[yorkietalkjilly]

All 3 of my Yorkies I've had did/do the shadowing to one degree or the other, as do other small dogs I've had. Dogs are pack animals and tend to stay quite near other pack members and are not loners at all unless they have some type of psychological issue but small dogs that often sleep or nap in our laps or beds or right beside us on the couch or chair get habituated early in the relationship to staying nearby and it becomes a habit they and we keep reinforcing. It can become an obsession with some dogs to the point of the dog whining, nervous and uncomfortable when he can't be right with his person - which is never good for the dog if his person has to leave the home or board him when away. Other owners love it.

If it bothers you, train the dog to stay put when you leave your position near him and make a fun game of it so he'll enjoy waiting for his treat and praise as he learns to stay put when you leave his presence and he'll soon learn not to follow every time. Also, occasionally leave him with chewies or puzzle toys to play with when you leave the room so that he's got something else to focus on. My Tibbe shadows me at times still but others he stays put and does his own thing now but he went through a period of constantly shadowing me due to his poor early lifestyle and battery of anxieties and fears he came here with.

A clingy dog is often an insecure dog so if you suspect your dog has that problem and is following you due to his insecurity, fears or anxiety, you can build up his self-esteem and help him relax with a good home training program for 5 minutes a couple or three times a day that involves him seeing and learning to work hard for your pride in him every time he learns a new command(and make it fun for him), enriching his life with more interactive games and toys to keep him focused and busy learning and add to his daily exercise by adding some agility in the house or back yard. A good life-enrichment program for a clingy or nervous or unsure dog can remake him into an independent, happy dog, secure in himself and he won't always actually need to be near his person every single moment. And he will come first time he's called 99% of the time when he's well-trained and he'll be happy to do it out of sheer habit of having learned to do it and having learned to happily respond to your words and commands! That's the value of good, fun, loving and patient training and the dog utterly loves it all for all the great feedback he gets from you. And you get the best, happiest and least troublesome pet ever.

Of course I don't know if any of this applies to your little one but am just throwing out ideas that might fit the bill to use or ignore as you see fit.