If your puppy follows you everywhere, cries when you leave the room or struggles to settle unless you are nearby, you may be worried that you are creating separation anxiety. In most young puppies, following you from room to room is completely normal. They have recently left their mother and littermates, and you have become their source of safety, food and reassurance.
Quick answer: You do not need to ignore your puppy or suddenly leave them alone. Instead, help them practise short, comfortable moments of independence while you are still at home, returning or making the exercise easier before they become distressed.
A puppy who follows you everywhere is sometimes described as a “Velcro puppy”, but this behaviour does not automatically mean your puppy has separation anxiety. Gently introducing safe distance can help them learn that they do not always need to be touching you or following your every movement to feel secure.
Why Does My Puppy Follow Me Everywhere?
Young puppies are used to sleeping, eating and exploring close to their mother and littermates. Moving into a new home is a major change, so staying close to you can help your puppy feel safe while they learn about their new environment.
One of the most common concerns I hear from new puppy owners is that allowing this closeness will make their puppy dependent. In reality, secure relationships and carefully managed experiences can give puppies the confidence to become more independent over time.
Independence is not something we create by ignoring a distressed puppy. It develops through small, manageable experiences in which your puppy feels safe.
These early exercises can help your puppy learn that:
- You can move away and come back
- They can enjoy an activity without being beside you
- Being in a different part of the room or house can feel safe
- They do not have to follow every movement you make
This is about building confidence, not testing how much distress your puppy can tolerate.
How to Help Your Puppy Become More Independent
Choose a time when your puppy has been to the toilet, is reasonably settled and is interested in food. Avoid starting when they are overtired, highly excited or already worried.
- Set up something enjoyable. Place a suitable food-filled enrichment item in a comfortable, puppy-safe area.
- Stay nearby initially. Let your puppy investigate without immediately moving away.
- Create a little distance. Sit a few feet away, move to the other side of the room or briefly step through an open doorway.
- Return before your puppy becomes distressed. The first repetition might last only a few seconds.
- Build gradually. Increase the distance or duration in small increments, depending on how comfortable your puppy appears.
Your puppy does not need to remain perfectly still. They are allowed to look up, move around or come and find you. If they repeatedly abandon the activity to follow you, make the next repetition easier.
Several relaxed moments throughout normal daily life are more useful than one long session that becomes difficult.
Using a LickiMat Crate Mate for Puppy Independence
A Kong, chew or portable enrichment toy can be very useful, but your puppy may simply pick it up and carry it back into the room with you.
The LickiMat Crate Mate offers a slightly different option because it remains fixed in place. It can attach to a suitable crate or, using the suction cups, to a smooth wall or window.
This allows your puppy to choose between following you and remaining with something enjoyable. The valuable part is not simply the licking. It is the opportunity to practise being a short distance away from you without being shut in or forced to stay there.
Position the mat at a comfortable height so your puppy can lick without stretching upwards or crouching awkwardly. Spread the food thinly and supervise your puppy until you are confident that they use the product safely.
If you use it inside a crate, keep the door open during this particular exercise. Your puppy should be choosing to stay rather than being confined with the food.
Puppy Independence Is Not the Same as Being Left Home Alone
Choosing to remain in another room while you complete some admin is a helpful foundation, but it does not automatically prepare a puppy to be left alone in the house.
Being separated by a few feet, being behind a barrier, watching you leave through the front door and remaining alone in an empty home are different levels of difficulty. Each stage needs to be introduced gradually.
For a broader plan covering departures, cameras, warning signs and gradual alone-time training, read our force-free separation anxiety guide.
How to Tell if Your Puppy Is Finding It Too Difficult
Watch your puppy rather than relying on a timer. Make the exercise easier if they:
- Immediately abandon food they would normally enjoy
- Repeatedly rush after you
- Whine, bark or scratch at a barrier
- Pace or appear unable to settle
- Become increasingly watchful or agitated
Food refusal is particularly useful information. It can indicate that your puppy is too worried to engage with the activity. Move closer, shorten the separation or return to an easier version next time.
Do not wait for your puppy to become highly distressed in the hope that they will eventually settle. The RSPCA’s guidance on teaching dogs to be left alone also recommends increasing alone time gradually and avoiding durations that cause distress.
When a Puppy Needs More Support
This exercise may help with early independence, mild “Velcro puppy” behaviour and learning to settle at a comfortable distance. It is not a standalone treatment for established separation-related distress.
Seek professional support if your puppy panics when separated, cannot eat, persistently barks or howls, toilets despite having recently been outside, attempts to escape, destroys doors or barriers, or risks injuring themselves.
A tailored plan can help you identify your puppy’s comfortable starting point and progress without repeatedly triggering distress.
Crate and LickiMat Safety
- Introduce crates positively and never use them as punishment.
- Do not close your puppy inside a crate simply to prevent them from following you.
- Remove collars and harnesses in crates because they can become caught on the bars.
- Choose puppy-safe ingredients and account for enrichment food within their daily allowance.
- Check the LickiMat regularly and replace it if it becomes damaged.
- Supervise your puppy, particularly when introducing a new product.
If a fixed mat would be useful for your puppy’s independence exercises, you can find the LickiMat Crate Mate in the HPDT shop.
Get Personalised Puppy Training Support
If you are unsure whether your puppy’s behaviour is normal, your puppy cries whenever you leave the room or you are worried about leaving them alone, you do not have to guess your way through it. Our puppy training consultations provide practical, force-free guidance tailored to your puppy, your household and your routine.
We offer support in Essex and Hertfordshire, as well as virtual consultations for puppy owners throughout the UK.
FAQ
Why does my puppy follow me everywhere?
Your puppy follows you because you are their new source of safety, food, care and reassurance. Young puppies are used to being close to their mother and littermates, so staying near you is usually a normal part of settling into a new home.
Does my puppy following me mean they have separation anxiety?
No. Following you from room to room does not automatically mean your puppy has separation anxiety. Pay closer attention to how they respond when distance is introduced. Panic, persistent vocalising, escape attempts and an inability to eat can indicate that more support is needed.
Should I ignore my puppy when they follow me?
No. You do not need to withdraw reassurance or ignore your puppy to teach independence. Instead, introduce manageable opportunities for them to enjoy an activity a short distance away while they still feel safe.
How long should I leave my puppy in another room?
Begin with whatever your puppy can comfortably manage, even if that is only a few seconds with an open doorway. Increase the duration gradually and return before they become distressed. There is no single starting duration suitable for every puppy.
What if my puppy leaves the LickiMat and follows me?
Let them follow you. Do not block them or repeatedly return them to the mat. Next time, remain closer or move away for a shorter period. The aim is to make independent settling easy enough that your puppy chooses it.
Can a LickiMat prevent puppy separation anxiety?
No single product can prevent or treat separation anxiety. A fixed LickiMat can support one useful independence exercise, but puppies also need gradual preparation for barriers, departures and being left home alone.
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