My doberman wont leave me alone!

[sonyaw]

I am new at this but I need some answers. I have a 5 yr old doberman. he is the most loving dog i have ever met in my life. he is very well mannered until it comes to me. I am a stay at home mom so i am with him everyday all day. i have never minded that he wants to be by my side. for about the last 2 months he will not leave me alone. he has to know where i am at all times. if i walk out the front door, he will open it to come and find me. if i am in the bathroom he is right there with me. if my kids and i are sitting on the couch and there is no room for him he will circle the living room for an hour if he has too, until someone moves so he can sit next to me!! what do i do? i love this dog like my children but i can NOT deal with this behavior anymore. he has never come in the kitchen when i was cooking, thats just the way he was trained, now i have to tell him 10 times to get out before he gets the hint that i am mad. someone please help me.

[Karen]

You need to set some boundaries with him. How is his obedience training? Can you tell him "Sit" "Stay" and have it hold? They are very, very smart dogs, you may need to institute the NILIF program - Nothing In Life Is Free - with him, to regain your control.

http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm is a good description of it.

[sonyaw]

karen thank you for the reply...i am going to check out the site you sent. rosco is very obedient. he listens to everything that i tell him, sit, stay, come, the whole nine. his obsessive behavior with me and only me is sending me over the edge.

[Cataholic]

Was there an incident two months ago that set him off? I would search for the reason why a change in behaviour and look to recreate a positive memory for him.

[kaycountrygal]

I agree with cataholic who said "I would search for the reason why a change in behaviour and look to recreate a positive memory for him."

Is there some sound that is bothering him (one that you cant hear)? I would think that something is bothering him & that he is not hanging next to you just to bother you. He must be scared of something imo. In my case, my outside dog Annie will not move from my side when I'm walking IF she has heard gunshots. We live in the country & just went through deer season & she stayed scared & next to me when we were outside. At first I did not pay any attention to the gunshots in the distance ... but she heard them...and reacted accordingly.

I'm just suggesting that perhaps your dog is hearing something that scares her. Dogs are very smart & maybe she senses something. Kay in NC Tues Jan 11

[lizbud]

Has there been a change in his exercise routine? Does he normally get
walks, but now not so many? Sounds like he has some pent up energy
and that can cause some issues too. Sometimes we go through some
anxious times ourselves, with bills, family issues or whatever, and our pets
can pick up on our state of mind & that makes them anxious. I hope you
can get things figured out for both your sakes.:)

[sonyaw]

thanks everyone for the relpy but let me clarify something. rosco has ALWAYS been attached to me. just not as bad as recently. maybe something did trigger more obsessive behavior but i can't pinpoint it. i will continue to search though.