Clingy Fungus!

[fungles]

Please could I get some suggestions how to help with my dog Fungus.

Fungus is a 5 yo lab X

Do you guys think the TOT would work for us? I'm not sure if it would help this sort of behaviour.

He has become a complete pain in the arse over the last week or so. He has always been a pretty laid back dog, but he has all of a sudden become incredibly clingy. I cannot walk out of the room without him following me. If I'm standing still he nudges me incessantly for a pat, he gets really worked up and excited at the drop of a hat, especially when I am doing stuff with my almost 2 yo son Hamish.

It's full on attention seeking behaviour and seems to occur mostly when Hamish is involved. He seems so jealous all of a sudden. He's not bothered with following Mr fungles around, just me. He tries to sit on me or always maintain some sort of physical contact, which I assume is dominace behaviour.

We moved just over a month ago and our old place was 7 acres of bush that he was allowed to wander as he pleased when we were home, although he was put into a fenced area with access into the house when we were out. He still has access inside and a fenced area at the new house but isn't allowed to wander in the bush anymore. He would only wander around for 10 minutes a couple of times a day anyway - the rest of the time he would be with us. I've started walking him more to compensate for the lack of bush time, and this seems to have coincided with the annoying clingyness. Surely more exercise shouldn't increase bad behaviour? But this seems to be the only change that corresponds with this behaviour change.

We have been a bit slack with training as he's such an easy going dog. He will only eat when told he can do so, and has a reasonable sit stay. We are guilty of letting him on the couch and bed :rolleyes:

Thanks

How can I stop this super annoying behaviour?

[sandgrubber]

Not sure what TOT is.

Also, people may not be responding because they think 'clingy fungus' is a reference to a disease.

With Labs (and many other dogs), if you don't encourage the behaviour, it usually goes away . . . unless there's a physical cause. Are you sure Fungus is ok, health-wise, or that there isn't something in the environment that scares him.

[Jigsaw]

You've stated you moved about a month ago and this behaviour started about two weeks ago. I'd be looking and thinking about how your own behaviour and routine may have changed since you moved. It takes a while for us humans to settle into a new home and he may be just letting you know he's feeling a bit destabilised and unsettled. You may have changed things in a subtle way that has thrown him out of whack. There may be many new environmental factors he's previously not come into contact with too if you're now living in a more suburban area than rural too such as traffic, new smells, people noises, other dogs etc. He might be experiencing these on his walks and it might be making him feel insecure. If he gets pushy for attention you could ask him to sit or drop before petting him. Only guesswork and if you're really concerned about it get some professional advice.

[Stitch]

What Jigsaw said!

[Aussienot]

Yes, Triangle of Temptation will help. Also look into the Nothing in Life is Free program and start immediately. This is one of those situations where your dog is looking for you to be a Leader, and he's not seeing it.

One of the NILIF rules is that the dog cannot ask you for affection. You give affection and closeness when you want to, not when your dog comes up and thrusts his nose into your lap. I know that may sound harsh, but it works. You can still be as affectionate to your dog as you want, but you need to be the one dictating the terms.