You get up from the couch to get a drink from the kitchen and hear the pitter-patter of your German Shepherd’s feet behind you. You sneak to the bathroom for a few minutes and hear your German Shepherd crying outside the door. Wherever you go, he seems to be there too! So, why is my German Shepherd so clingy?
German Shepherds are so clingy because it’s in their nature to follow you around because of their loyalty and protectiveness. They can also be prone to separation anxiety. Owners can be at fault if they’re always petting, cuddling, and kissing their dog, making them even more clingy!
Right now, all you know is that your German Shepherd is very clingy! To help you figure out this mystery, we’ll learn five major reasons why your German Shepherd never seems to leave your side. More importantly, what you can do about your GSD being a velcro dog.
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To learn more about your German Shepherd’s clinginess, read on!
Are German Shepherds Clingy?
German Shepherds are well known for being clingy. They are often called “velcro dogs,” meaning they stick by you when you’re around and want to always be by your side. This clinginess stems from their breeding purpose as sheep herders as they were constantly with the shepherds.
Let’s look in more detail at exactly why your GSD might be clingy.
Why Your German Shepherd Might Be Clingy
Whether you love or hate it, your German Shepherd absolutely adores you, but sometimes he takes this to the extreme. Honestly, why else would he be obsessed with remaining at your side for every minute of the day? We’ll take a deeper look at your German Shepherd’s clingy behavior, which is where it gets interesting.
We’ll examine just how common separation anxiety is in German Shepherds and how to distinguish whether your dog has separation anxiety or just likes to be around you. Then, we’ll touch on how your German Shepherd might be in tune with your stress and anxiety.
Finally, we will look at how genetics plays a part and give some examples of your dog’s learned behaviors whereby YOU may be to blame!
1. Your German Shepherd Has Separation Anxiety
So, you’ve had your German Shepherd since he was only a few months old. You spend every single day with him. You’ve trained him, fed him, took him for walks, and played with him.
Over the months and years, your German Shepherd started to build an unhealthy attachment to you. Since he’s entirely dependent on you and doesn’t spend all that much time away from you, he gets incredibly nervous when you leave, which usually occurs within the first 30 minutes.
This is known as separation anxiety and can result from real stress in your dog. Unfortunately, the German Shepherd is known as a breed most likely to suffer from this condition.
So, what’s the difference between a clingy GSD and one suffering from separation anxiety? Although these are very similar, clingy dogs want to be around you when you’re home, whereas a German Shepherd with separation anxiety really panics when you’re not around.
Not much is known about why dogs develop separation anxiety. However, here are some of the reasons believed to cause it:
- A significant change in the dog’s routine, e.g., moving house
- He may have been abandoned in the past or mistreated
- He suffers from his own stress and anxiety
- He really just doesn’t like to be away from you
Your German Shepherd might be so clingy because he’s afraid you’ll leave him and never come back!
You will know if your German Shepherd suffers from separation anxiety as he will start to become anxious when he realizes you are about to leave. He may follow you even more closely around the house, show excessive pacing or drooling, and start to bark or whine.
Once alone, he may display disruptive behavior such as chewing on your wooden furniture. These are all signs that your dog is suffering from stress.
Your German Shepherd’s clinginess only becomes a serious problem when it progresses to separation anxiety. Don’t worry, though, as here’s how to stop separation anxiety in German Shepherds, where you can find many helpful tips to learn step-by-step.
2. Your German Shepherd Likes To Be Around You and Wants Attention
You might find your German Shepherd’s clinginess to be a bit annoying. But, how would you feel if we told you that your German Shepherd won’t leave you alone purely because he loves you and craves your attention? After all, a German Shepherd can’t have two masters, and he has chosen you!
Well, why wouldn’t he? You’re the one that feeds him, pets him, cuddles him, takes him for long walks, gets him his favorite toys, and spends hours a week playing with him!
When German Shepherds feel they’re not getting enough attention, they tend to do whatever it takes to get that attention from you, as found in a recent study.
During this study of three dog breeds, researchers found German Shepherds as one of the breeds to have become needier during a feeding experiment. They displayed high levels of “human-gazing,” defined as where a dog looks to its owner for encouragement, comfort, and support, which is connected with dependency and clinginess.
You might find it a little extreme that your German Shepherd won’t even give you a few minutes alone, but he’s not necessarily doing it to be annoying. He just wants to spend more time with you as that’s just his nature.
Pro Tip! Never let your German Shepherd sleep on your bed with you, as this may encourage even more clingy behavior! Here’s my thought-proving article on whether you should let your German Shepherd sleep with you.
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3. Your German Shepherd is Feeding Off Your Nervous Energy
If you come home from work stressed out, or if you suffer from occasional anxiety, your German Shepherd may have picked up on your behavior and emotional state. You don’t even need to speak, as your body language alone can show your dog that you are stressed.
German Shepherds are very skilled at reading your nervous energy. So, your dog can tell when you’re stressed, anxious, angry, or upset.
In fact, YOU might be giving your German Shepherd his own stress and anxiety, causing him to be more clingy!
Without even noticing you’re doing it, you might be making your dog nervous and anxious, which is why he clings to your side like a lost puppy. He doesn’t know what’s going on or why you’re worried, but he knows he can go to you for love and support, and he also likes to comfort you in his own little way.
4. It’s In Your German Shepherd’s Genes
German Shepherds are known for being brave, loyal, and protective and make an ideal good first dog, as long as you have the time to devote to them. They’re also extremely intelligent, easy to train, and often used as family pets and working dogs!
Since being a working dog is in their genes, they’re used to developing a strong attachment to one person. Remember, German Shepherds were initially bred to herd sheep and other livestock and to work alongside one person.
If you have wondered why your GSD nudges your ankles or the back of your leg with his nose, he is “herding you,” usually because he wants you to continue playing!
It’s, therefore, in your German Shepherd’s genes to be highly loyal to one person they depend on, and that person may also rely on them to do their job – primarily if they are a working dog.
Even though your German Shepherd may be a family pet, he’s still prone to developing this relationship and loves to please his owner immensely.
German Shepherds are so clingy because it’s a characteristic of their breed – he is not independent by nature.
You only have to think about how loyal and protective German Shepherds can be. Your German Shepherd considers you family, which is why he wants to be around you so much.
5. Learned Dog Behaviors
You may have inadvertently contributed to making your German Shepherd more clingy by some learned behaviors.
For example, many dog owners will require a new puppy to always be in the same room as them so that he either doesn’t come to any harm or cause any trouble with his inquisitive puppy nature. The puppy will soon learn that he has to follow his owner, whether that be to the kitchen or even the bathroom!
We have already learned that it’s in the German Shepherd’s genes to know where you are constantly, but making them follow you all of the time reinforces this behavior.
Some owners are often to blame for the German Shepherd’s clingy behavior, especially if they constantly pet, kiss, cuddle, and praise their German Shepherd. This has the detrimental effect of making them even more clingy!
What To Do About Your German Shepherd’s Clinginess
I’m sure you love your German Shepherd, but if you get easily annoyed by his clingy behavior, don’t worry just yet! There are quite a few things that you can do right now to reduce your German Shepherd’s clinginess.
We’ll quickly go over a few things you can do without changing your schedule too much! These are the most straightforward solutions and just might do the trick for you and your German Shepherd:
Switch Your Routine
Every morning, you make coffee, feed your German Shepherd, take him for a walk, and then grab your keys before heading off to work. Like clockwork, your German Shepherd follows along with you every step of the way.
As soon as you start the coffee machine, he waits by his bowl for you to pour his food in, right? Well, that’s because you’ve developed a routine, and he’s learned to recognize your behavior, so he knows exactly what comes next!
Removing the routine is one of the best ways to break your German Shepherd’s habit of being clingy, especially when he knows you’ll be leaving the house for several hours at a time.
Here’s how you can do that:
- Mix up the order of the routine. This one’s going to throw your German Shepherd for quite the loop! If you took your German Shepherd for a walk, fed him, then made your coffee, he wouldn’t know what was coming next. By doing this, he won’t be so anxious every time you grab your keys.
- Don’t always connect one action with leaving the house. So, your German Shepherd comes running over to you when you grab your keys. That’s because he knows your keys mean you are about to leave him alone. Get him accustomed to you holding your keys, but then stay in the house. This is known as desensitizing your German Shepherd to your movements.
- Reduce the amount of petting and fussing before leaving and returning home. You don’t want to encourage overly clingy behavior, so just play it cool when you leave or return. By all means, greet your dog but don’t go over the top and keep it calm.
Remember, the goal here is to reduce your German Shepherd’s anxiety and thus reduce his clinginess.
Increase Exercise and Play
Exercise is a great way to relieve your German Shepherd’s stress and help them to become less clingy. Recent research has even pointed to a lack of daily exercise as a possible cause, and this study highlighted the importance of early life experiences and daily exercise.
It’s also essential to provide your dog with lots of playtime and mental stimulation, as a bored dog may become clingy.
Teaching your dog “fetch” and using interactive dog toys are great ways to stimulate your German Shepherd. They provide endless fun – for example, check out the Outward Hound Dog Brick Interactive Treat Puzzle on Amazon, which encourages positive play and prevents boredom.
Other ways to tire your dog out include obedience training, learning new tricks, playing tug or hide and seek, and agility. You could even make an obstacle course with a bit of creativity!
Watch How To Keep Your Dog Stimulated In This Video…
Create a Special Place
If your German Shepherd is so clingy that he’s the type to follow you all around the house constantly, you can use your German Shepherd’s bed, a mat, or crate as his special place.
You do this by training him to go there for a while by using positive reinforcement. Ensure you add either a special treat or his favorite toy as an incentive to make him stay there.
Stuffed KONG toys such as the KONG Classic from Amazon are ideal as they will provide your GSD with many healthy mental and physical stimulation that will keep him busy for ages. You can stuff them with kibble, treats, or even peanut butter (make sure it’s organic and doesn’t contain xylitol as this sweetener is toxic to dogs).
Teach the “STAY” Command
This command is quite difficult for dogs to master. However, you can do it by teaching it in several stages, with lots of praise and positive reinforcement. Whilst training, I prefer to use high-quality treats such as Zuke’s Puppy Naturals Dog Training Treats from Amazon as they’re only 3.5 calories each and are super tasty to keep your dog interested.
Teaching the “STAY” command will teach your German Shepherd that it’s okay to be left alone for a short while and will help him become less clingy.
You start with short distances, such as just a step away, then gradually build up the distance until you can leave your German Shepherd in one room while you’re in another. He will only move when you command him to do so. For more in-depth info on how to train a German Shepherd, this article has it covered.
Final Thoughts
It’s normal that your German Shepherd is so clingy, but you might wonder why he won’t seem to leave you alone. Remember, he just might not be able to help it! Here is a recap of the most common reasons your German Shepherd sticks by your side so closely:
- Your dog is really attached to you and doesn’t want to be away from you (separation anxiety).
- Your dog loves you and craves your attention, simply put.
- Your dog knows that you’re stressed and anxious. He senses this, and it’s making him feel the same way.
- Your GSD is naturally loyal and protective, so he doesn’t want to be apart from you. It’s just in his genes!
- You have accidentally contributed to making him more clingy by some learned behaviors.
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