Clingy Dogs – Is Your Dog a Velcro Dog – 2024 Tips

Dogs are the sweetest pet to have. They are loyal, caring, protective and most of all they are cute. But petting a dog can be depressing too.  How?

Well, dogs love the company of their owners. They always try to stay with their owners. But some of them take this tendency to an extreme level. They always keep an eye on their owner and follow their owners everywhere. They even try to sneak into the washroom with their owner! These behaviours may seem cute at first. But with time this gets problematic. Why?

Because these doggies can get so clingy that their owner loses their personal space. So, if your pet also shows the above behaviour too, chances are your pet can be a velcro dog. But what is it?

Velcro Dogs

A dog that always keeps an eye on his/her owner and follows the owner everywhere is a Velcro dog. They are also known as clingy dogs. Velcro dogs get so dependent on their owners that they lose their own entity. This problem may seem normal. Even some of us don’t think of it as a problem. But velcro syndrome can lead to serious problems. So, how to identify Velcro syndrome?  For more information click here.

Symptoms of Velcro Dog

Identifying a velcro syndrome can be hard. Because most of our paw friends are clingy. You need to carefully examine your pup and follow certain steps to find out if your pet has velcro syndrome or not. Let’s find out about the symptoms.

1. Velcro dogs always stay near the action.
2. Acting in a hurry when the owner makes even a small move.
3. Keeping an eye on the owner. They even keep an eye when the owner sleeps.
4. Acting anxious when the owner is not around.
5. Always follows the owner.

If you observe your pet carefully and find these symptoms are present in your pet. Then your pet has velcro syndrome. But what’s the reason behind this behaviour?

Causes

There are several reasons behind becoming a velcro. Among them the most operative ones are

• Your Behaviour

Your behaviour with your fur buddy plays a vital role in determining you’re his/her behaviour. Because your pup observes your behaviour very carefully and acts accordingly. For example, if you stop every time you see your pup and praise, pat on the head, give a belly rub or treat him then your fur buddy has a higher chance of becoming a velcro dog. Because every pet loves to get treats and affection.

So, if you do above behaviours frequently your dog will start to cling with you. As a result, your dog will become a velcro.

• Aging & Sickness

Sickness and aging is one of the main reasons behind velcro syndrome. If your pup is old, he will lose vision or hearing. As a result, your fur buddy will get dependent on you and he / she will always stay with you for getting support. Again, if your pup becomes sick he/she will try to stay with you to seek help.

So, if your pup is not old and suddenly develops a clingy behaviour then your pup has high chances of being sick.  Please, consult a vet as soon as possible if your pup becomes clingy all of a sudden.

• Lack of Mental & Physical Exercise

Most of the dog breeds are active and hard working. They need mental and physical exercises to stay fit and happy. If your dog doesn’t get enough mental and physical exercise, then his/her only source of entertainment will be you. As a result, he will always try to be with you.

• Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is another velcro syndrome like behaviour. If your pup has separation anxiety then he/she must have developed velcro syndrome also. Separation anxiety is a behaviour where a pet is always anxious about being separated from the owner. Pets that are moved constantly and have previous experience of being separated from the owner have separation anxiety. Read more about canine separation anxiety on DoggieDesigner.

Separation anxiety can become a very serious mental disorder.

• Breed

Some breeds like lap dogs and working dogs are born clingy. They were bred in this way to stay with the owner. These breeds are used as emotional support doggies. Huskies and Akitas have higher tendencies of becoming clingy to one person.

Well, now we know about the symptoms and reasons behind velcro syndrome. But is it a serious disorder? Is there any solution? Clingyness is often just a sign that your dog loves you and wants to be around you. OurFitPets.com has more info about ways dogs show their love.

Velcro syndrome is not a serious disorder and it completely depends on you whether velcro syndrome is a problem or not. Because if you love your dog to be clingy it’s not a problem to you then. If not then here are some solutions of velcro syndrome.

Solutions

1. Proper Training

Proper training can not only help you to get rid of velcro syndrome but also helps your dog to become more self-reliant. If you train your velcro pup properly, he will get rid of it. You can include the stay command, follow command and halt command in the training to get rid of this behavior.

2. Play Games

Playing with your pup helps him/her to reduce boredom. If you play with your fur buddy his entertainment source may change to playing. Moreover, playing games that rely on distance also helps to get rid of clinginess. You can include hide and seek, ball throwing in the game list.

3. Adding Physical and Mental Activities

Your doggy needs physical and mental activities to stay on track. You can take your pup for a walk and also give him/her some metal simulations to keep his/her mind fresh. This will help to reduce his/her clinginess.

4. Giving A Special Place

You should also give your pup some privacy. If you give your doggy his/her own bed or mattress, he/she will get used to that place. As a result he/she will develop his/her comfort zone around that place. So, your pup will have a less chance of being a velcro dog.

5. Giving A Purpose

Most of the home doggies don’t have any purpose. As a result these pups get confused about what to do and follow you around. So, giving your pup a purpose can help him/her get out of this confusion. You can train him to do a certain thing or give him chewing toys or other mental simulation toys to give him/her a purpose.

These simple steps can help a dog get out of velcro syndrome. However, don’t forget to give your paw friends attention, affection, belly rubs and a lot of treats.