[JanieB]

Earlier this year my family and I were lucky enough to find a gorgeous rescue dog (she had been picked up as a stray) and all has gone well until recently. We knew little if anything of her history, but she is perfectly house trained (not even one tiny accident), travels well in the car, loves people of all ages and sexes and has pretty good recall off the lead. We love her to bits.

However, over the past few weeks she has become suddenly very clingy and especially around me. This was something we expected in the early days but which did not happen. She seemed pleased to be around everyone in equal measures. I am around for most of the week but it is not as if I am her primary carer. I work and often my sons and/or husband will feed and walk her but once I am back home she is under my feet the whole time. We think that perhaps she had a lady owner before?

She is now showing signs of separation anxiety. If I leave the room she barks (even if one of the other family members is with her) and she follows me everywhere, even to the point where I have accidentally knocked in to her or stepped on her because she is literally under my feet. She barks if she doesn't have my attention which she was not doing before.
We have just been away for a week and she was being looked after by a good friend and she has been slightly worse since coming back (which is understandable because she probably thought she was never going to see us again!) but it is getting to the point now where she won't really co-operate with other family members when she was before, unless I am nearby.

[molliepops]

We have always found at about the 6 month of us homing a dog they suddenly relax properly and we see their real characters come through. I wonder if that is what has happened or if something has happened to make her nervous when you are not around ?

[JanieB]

I was wondering about this too. My other half rescued a dog many years ago long before I knew him, and he said that she didn't behave like a dog for the first six months!

[molliepops]

All I can think to do really is try and get help from the rescue as they may have behaviorists you can talk to, or get one yourself but ask around as some are great and not so much !