Have you ever made your way to the bathroom to find your dog trailing you like a puppy who doesn’t want to be separated from their mother? Did they try to come into the bathroom with you? And when you shut the door before they could enter, did they whine, bark, and/or howl like they’d just lost their ticket to true happiness?
Some dogs follow their owners to the bathroom – another canine quirk that’s got many of us scratching our heads. But is there more to this behavior than meets the eye? Is this normal, or is it a sign that something is wrong with your pooch?
Keep reading to find out!
13 Reasons Why Your Dog Follows You to the Bathroom
As baffling as it is to see your dog following you to the bathroom, this behavior is fairly easy to explain in most cases. Many of the reasons behind this habit are fairly benign. A tiny few, however, are worrying.
Without further ado, here are the reasons why your pooch follows you to the bathroom.
1. They love you
Our dogs love us, so it’s natural for your pet to want to be as close as possible to you at all times. If physical closeness isn’t doable, they’ll want to at least keep you in sight.
This is why your pet follows you from room to room – even to the bathroom.
Your dog could even bring their toy with them then offer it to you, or pick up a towel or roll of toilet paper for you. These are all expressions of their unwavering devotion to you and their desire to make you happy.
Are you puzzled why they also stare into your eyes while you’re sitting on the toilet? Well, it’s all about love, as well. In a 2015 Japanese study, researchers found that when dogs and their owners shared mutual eye contact, the hormone oxytocin was released into the bloodstream of both canines and humans. Oxytocin strengthens the bond, trust, and affection between individuals, which explains why it’s also triggered when lovers, friends, or a mother and her baby look into each other’s eyes.
2. They want to protect you
A dog who loves you will want you not only to be happy but also to be safe from harm. Thus, they follow you everywhere to ensure they can rush to your aid the moment danger rears its head.
And when does your dog think you’re most vulnerable? When you’re alone in a space where a predator could get you. It’s therefore understandable why your pooch would want to be with you in the bathroom – so they can protect you from harm.
Natural guard dogs like German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Bullmastiffs, and Rottweilers are more likely to watch over you while you’re doing your business in the bathroom. For this reason, they’re also more likely to be frustrated when you don’t let them in with you.
The desire to protect you is part of your dog’s pack mentality, which brings us to…
3. They’re pack animals
Just like their wolf-like ancestors and wolf cousins, domestic dogs are pack animals.
Pack members rely on one another for survival. Dogs therefore make efforts to ensure their pack mates are free from physical harm, and standing guard over a family member when they’re most vulnerable is one way to protect them.
To your dog, you and the other humans and pets in your family are their pack. So if your dog follows to the bathroom, they could simply be obeying their instinct to protect a loved one.
In addition, a creature with pack mentality wants to be close to family so they can feel protected, too, which is an excellent segue to our next point.
4. They don’t like being alone
Unlike cats, dogs aren’t solitary creatures; they’re happiest and feel safest when they’re with their company.
This goes back to canines being pack animals. To the modern dog’s ancient ancestors, being in the presence of family and friends is the best protection against predators. Today, your pet feels the same way, so they stick with you wherever you go so they don’t feel vulnerable to possible dangers.
5. They’re loyal to you
When a dog loves a human, they commit themselves to that human.
Dogs are exceedingly loyal to their human owners and will do everything they can to be with them, love them, and protect them. And so your dog follows you to the bathroom to do all three.
This loyalty expresses itself in other ways. For example, your dog obeys your commands with or without treats. They stand guard over your home and protect your territory from potential invaders. They play with you, sniff you, lean on you, accept the food you give them, and do all sorts of other things that tell you they’re dedicated to you and no one else.
6. They want to support you
Dogs are empathetic animals who know when something is up with you. And if you aren’t feeling well, they’ll do their best to comfort you.
Thus, when you go to the bathroom to relieve your discomfort, it’s only natural for your pooch to want to help you. Of course, there’s little they can do to alleviate your “suffering,” but they’re aware that being by your side can make things just a little easier.
Dogs’ tendency to soothe their distressed owners is supported not just by anecdotal claims but by scientific research, as well.
7. They want your attention
If a dog needs something from you, they’ll behave in a way that’ll catch your attention. For example, they may bark at you or chew your shoes. Or maybe they’ll come into the bathroom with you and stare at you. And they won’t stop doing what they’re doing until you’re focused on them and given them what they need.
But what would an attention-seeking dog want from an owner?
Is your dog hungry? Then they need you to feed them. Do they need to pee or poop? Then they want you to let them outside into the yard. If they’re bored, they’ll probably need you to be their playmate. If they accidentally kicked their favorite ball under the sofa, they’re likely requesting your help to retrieve it. And if you’ve been neglecting your dog, their efforts to gain your attention may be related to their desire for some cuddle time.
The next time your dog follows you into the bathroom, ask yourself if there’s something you should be doing for them.
8. They don’t know what privacy means
As a dog owner, you’ve probably seen your pooch sniffing other dogs’ butts, licking other dogs’ genitals, and urinating or defecating in the presence of others. As off-putting as these behaviors are to us, they’re perfectly normal to dogs. This is because the concept of privacy is quite alien to pack animals such as our canine pals.
A dog therefore wouldn’t care if you started relieving yourself in front of them. For this reason, joining you in the bathroom isn’t something they aren’t squeamish about.
9. They’re curious
Dogs are naturally curious creatures, and they’re particularly interested in getting to know more about us and what we’re doing at any given time.
This is why dogs enjoy sniffing the clothes we wear and our nether regions – they want to determine the places we’ve been to, who we’ve been hanging out with, and what we’ve been eating.
Did we mention dogs love scents of all kinds, even (or especially) the stinky ones? To our canine friends, odors are vast sources of information that can teach them about a wide range of things. Small wonder they want to join you in the bathroom, where they’ve noticed you tend to produce the most exciting and mysterious smells they can find!
10. They learned the behavior
How did you react the last time your dog accompanied you into the bathroom? Did you smile at them? Speak to them in a happy voice and tone? Scratch their cheeks? These are all rewarding experiences for a dog. If you treat your pooch favorably whenever they enter the bathroom with you, you may end up unintentionally training them to repeat the behavior via positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement is a training technique involving rewarding an animal whenever they exhibit desirable behaviors. This encourages them to repeat said behaviors.
This technique is a great way to train dogs to obey commands. Unfortunately, it’s also possible to inadvertently reward undesirable behaviors, such as when you react positively to your pet whenever they chew the furniture, jump onto your bed, or pursue you into the bathroom.
If you want to end this behavior, stop rewarding it. You should also pay more attention to your own behaviors so that you don’t accidentally reinforce inappropriate conduct.
11. They’re behaving in accordance with their breed traits
Dogs who were bred to want to be as close to their owners as possible will follow you everywhere if you let them – the bathroom included. Such Velcro dogs may be adorable, but being clingy can also get annoying or even dangerous. For example, you could end up tripping over a dog who’s always at your heels.
Thankfully, you can train this habit out of a Velcro dog. You can, for example, stop rewarding their clinginess. Instead of praising them every time they follow you, you can give them a stern “no!” or ignore them. You can also seek the aid of a professional dog trainer or animal behaviorist to reduce or eliminate the behavior.
Examples of Velcro dog breeds include Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Papillons, French Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, Pugs, Shetland Sheepdogs, Italian Greyhounds, Australian Shepherds, and Doberman Pinschers.
12. They’re bored
Boredom is among the major causes of strange, sometimes destructive or dangerous behaviors in canines. So if you don’t want your pet to start chewing furniture, barking excessively, or following you to the bathroom, make sure you meet their need for physical and mental stimulation.
It’s not enough to walk your dog every; you should also regularly play games such as fetch and tug of war with them. Bring them to dog-friendly locations such as dog parks so they can meet new people and other dogs. Provide them with plenty of toys, especially those that have them solving puzzles. Training is also extremely important as it allows them to exercise their mental abilities.
13. They have separation anxiety
The true cause of separation anxiety in dogs remains a mystery. However, it’s widely acknowledged that being ripped from a beloved family member can cause a dog to develop this issue.
If a puppy is separated from their mother and littermates too soon, juggled between guardians, neglected, or abandoned, they may develop separation anxiety. Even bringing a rescue dog home can cause problems if it rips them away from a fellow shelter dog whom they rely on for companionship.
When a dog with separation anxiety sticks to you like glue and even follows you to the bathroom, it’s because they’re afraid of losing you the moment you remove yourself from their sight.
How can you tell if your fur baby has separation anxiety? They’ll show the following symptoms whenever you leave or are about to leave the house:
- Barking, howling, and freaking out
- Peeing and pooping in the house
- Chewing up your carpet, furniture, and other possessions
- Digging up and destroying the yard
- Eating their own feces
- Excessive panting, pacing, and drooling
- Escaping the house to look for you
A vet can prescribe anti-anxiety medication to treat a dog with separation anxiety. An excellent dog trainer or animal behaviorist can also help reduce or eliminate this behavior.
Conclusion
Dogs are known for various bizarre behaviors, among them the tendency to follow their owners to the bathroom. Just because this habit is odd to us, however, doesn’t mean it’s unusual for canines.
If your pooch has this habit, it could be because of something as simple as their love for you. It’s possibly also because, as a pack animal, they want to protect you and feel protected by you. Other reasons include curiosity, their breed, boredom, and separation anxiety.
Whatever the reasons behind your dog’s conduct, make sure to love them and keep them healthy. If you suspect your pet is suffering from an issue like separation anxiety, don’t hesitate to ask a vet for help.