Why Does My Dog Pick One Person? The Science of Dog Favorites

Yes, a dog can pick a favorite person. The AKC says that in a household with several people, “there’s a good chance your dog will become fixated on one person in particular.” Studies and veterinary groups have looked at parts of that bond: eye contact, the smell of a familiar person, early socialization, and what dogs choose when two people offer the same petting.

Do dogs pick a favorite person?

The AKC says the person a dog fixates on might be the primary caregiver who provides food and walks, or the person who plays games and hands out treats. Erin Kramer, a professional certified dog trainer, is quoted in the AKC article “Why Does My Dog Follow Me Everywhere?” on why the person matters: “The focus is on that person because of what they give access to.”

Why do dogs pick one person as their favorite?

Eye contact and oxytocin

In a 2015 paper in Science, Miho Nagasawa and colleagues measured gazing and urinary oxytocin in dogs, wolves, and people. They report that gazing from dogs, but not from wolves, increased urinary oxytocin in the people. That rise helped the people’s affiliation and was followed by higher oxytocin in the dogs. When dogs were given oxytocin through the nose, they gazed more, and the urinary oxytocin of their people went up. The authors call this “an interspecies oxytocin-mediated positive loop facilitated and modulated by gazing.”

Scent

A 2015 fMRI study in Behavioural Processes scanned 12 dogs trained to stay still without sedation or restraint. The dogs smelled five scents: their own, a familiar human, a strange human, a familiar dog, and a strange dog. The paper reports that “the caudate was activated maximally to the familiar human,” and the authors chose the caudate for its “well-known association with positive expectations.” The familiar person was not the handler. The study measured brain responses to scent samples. Read more about what dogs think about.

Early life

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) says in its position statement on puppy socialization: “Because the first three months are the period when sociability outweighs fear, this is the primary window of opportunity for puppies to adapt to new people, animals, and experiences.”

Dr. Rachel Barrack, a licensed veterinarian quoted by the AKC, says puppies from birth to 6 months “can often imprint” on their people and look to them as they would their mother. The AKC article adds that a dog’s life before it entered the home “can play a big part when it comes to being fixated on one person, especially for dogs who have been rescued.”

Petting, praise, and treats

In a 2015 study in Behavioural Processes, Feuerbacher and Wynne let shelter dogs and dogs living in homes choose between petting and vocal praise. The petting and praise came from a stranger or, for the dogs in homes, from the dog’s pet parent. The authors report: “Across all experimental groups, dogs preferred petting to vocal praise.” They also report that “Vocal praise produced as little proximity-seeking behavior as did no interaction.”

Feeling safe

A 2013 study in PLoS ONE followed 30 dogs. A threatening stranger approached each dog twice, once with the dog’s pet parent present and once with the dog separated from them, while the researchers recorded heart rate. The rise in heart rate was significantly less pronounced when the pet parent was there. The authors write that pet parents “can provide a buffer against stress in dogs.”

Can dogs change their favorite person?

Yes, a dog’s preference between people can shift. In a 2017 study in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, both people gave the same petting. Dogs living in homes spent more time with their own pet parent in an unfamiliar setting, but more time with a stranger in a familiar one. Shelter dogs and dogs in homes who were tested with two strangers also showed a preference for one stranger over the other, similar in size to the home dogs’ preference for their pet parent in the unfamiliar setting. The authors write that “dogs can form a preference for one person quickly.”

What if your dog ignores your partner?

For a dog that stays very close to one person, the AKC lists this approach: “If there are other adults in your household, have them walk the dog on a regular basis.” “Bonding with your dog is good for you,” Dr. Barrack says. “Just make sure that in the process you do not limit the dog’s social interactions with other dogs and people.”

Where a dog sleeps has its own guide. Read more about why dogs sleep on one person and not the other, or about why dogs lay on you.

Resource guarding

The AKC says some dogs “might growl, stiffen, lunge, or even bite when you go near or try to retrieve something from them,” and calls this resource guarding. It says the thing a dog guards can range “from a nesting spot to the companionship of a preferred human.” The article names signs of a dog guarding an item: “stiffening their body over an item, a hard stare, ‘whale eye’ (when dogs show the whites of their eyes), lifting their lips, low growling, and baring their teeth.”

The article says some dogs develop resource guarding as adults. Nicole Costanza, an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, says it is a good idea to take those dogs to the vet before training. The AKC says: “A change in behavior or a sign of aggressive behavior may indicate the presence of an underlying medical issue.” Costanza recommends a vet or an animal behaviorist for a treatment plan. If guarding leads to biting, she strongly suggests calling in a behaviorist immediately.

Read the deeper guide on dog sleep choices, or read more about calming dog beds.

Why Dogs Pick One Person FAQ

Is a dog that follows one person everywhere a problem?

It depends. The AKC says: “The big difference between separation anxiety and being a Velcro dog is anxiety itself.” It says dogs with true separation anxiety “actually panic” when they are away from their people. Dr. Jerry Klein, Chief Veterinary Officer for the AKC, says: “A dog that suddenly becomes very clingy may be suffering from a physical ailment and keeping you in reach for comfort. A checkup by the veterinarian is a good idea if this happens.”

Should I punish a dog that guards one person?

No. “No yelling at your dog, screaming at the dog, or hitting the dog to ‘exert dominance,’” Costanza says. “This may only serve to worsen the behavior.” AVSAB’s position statement on humane dog training says: “AVSAB recommends that only reward-based training methods are used for all dog training, including the treatment of behavior problems.”

Do treats and affection make a dog follow someone more?

Yes, according to Dr. Barrack, who tells the AKC: “If every time you are with your dog, he gets affection or treats, he’s likely to follow you around more often.”

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Sources

• Nagasawa, M., et al. “Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds.” Science, 2015. PubMed
• Berns, G. S., et al. “Scent of the familiar: an fMRI study of canine brain responses to familiar and unfamiliar human and dog odors.” Behavioural Processes, 2015. PubMed
• Feuerbacher, E. N., and Wynne, C. D. L. “Shut up and pet me! Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) prefer petting to vocal praise in concurrent and single-alternative choice procedures.” Behavioural Processes, 2015. PubMed
• Feuerbacher, E. N., and Wynne, C. D. L. “Dogs don’t always prefer their owners and can quickly form strong preferences for certain strangers over others.” Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2017. PubMed
• Gácsi, M., et al. “Human analogue safe haven effect of the owner: behavioural and heart rate response to stressful social stimuli in dogs.” PLoS ONE, 2013. PubMed
• American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. “Position Statement on Puppy Socialization.” avsab.org
• American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. “Position Statement on Humane Dog Training.” avsab.org
• American Kennel Club. “Why Does My Dog Follow Me Everywhere?” akc.org
• American Kennel Club. “What to Do When Your Dog Steals and Guards Items.” akc.org