suddenly very needy
 

Hi guys

I haven't been around much.
But I am trying to find some reasons why my male is suddenly so needy.
He is 6 years old. I'll give a little back ground it's been a rough few years which could just be the easy answer to why he is they way he is But I'm not sure.
We moved from the city to the country 3 yes ago. We do not have a fence here. A mastiff pit mix came to the yard one morning when I had let the dogs out. He was on the side of the house and I didn't see him. He attacked and killed my gidget which I shared in here. It was very traumatic for all of us but teddy really changed for a few weeks he would cry when we left the house and was needy. Then once it became the new norm that gidget was gone and not coming back his personality blossomed. He actually took on some of gidgets traits like nudging your hand for attention sleeping on my feet. He took on the role of head of dog house hold. But he also became playful which was never something that happened.
My husband has worked out of town Mon thru Friday for years (which ends this week).
Last spring while walking the kids to the bus he broke off the leash and was hit by car. I was petrified he was injured but I rushed him to the vet and he was fine they said what aided him was the car going so fast when it hit him.
Now fast forward 7, 8 months this last week he has been crying for help on the bed and attention and doesn't want me and my husband out of sight. So if we are watching TV in bed he is jumping and whinning for someone to pick him up but then a few minutes late he jumps down take a look around and starts whining and jumping for attention and someone to pick him up. He also paws at you your hands and face for rubs and pets. I don't begrudge my puppy attention it's just been a recent change in his needs and was wondering your thought.
Thanks

Hmmmm...very mysterious. I would palpate him all over and do range of motion tests to see if he is in pain anywhere...even though it really doesn't sound like he is in pain. Also, dogs are SO sensitive to smells, that I can't help but wonder if he is smelling something from outside that is distressing him...?

You have been through a lot. A sudden neediness can be a innocent behavior change, but it can also indicate a health issue. Given his history too, I would take him to a vet for a general exam, especially if he hasn't had one in awhile.

When Max became very needy, I discovered he had an eye corneal ulcer.

Best wishes and keep us posted.

Thank you..he was just recently at the vet less than 30 days ago and was ok.
we have a new litter of puppies I forgot to add. Could he be jealous. They are a week old might be a coincidence?

Anytime a dog changes his behavior, first of all get him vet-checked as he could have some occult medical condition causing him problems and he has no way to tell you except by altering his behavior.

Once you have a clean bill of health, you can begin to work with him enriching his life with more exercise, puzzles to figure out, feeding him his dinner in a series of kong toys so that he has to work for his meal(dogs love these challenges), obedience training, more games and actual sessions geared toward training him to build up his self-confidence and decrease his anxiety/neediness. But first, be sure his health is okay. Once that is settled, you can help him.

i noticed my Izzy becoming withdrawn but needy at the same time. I mean, i hadn't even sat all the way down and she was curling up on my lap already, but wasn't as excited as usual either. No one else thought much of it. I took her to the vet anyway and turns out she had tonsilitus . her throat hurt her and I'd of never known if i hadn't gotten her checked. take him to the vet again. maybe there was something they missed or something that took a bit to come into play after being hit.