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Attention Seeking Dog Behavior is quite normal in puppies. They enjoy playing with their littermates, crave a lot of their mother’s care and attention, and are in the phase of social learning, both with people and other hounds!

Attention-seeking is one behavioural concept that is quite common with dogs. It shows very obviously in a youngster quite reliant on the mother for his/her very survival.

We become their family when a puppy comes into our lives, and because they rely on us for care, they will do all in their power to interact with us.

What Counts as Attention Seeking Dog Behavior?

Dogs are social creatures, which is why they make such wonderful friends. A puppy must establish a social network before it can live with us. While your puppy may naturally jump up at you when you meet them, feed them, play with them, or leave them alone, persistent prodding, whimpering, barking, scratching, and other behaviors may be signs of excessive attention-seeking.

Though some dogs, or even breeds, may be “needier” than others, all of this can sound harmless enough, but excessive attention-seeking can be a symptom of more serious problems in your relationship.

Why Do Dogs Become Attention-Seekers?

One of the most common reasons is their boredom or frustration.

This might be the result of them not receiving enough mental or physical stimulation from their owners, or it could be the result of them not receiving enough dog exercise.

This is a fundamental need for dogs, so if you aren’t giving it to them, you should totally expect them to try to attract your attention.

But you shouldn’t take it personally.

If dogs are left alone for long periods, separation anxiety could manifest by them being overly clingy when their owner finally comes home. If the dog is constantly being left behind, this behavior will more than likely get worse.

Some dogs may engage in attention-seeking activities because they feel safer when they are in close proximity to their owner and lack confidence or fear.

Of course, there may be a number of things that you do as a proprietor by default that unintentionally encourage attention-seeking behavior!

Some dogs enjoy stealing things and running off with them to catch their owner’s attention. The more strongly we respond, the more attention your dog believes they are receiving, making the reward more valuable and the more often they do it. For an intelligent dog, this can be a terrific game!

How to Deal With Attention Seeking Dog Behavior

Take some time to consider whether your dog’s actions are appropriate first. Do they exercise enough? Are they finding ways to release the pent-up energy and inherent breed traits that come with exercise?

Do they get enough cerebral stimulation, in particular, for intelligent working breeds? Do you let them have enough time?

If you don’t give them mental and physical stimulation and social opportunity that they require, you really can’t fault your dog’s working for themselves! Dogs who are completely content rarely need to seek attention.

Think about if you will want to reduce the attention-seeking tendencies of your dog, too. The flip side of the “building a strong relationship” coin is that your dog does need attention; they do want to interact with you because you are everything to them.

You can begin working on minimizing excessive attention-seeking behaviors if you are certain that your dog doesn’t have every reason to want your attention and you have taken care of any shortcomings here.

But it’s crucial to give your dog praise when they follow your instructions. It would appear that far too many dogs get attention only when they’re doing something their owner finds inappropriate. It’s a sad state of affairs. When their dogs do something their owners don’t want them to—bark at them, jump on them, chew on things they shouldn’t, run off with something valuable, or do anything else to get their devoted owners to pay some attention to them—they are often completely ignored by their owners while their dog sits or lies quietly and does exactly what they want him to.

Naturally, our dogs find our attention rewarding, so once they figure out how to acquire it, they won’t stop doing it since it works!

Also Read : Why Do Dogs Tilt Their Heads?

How to Prevent or Stop Excessive Attention-Seeking Behaviors

• When your dog behaves well, don’t ignore them. When they are following your instructions, give them your full attention. Reward positive behavior so kids understand just how to capture your attention in the right situations. When a dog is attempting to get your attention when it’s not appropriate, it’s usually a sign that you are not providing them with enough of it at that period.
• Once you are certain that your dog has no right to demand more attention from you, you should completely ignore them (if it is safe to do so) if they behave in a way that you do not want them to.
• You must respond quickly to reallocate your attention immediately after it stops. This is very important. At this point in time, your dog desires your attention, so for that, you must be very clear on how to provide this. Reward what you want and ignore what you don’t.
• Avoid saying, ‘No, no,’ or pushing your dog away, as you’re giving them what they want—attention!
  Using baby gates or house lines so you can safely ignore him without making physical contact in cases where the behavior isn’t safe to have him ignored, such as jumping up on children, nipping guests, or scaring visitors.
• The above should help bring most excessive attention-seeking under control, but if you are still having difficulty with this, please seek out a professional, qualified behaviorist.