distance. They can smell certain scents that are unnoticeable to the human nose. He smells you and will follow your scent (and thus follow you) all over the place.
If a dog was abandoned, they might believe you’ll eventually leave them, which could be why they’re following you around.
Sense of Hostility
Dogs are very sensitive to the tone people use when talking to them. Is your husband talking to your dog in a way that could be perceived as hostile? If that’s the case, your dog could be afraid of your husband and will cleave to you.
Tone of voice is very important when communicating with your dog. It’s good to be firm with your dog when he is doing something you don’t want him to do. Just like a child, when your dog is doing something like chewing one of your shoes, it is very important to firmly tell him NO.
On the other hand, if you speak to your dog in a loving tone, like a tone when playing with your child, your dog will sense a genuine love and he will follow you.
If your husband has more of a stern tone of voice when talking to your dog, or if they raise their voice and yell a lot, your dog might perceive that as hostility.
Getting The Dog to Like Your Husband
There are ways you can share the incredible joy of having a loyal dog that both you and your husband can enjoy.
It’s important to have your husband play a key role in the care of your pet. Have them take part in the feeding. Both of you should give equal time and attention to your pet. This will make it feel more accustomed to loving both of you the same and will make it more likely to follow both you and your husband equally.
Dogs are one of the best pets you can have since they are basically four-legged furry children. If you treat your dog with care, it can give you ten to fifteen years of unconditional love.
Recommended For You
[…] Why Does My Dog Follow Me and Not My Husband? You’re The Favorite! […]