Dog owners know for a fact how frustrating it is to have furballs following them everywhere! You stand and quickly head to the toilet, and you hear the rap-tap of your dogs’ toenails on the tile close on your heels. You find it cute, but why do dogs follow you into the bathroom?
Some dogs will wait on the bathmat while you do your business. Some will watch you while you shower or brush your teeth.
It may seem obvious that dogs love to be around their owners. And they want to join you in the bathroom too! But there are other reasons why dogs follow you here to invade your private moments. Read on to discover some of the common reasons why dogs follow you into the bathroom all the time!
Reasons Why Dogs Follow You into the Bathroom
1. Dogs Have No Concept of Privacy
Dogs have no sense of alone time, nor do they understand the human concept of privacy.
As pack animals, dogs do things together – they hunt, play, sleep and do business in groups. And since they consider you as a part of their pack, they assume the same things with you.
If you go alone, it is like forgoing safety. Thus, your pet must follow you even if you need to do business or you need privacy.
Sometimes we also need to understand the world from their eyes. This way, we can better respond to their strange behavior instead of being frustrated.
Our dogs love us in their special way, and as valuable members of the pack, they need to follow and guard you to the bathroom too.
2. Dogs Have a Pack Mentality
Dogs are pack-oriented. It could be one of the main reasons dogs keep following you to the bathroom and anywhere else.
As their pack leader, they instinctively stand when you do and follow you when you walk.
Being close to you and staying together means being safe and secure. It is for survival and security.
Dogs or wolves in packs also play, hunt, sleep and even do business together. It is an order that helps them develop, grow stronger, and ensures that they have access to food.
3. Dogs Doesn’t Want to be Alone
Dogs also follow you to the bathroom because they don’t want to be alone.
Dogs are pack animals, so they don’t like being left alone, and they do not understand why you would go there on your own. They’d rather be with their pack-mates because isolation can cause loneliness and anxiety.
Their instincts tell them that when you go to the bathroom, they should be with you. If your pup wants to follow you into the bathroom, let them! And if they are too young and might get in trouble, keep an eye on them and train them not to do it at all.
4. Dogs Have a Protective Instinct
In certain cases, dogs keep following you to the bathroom because they are protective of you.
For example, when you are in bed, your dog may come and lay beside or on top of you to protect you from strangers and threats. When something strange happens in or around your home, they will bark and growl to warn you about it.
Sometimes, pups may not want to be left behind because they are worried about you. So when you go to the bathroom, they will follow you.
5. Dogs Want to Socialize With You
Dogs feel safer and securer when they socialize with their pack-mates.
And since dogs have a pack mentality, it is hard for them to be alone, so they would rather keep you company.
When you take your dog with you when going to the bathroom, it can become a habit and a ritual that they will want to do whenever they need to go in the future.
So if you are fine with your pup keeping up their habits and don’t feel the need to stop them, let them be. It’s easier and more practical that way.
6. Dogs are Supportive
Dogs see baths as a very important part of your life because it is when you are clean and presentable for the public eye.
Most dogs do not like baths, and they feel that you need the same encouragement when you go to the bathroom.
So they may follow you in there to support you and make sure you are also clean and well-kept.
Dogs also follow you to the bathroom because they want to encourage you or cheer you up when they see you have a down day. They will wag their tails and even do tricks for treats!
7. It is Breed Trait
Some breeds of dogs are naturally more inclined or prone to this behavior.
Certain breeds are natural herders, and they feel compelled to keep all their pack-mates safe at all times.
You will notice that herder breeds such as Border Collies, Shepherds, and cattle dogs want to keep the family rounded up. People consider them as Velco dogs for following everyone around.
Loyal working dogs such as Boxers and Doberman Pinschers may also show the same behavior.
More so, Labrador retrievers and Pointers prefer to stay close to their favorite person.
So, if you have any of these dog breeds, it might be a reason why they keep following you to the bathroom.
8. Dogs Wants to Socialize
Dogs are social animals, and they enjoy the companionship of other dogs, people, and pets.
Dogs follow you to the bathroom because they want to be social with you or talk to you more often. They love spending time with you and being around you.
Then your dog will start “talking” by barking, whining, or howling to let you know they want your attention.
9. Dogs Love the Smell of the Bathroom
Dogs are naturally curious, and that’s why they follow you to the bathroom.
One of the reasons why they will follow you there is because of the smell. A bathroom can smell like many things such as water, soap, shampoo-conditioner, shaving foam, toothpaste, perfume, and other chemicals.
It has a huge variety of scents that your dog has never smelled before, so they want to investigate the smell as much as they can.
Your pup may also want to keep up with you because it smells like a new area to explore. The bathroom is just another interesting room in the house that your dog wants to check out for themselves.
10. Your Dog Wants Attention
Dogs follow you to the bathroom because they want some attention from you.
If your dog sees that you are taking a shower, flossing your teeth, shaving, brushing your hair, or even putting on makeup, it will want to keep up with what you do too.
Your pup loves being around you and will want to see what you’re doing at all times.
They like the attention they get from being with you, so if your pup follows you to the bathroom, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with them.
It could simply be a habit that they started when they were still pups and continued doing as they grew up.
If you want your dog to stop following you there, try making it a habit to stay outside when you come in there.
Things to Consider When Dogs Starts To Follow You Into The Bathroom
If the habit of following you to the bathroom is a sudden change for your dog, you might want to consider what caused it.
There are various reasons why your pet is following you around. Understanding why they do it helps in finding solutions to this common issue.
- Are you giving them enough attention or exercise?
- Is there something that interests them in the bathroom?
- Are there sudden changes that may distress your dog?
- Is your dog in pain?
If you can find answers to these questions, it will be easier for you to make them stop following you into the bathroom.
Tips to Stop Your Dog From Following You into the Bathroom
Despite your dogs’ good intentions, you can effectively teach them to stop following you around. Not every owner wants an audience when they do their business in the toilet, so it would be wonderful to reduce the behavior and instill some independence in your pet.
Here are a few approaches that you can do:
- Using baby gates – The bathroom is a small room, and it can get pretty crowded with your dog in there. To decrease the chances of your pup following you into the toilet, make them stay in another room at first. Use a baby gate to prevent them from joining you. You will be able to teach them where they should wait while getting some help with their potty training at the same time.
- Train them the “Stay” command – Dogs are smart enough to learn this command, and it can be effective in reducing their behavior. Use a specific word that you’re going to use when teaching your pup the command, such as “wait.” Your dog will learn that it is OK to be left alone briefly. Start with short distances and gradually build on until your dog can be left alone in one room while you are in another. Praise them lavishly for each step that you overcome.
- Desensitize your dogs to your movements – Dogs are naturally curious, and following you to the toilet could be a simple misinterpretation of your behavior. To reduce this behavior, begin by training them not to follow you there in the first place. When you see them stand up as you do, repeat the action until they become tired. If you walk and they follow, walk around in circles. Your pet will soon give up following you each time you stand up and walk.
- Instill Confidence in Your Dog – Having a healthy level of self-esteem is very important for your dog. You can help establish this by teaching your dog that they can do things on their own. You may even want to teach some tricks to strengthen the bond between you and your pup, such as howling or barking along with you when you do it yourself. In time, they will have more confidence in themselves and not need to follow you for reassurance.
Final Thoughts
Dogs are pack animals by nature, and they learn from infancy to bond with others. For their entire lives, they will need attention and affection to feel safe.
Even when your pup is already an adult dog, they still have that infantile desire for constant companionship. They feel safe when they are with you, and for them, they must follow you everywhere you go – including the toilet.
There are various reasons why dogs follow you into the bathroom. It may be due to its breed or because of the pack mentality. They may also feel anxious, and they have the urge to protect or support you.
Whatever the reason is, there are solutions that you can do to stop your dog from following you into the bathroom.
Using baby gates, training them with the “stay” command, desensitizing them with your movements, and having confidence in them are just some of the methods that you may do. If possible, try all approaches and observe which one works best for your dog.
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