why does a dog follow his owners around?

After an injury, your dog will bond to you even more than before. He may follow you around and want to be with you even more than before. Maybe he will even be more obedient!

going downstairs

Jane’s learned a lot about me since I was hit by the car. My Dad didn’t mind it when I followed him around. But Jane did. Up and down, up and down, in and out, in and out, up and down and in and out all over again.  One thing she has learned since I was hit by the car is that I follow her around because I love her. I think she’s happy about that now. Since I’m a dog, I can’t say “I love you” with words. I have to say it in my language.  I can follow her around. And I do.

For three months I always had to be on the lead when I went up or down or out back. Now I don’t have to be on the lead anymore; I can walk independently. But some things have stuck, like asking permission to do many things: Now Jane goes up the stairs and I wait at the bottom. I stare up at her at the top of the steps and I put my worried look on my face which says “You’re not going to leave me down here all alone, are you?” or which says “Leaving me down here is the worst thing that could possibly happen to me.” Which she knows is not true.  But either way, then she looks at me and says, with a big smile in her voice, “Joey, come! Come up!” I know this is good. She waits for me then says “Good boy!” Obeying her is worth it just to hear those words and to see her smile.

In the old days, when she would go downstairs and I would be with her, I would have shadowed her downstairs, for sure.  Now, when she goes downstairs, she looks at me and says “Stay” and uses her nifty little hand signal and I just remain where I am. I now know that it’s okay to remain where I am, usually lying down on the carpet, and that she’ll be back upstairs, by my side. I know that she’s not leaving me and that she’ll be back – for me.