DDog...

[avocadoyum]

Is 6 months old. I've never had a dog before so not sure what's normal. She's a lovely dog :) I work from home, take her for her walk in morning, couple of plays in garden during the day and walk in evening. However for the rest of he day she either follows me around or sits in her bed and comes in out, constantly to see what I am doing. Is this normal? I'm having trouble concentrating on my work as I feel like I should be paying attending to DDog but I can't, I have to work! She follows me everywhere, which is ok but I can't give her constant attention. DH says to just leave her and get on with what I'm doing but I feel bad, maybe she's bored? I've always had cats who are very independent so not sure what's normal.

It's completely normal for dogs to follow you about. They like to be with their families, and they're intrinsically different from dogs in that way.

I WFH too and while adult DDog is currently off in another room sunning himself, he will periodically pop back in to check I'm still here, and will sometimes choose to lie in his bed at my feet. He's a relatively independent dog who can cope with me being out at work for a full day, so other dogs will be different.

If he demands attention when I'm working, he doesn't get a lot of it - a quick tickle behind the ears and that's it. It does them absolutely no harm whatsoever to learn that they can't always have attention when they want it!

My dog goes to daycare when I am in the office but when I work from home he stays with me. I often wonder if he is bored as he doesn't do half as much with me as he would at daycare. I tend to ignore him until I would naturally take a break and then we have a quick ball throw in the garden before I ignore him again

However, if he thinks I haven't paid him any attention for a long time he tends to try and sit on my legs or lie on my laptop

Mine is lazy and when she's done with anything exciting she'll lie flat out wherever I am. So if I shift from outside, she'll shift inside too, and then flop somewhere nearby. I don't think your dog following you means that she's bored....maybe just that she's bonded to you. I like the following....I listen for her feet padding behind me (often with small child, as a team)

Both of mine follow me around like shadows! One even tries to come to the loo with me

My routine is the same with a 6 month old dog. I get up at 7, dog goes out, refuses to eat his breakfast and gallops about whilst we have breakfast and get DD ready for school. He normally has toys (empty bottles, cardboard loo roll inners, ice cubes, sprouts or carrot stciks) chucked for him. About 8:30 I take him out for a walk. It is a long time out but we don't walk along way. We are out about an hour but a lot of that is me sitting by the river whilst he sniffs, splashes, chases bubbles and so on. We are mostly just spending time!

We get back 9:30 and he finally eats his breakfast and then settles under my desk. I work all day and he sleeps all day. If I get up to put the kettle on he follows me and flomps next to me. He follows me to the loo or our to the garden but mostly he knows it is quiet time.

At 15:30 DH and DD get home and he is up then pottering about with them. They aren't massively exciting but he wanders between my office and wherever they are.

At 17:30 I make tea and there are more toys chucked about to amuse us both and at 18:00 people eat and dog refuses his dinner.

At around 19:00 I take him out for another long time walk and then I sit on the floor all evening playing with him or brushing him. At 22:00 he goes round the block for 5 mins for a pre-bed wee and then it is in the kitchen for the night.

We do dog class 1 night a week, 1 night a week he goes out with DH to the forest to do "survival" skills for the evening. On the weekends there is loads more going on - we are often camping - and he comes too, or we visit family or have days out. The hot weather has cramped everyone's style a bit but we still try to be busier and wherever we are he is in most instances! However he is used to the daytime routine and settles in the office very quickly these days.

Sounds completely normal. Most dogs start by following you constantly, eventually they should be happy to settle down as they get older but most will still pop in to check up on you every now and again.

Has she got chews to keep her occupied?
If you want to teach a settle then can you erect a baby gate somewhere where she can still see you but can't get to you? She should settle down on the other side of the gate pretty quickly and the distance will also help with any potential future separation anxiety.

Ha! I am currently working from home (though, admittedly have just taken a little break to check mn ). Battendog mooches about upstairs in the office and landing while I am working. He doesn't get much attention, either, until lunchtime when we go out for a walk. He mostly just lies down looking bit sorry for himself but if he feels like some attention he comes up behind me and taps me on the shoulder!

It not as exciting as some days but he gets two good walks plus company all day. I agree with pp that it doesn't do dogs harm not be centre of attention. They tend to lap up any attention there is so, if allowed, will keep asking for more until they get every minute of the day. Provided they are well taken care of, learning to lie down and wait or amuse themselves in appropriate ways are not bad skills to have.

At 6 months old he was a pest and would constantly try to distract me. However, at one year old (where does the time go?) he has learned that, if I am my desk, nothing much is going to happen for a while.

Eric is four and follows me less than he did at six months but still comes to check on me if I'm out of sight for too long. He likes to snooze so I don't think he always see my moving as a good enough reason to interrupt his snoozing. Now when I go in the garden to put the washing out he follows me out, checks that there is nobody about and goes back to the sofa where when he was younger he'd stay by my side until I went in. If he doesn't come looking for me it unnerves me and so I go looking for him but it's usually only because he's asleep that he hasn't come to look for me. I think it's just a sign that the dog is attached to you tbh.