Many pet owners are familiar with the quirks and eccentricities of living with animals under the same roof. Having a “shadow” following you from room to room in the house is not surprising in the least. Oddly enough, this lack of surprise also includes dogs who want to follow their owners into the bathroom.
Lots of owners have no problem letting their dog share the commode while they are on the toilet. But what causes your dog to want to share such an intimate moment with you anyway?
Here are ten possible reasons for why your dog follows you into the bathroom:
1. Dogs exercise a pack mentality.
They are part of your life and your family, so, therefore, they believe they should be part of all your daily activities. Your dog may be uncomfortable being separated from you, the pack leader, and thus needs to follow you everywhere…even into the bathroom.
2. Curiosity can cause your dog to enter the bathroom with you.
He may think that you go into this area so often because it needs to be secured and monitored frequently. Isn't that why you eliminate and leave your “scent” there? And surely you wouldn't walk into a potentially dangerous situation without your best four-legged pack member at your side, right?
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3. Your dog may feel that he is providing you with protection.
In nature, going to the bathroom can be risky business as you expose yourself to potential attack in the most vulnerable of moments. But with your pup at your side, you'll have nothing to fear.
4. Your dog might just love to be with you, all the time…yes, even in the bathroom.
Dogs value their owner's company, and considering how hectic the house can be on a general basis, sneaking into the bathroom with you might just be the only quiet downtime the two of you get!
Related: 11 Ways Dogs Tell You They Love You
5. Dogs love smells.
The more to smell, the better, and our bathrooms consist of more than just the toilet. Think about all the smells that your dog must indulge in when he's in the bathroom: soaps, cleaning products, perfumes, shaving creme, and even any dirty towels or what's in the small garbage bin. Seriously, a bathroom has to be a sniffer's dream!
Related: The 12 dog breeds with the best sense of smell
6. Some dogs worry their owners because they will go into the bathroom, then just sit and stare at the owner while he does his business.
Why all the staring? It may be that your dog is trying to make an emotional connection with you using his eyes.
7. Your dog may be suffering from separation anxiety if he needs to be with you at all times.
Consult your veterinarian if your dog's desire to be with you prompts erratic or stressful behaviors, such as getting upset if you shut him out of the bathroom. Your dog may be suffering from separation anxiety.
8. Dogs have no concept of privacy.
The dog's ancestors, the wolf, worked together consistently and never held back on anything. That's how a successful pack or family works. Your dog may not view the bathroom as anything more than a place to join you, because why would you want to be alone and have privacy?
9. Does your dog bring a toy into the bathroom with you?
Or pick up a hand towel off the floor and bring it to you? Your dog is giving you a gift just to say that he loves you. So what if he presents his gift in the bathroom? He still loves you.
10. Finally, your dog might just be making himself useful to you.
Maybe he knows you could use a little support from a lean against your legs, or maybe he's a fill-in for your broken toilet paper holder. Either way, your dog could be trying to help.
So the next time your dog accompanies you into your bathroom, instead of writing him off as a total weirdo, consider that there just might be a method to his madness.
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Elizabeth Patterson
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What about cats? Why do they scratch at the door frantically when you’re in there?