Why Does My Dog Sit Alone In Another Room?

Why Does My Dog Sit Alone in Another Room?

My dog is currently sitting by my feet, washing herself in a rather unflattering manner. However, on rare occasions, she decides that I’m not where she wants to be. Or that she doesn’t want to hang out with me right now. Which is hurtful, of course. But actually there are plenty of good reasons our dogs sometimes choose to be elsewhere.

Dogs Follow The Temperature

When our house is all fairly similar in temperature, or the weather is mild, our dogs all tend to stay in whatever room the rest of the family is occupying. However, when it’s particularly hot, wet or humid they will spread out and prefer areas that are less extreme.

If the weather is hot and muggy, and your dog leaves the soft couched, carpeted living room and lays down on the tile kitchen floor away from the rug, then really they are just moderating their core body temperature.

Comfortable Surfaces

Sometimes when one of our dogs wanders off to sit elsewhere, the flooring that they are choosing to deposit themselves on is different. My kitchen floor is tiled. The living room has a fairly soft deep rug. When one of our girls disappears into the living room, they are often choosing to sit on that cosy rug instead of the cold hard kitchen floor.

Other Animal Annoyance

Our oldest dog is a patient girl in general, but sometimes the puppy gets a bit too much to tolerate. Despite her obvious desires to hang out with us, she really needs space from the bouncy bitey baby on occasions. We have a series of baby gates set up to stop the puppy causing carnage, so we just let her through and into another room when she asks by standing beside the door.

Escape From The Human Family!

We love our families, but sometimes they can get a bit too much. And our dogs are no different! When there are too many people in one room, your dog might well sit alone in another room to get a bit of a breather.

Relaxation Time

Your dog sitting alone in another room isn’t necessarily a sign of anything negative. They might be relaxing, having a chew on a favorite toy or just zoning out and relaxing. It’s easier for some creatures, just like some humans, to chill out when they are alone. And they’ll come back for company as soon as they are ready.

Do Sick Dogs Like To Be Alone?

The first sign that my dogs are unwell is often a change in behavior, rather than a physical sign or symptom. Spending more time sleeping or resting is common, but they do also sometimes take themselves away from the rest of the family when they feel sick.

Dogs Sit Along For All Sorts Of Reasons

Although occasionally your dog might choose to sit alone in another room because they are sick, stressed or avoiding someone, it’s usually nothing to worry about. Temperature control and comfort are usually the more likely culprits. Not a lack of desire to hang out with you!

When I go to find out where one of our pupsters is hanging out, unless they are very under the weather they will be just as delighted to see me as always. Your dog is unlikely to be avoiding you personally, but if they do seem less enthusiastic than normal the first person to chat with is your veterinarian. Unless there has been a big recent life change, like a new family member arriving or a house move. In that case, ride it out for a few days and they will probably settle back to staying where you are like normal.