Do Poodles Pick A Favorite Person? – How To Be The Favorite

Poodles are loving and intelligent dogs that will fit in perfectly with your family. And it will love everyone in your family. But you will still wonder one thing. Do Poodles pick a favorite person?

Poodles tend to pick one person to be their favorite. This doesn’t always have to be the owner. It can be anyone. And even if it will love everyone, there are certain behaviors you will notice with its favorite person.

How Poodles Choose Their Favourite Person

There are a few things that will determine who your Poodle’s favorite person is going to be. 

Early Socialization

Dogs will attach to the people who are most present during their socialization period. This period happens from birth to around six months of age. Your Poodle will choose the human who plays with it the most during this period and is involved in its training. 

“The existing scientific evidence suggests that socialization is a key component of producing an adult dog which behaves in an appropriate manner and is well-suited to living with humans in modern day society”, says Dr. Tiffani J Howell et al.

Attention And Affection

If you love something, it will also love you back. If you give your Poodle enough love and affection, it will try to give you back the same emotions. The opposite is also true. If you act angry and confrontative with your dog, you should be ready to receive the same.

Positive Association

Dogs tend to connect certain experiences with certain people and create associations. You will notice your Poodle hating the vet because it gave it a shot. But it will also love the person who gives it food every morning and takes it on walks regularly.

The Type Of Person

You might notice some people and their dogs looking very similar. Dogs tend to choose someone who fits their energy. Active dogs like people with an active lifestyle, and lazy dogs like lazy people. So you can expect your Poodle to love someone whos intelligent and playful. A study by Dr. Stanley Coren confirms this phenomenon and ends by stating:

This might suggest that we have some preference for dogs that have a general likeness that is somewhat reminiscent of the appearance of our own faces. This could provide some confirmation of the folk psychological belief that we look like our dogs to some degree.
white poodle in the grass

Signs That Your Poodle Likes You

If you are not sure that your Poodle likes you, you should look at the signs it gives off.

Follows You Everywhere

You will notice your Poodle following you from one room to the other. They will lie down at your feet once you sit down. This is a way to show you that they want to be close to you. This is why Poodles, along with some other dogs, have earned the title of “velcro dogs”.

Jumping On You

Sometimes your dog will jump on you if it wants some extra attention. This might have been fine at the beginning when it was a small pup, but it can be annoying when the pup grows up. Try to get rid of this behavior early even if it’s cute.

Nuzzling

Another way to see are Poodles affectionate with you is to notice if they nuzzle you. This is when the Poodle touches you with its cold nose as a sign of affection. You can notice this behavior when the Poodle wants some petting from you.

Wagging Its Tail

There is not one behavior known to be more friendly than the wagging tail of a dog. If you come home from your work and your Poodle is waiting at your door, expect to see that tail going at it. It just wants to let you know that it is happy to see you.

Bringing You A Toy

Everyone likes to get gifts, and everyone wants to give them. Especially when it’s from the heart. If your Poodle lets you play with its favorite toy, it is a sign of respect and love. And you should accept it, even if it’s all stinky and wet.

Cuddling And Licking

The best way to answer “do Poodles get attached to one person?” is to see who it cuddles up with every evening. Besides cuddling, Poodles will also lick your face as a way to kiss you and show love. They might even lick your feet or hands.

How To Become Your Poodle’s Favourite

If you really love your dog and want it to consider you its favorite person, there are a few things you can do to improve your relationship. Try to spend at least 30 minutes of focused, one-on-one time together every day. But don’t just make it a walk, watching TV, or yard time. Let it be an active and playful activity.

You can try playing fetch, tug-of-war, or frisbee. Maybe do one training session to learn some new skills. Take your dog to a dog gym and work together. Spend one day for a full-grooming session, maybe even involve a massage.

There is no better way to know are Poodles loyal, than until you spend time with them and make an empathetic bond.

What To Do If The Poodle Is Only Attached To You

Even if you think it’s cute that your Poodle loves you the most, you should still try and help it get to know the other people in your family. You can do this in three ways.

Socialize It With Other People

Socialize them slowly with other people, starting with your closest family members. You should do this during the socialization period as they are most receptive then. Move on from your family to your friends and their dogs. Poodles do bite at times, but you can ensure everyone that their bite will not harm them. In time your Poodle will be friendly with everyone it meets.

Make It Feel Secure

You should always be ready to offer a safe environment for your pet before you get one. Each family member should be on board to make it feel welcome and secure within the home. If it’s possible, try to give your female Poodle its own safe space like its own bed or dog crate.

Make A Proper Schedule

Is a Poodle a good family dog? Yes. But everyone in the entire family has to take turns when caring for it. It shouldn’t be only you. This way the Poodle will know that everyone in the home cares for it so it will return the favor. This includes giving it dog food, playing with it, and grooming it.

white poodle

Problems With Having A Clingy Poodle

Having a Poodle that loves you can not be problematic, can it? Well, sometimes it can. One reason why this is bad is the Poodle’s clingy behavior. Having your dog follow you around can be cute, but having them follow you into the bathroom is not so much. This following can also result in separation anxiety if you have left your dog alone. This will make it unhappy and become destructive. Excessive barking and destroyed furniture can be expected.

Do Poodles like to cuddle? Yes, very much. But it will not enjoy it when you cuddle with someone else. Jealousy can be a problem when having a clingy puppy. Dogs are known to act jealous, especially toward romantic connections of the dog owner. They might instantly develop a distaste for your significant other which can present a problem.

Whenever a Poodle makes strong bonds with just one person from a family, it might ignore the other people in the household. This can present a problem when that person is not in the house. The dog will not listen to the commands given by other family members and act recklessly. This is why every family member should be involved in the dog training process.

What You Can Do About It

Now that you know why do Poodles get attached to one person and what problems can come from it, let’s see how you can stop your Poodle to be that clingy.

The first thing to do is to see if any health problems or triggers are the reason for that clinginess. If it has any special health care needs it will react clingily and this should be your first thought. If that is not the reason, then you can try other methods.

Poodles are very intelligent dogs and if they notice that you react with pets and praise clinginess they will continue being clingy to get that reaction. So don’t react with a lot of cuddling and petting. Instead, pet for a bit and then offer a distraction. You can distract your Poodle with a mental stimulation toy like a maze puzzle. Teach it how it works and it will get a reward every time it solves it. In time, it will cling more to the toy than you.

Are Poodles lap dogs? Yes, but they also like games and exercising. Try to hide some toys or treats around the house and let your Poodle go on a treasure hunt. Go together at first and attach the word “find” with the whole game. After some time, you can just give it the command to “find” and it will start looking around the house and not cling to you.

Is This Clingy Behavior Common In Another Dog Breed?

Poodle owners will agree that every variation of the Poodle breed has this trait. The Miniature Poodle and Poodle puppy will look very cute doing it. Besides Miniature Poodles, a Poodle mix like the Parti Poodle can also inherit the trait.

The Labrador Retriever is a very clingy breed and is often described like this by any dog lover. That’s why it’s commonly used as a service dog and therapy dog. It’s also the best dog in the world when it comes to popularity, according to the American Kennel Club. The Golden Retriever is also considered a loyal canine companion by any pet owner. 

You might also be surprised that the Pit Bull is another cuddly breed. This can be confirmed by any reputable breeder. The Old English Sheepdog can also make for the perfect furry friend. But it’s not recommended for anyone with a dog allergy. In the end, any new puppy can be a perfect cuddly friend if positive reinforcement is used.

So Do Poodles Pick A Favorite Person?

Yes. Poodles usually pick one person that is their favorite. There are a few things that determine who this person is. Early socialization with the person, giving a lot of affection and attention, having a positive association, or just the type of person, are all important factors. This intelligent dog may choose the smartest pet parent as a favorite.

If you are your Poodle’s favorite you will notice it following you everywhere, nuzzling, cuddling, licking, and jumping on you, as well as bringing you its favorite toy.

Having only one person in the household can be problematic. It might ignore the other people or start getting jealous of them. This is why you need to socialize it with everyone, and set a schedule for everyone to train and feed it. In time you will have your perfect loving pet.

FAQ

Do Poodles Need Another Dog?

Poodles are family dogs and they are perfectly fine to fit in with the other humans. So they don’t require a canine company. But if you do decide to get another dog, make sure to care equally for both dogs.`

Do Poodles Pick A Favorite Person From Outside The Home?

Yes. Poodles can choose a person that is not a usual member of the family. Maybe if you have close family living in another place, or a friend that likes to play with it a lot, it will end up liking them most.

Do Poodles Ignore Their Owners?

Alpha dogs ignore those that they see and under or the same rank as them. This is why you should set yourself up as the authority figure and the leader.

More information on the Poodle

Here are a few more related posts that offer more information about the popular Poodle.

You can find a lot more information on Poodles on our site Dogisa!

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