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I'm A Vet And There's Five Dogs I Would Never Own – A Popular Pooch Has Too Much Potential For Heartbreak

A VET has shared a list of five dog breeds that he would never own, including a popular pooch which he said has "too much potential for heartbreak".

Ben shared his list of undesired breeds via a video posted to his social media.

Ben revealed five dogs he would never ownCredit: TikTok/@ben.The.Vet

He said that Dachshund's have too much potential for heartbreakCredit: TikTok/@ben.The.Vet CHOW CHOW

The first dog that Ben revealed he would never want to own is a Chow Chow.

He said that the dog often "doesn't have a very nice temperament" and can get "very aggressive" when visiting the vets.

Ben added that because of their incredibly fluffy faces, it can be hard to fit a muzzle on them.

The vet warned that the breed is also partial to eye problems and said that their purple tongues are a bit "unnerving".

KING CHARLES SPANIEL

Despite describing the next dog on his list as the "loveliest" breed, Ben shared the King Charles Spaniels unfortunately suffer from too many health conditions.

He said that many of these dogs suffer from heart conditions that mean they spend their last days "coughing and spluttering and struggling to breathe".

DACHSHUND

Number three on Ben's list is the Dachshund or Sausage Dog.

The vet, who on his TikTok channel, is known as @ben.The.Vet, said that although some of his "favourite patients" are Dachund's, he would never own the tiny breed as one in four of them develop back problems which can lead to complete paralysis.

My Dog Almost Killed Me

TEN MINUTES BEFORE my dog tried to kill me, we went on a peaceful walk. Rollie, a nine-year-old, 80-pound pit-bull mix with coconut-white fur and a ginger spot on his left eye, strolled calmly by my side under a bright evening sky. When we returned home, I untethered his leash and sped upstairs to see my wife, Eve, who was tapping away at a presentation on her laptop. Rollie rolled into a ball by her feet. I went to grab my gear for my daily run.

As I approached Eve, I clenched my running clothes in my left hand. Rollie growled at me. Gums. Teeth. His eyes scoped on me, his body tense and pointed. I whispered, "Eve, can you grab the dog?"

Then Rollie launched toward me, hammerlocking his jaws into my right forearm, gnashing it like a bone he found in the yard. Growling. Gurgling. I swung a left jab into his head—thud—Rollie was unfazed. He thrashed my arm and burrowed his teeth deeper into my flesh. Time slowed, and for what was the longest minute of my life, I felt like I was floating above my body, watching it fall limp like a Ziploc bag of chicken parts in marinade.

Eve pried his jaws open with both of her hands, but the releasing force threw her backward. Rollie lunged forward again and chomped into my left wrist. My mind flashed back to five years earlier, when Rollie attacked another dog, clamping onto his throat. I dreaded that Rollie would move on to my jugular next.

"Rollie, stop!" yelled Eve as she grabbed him by the collar. He unlocked his jaws and sat obediently. Eve kicked the door shut as I ran down the stairs to survey my arms. My right arm revealed thick globs of pale-yellow exposed fat, torn muscle tissue, and bone. My punctured left wrist sprayed blood like a lawn sprinkler.

While crawling to the backyard, I left a trail of blood in my wake. My breath was shallow. My heart raced. I felt sleepy. I thought, If I lie here, I will bleed out.

I got up, then lurched through the house and out the front door for help. My neighbor was already on my porch—she must've heard the screams. "My dad is an EMT, so I know what to do," she said, fashioning her sweatshirt into a tourniquet around my arm. Minutes later, an ambulance arrived. Eve stepped outside, and I felt relieved that she was unscathed.

"Put the dog down," I told her. "Tonight."

WHEN EVE AND I first met Rollie at the animal shelter, he was a sweet nine-month-old puppy. On our trial walk, he stopped to roll over in a patch of grass, revealing a smooth hairless belly—my favorite spot to pet. "He's the one," I told Eve. We adopted him and changed his original name, Sage, to Rollins, an ode to one of our favorite musicians, Henry Rollins.

But Rollie became protective of Eve, and after a few years, she couldn't walk with him anymore. He'd bark and lunge at strangers, and once bit someone. We paid the doctor's bill and hired trainers who gave us obedience exercises, which worked, because they involved treats, and Rollie was food-motivated. The trainers encouraged me to run with him.

On our runs, he'd look up at me with a big smile as his tongue flopped like a wind sock. When we stopped for a drink, people would laugh at the sight of a four-foot-tall dog standing and slurping water out of a fountain. For years, Rollie was my training buddy.

Then during the pandemic, something changed in Rollie. We were at home nonstop, and he didn't want to be separated from Eve—ever. Six months before the attack, he was sitting in the backyard with Eve and growled at me when I approached him to go for a run. It broke my heart. We stopped running together, but that wasn't enough. If Rollie spotted me in running clothes, his back hair would flare, and he'd slowly pace behind me in hunting mode. I started sneaking out of the garage to run. On the night of the attack, Rollie spotted my running clothes in my hand—and I guess that triggered him to attack me.

WHILE I SAT in the emergency room, a young doctor asked if I'd be willing to receive a blood transfusion, as I lost a significant amount of blood. "Yea, sure," I responded, devoid of emotion. The doc, concerned over my condition, sat at my bedside, comforting me through small talk. Minutes later, we were interrupted by two police officers. "Your dog is going to be terminated," said one of the cops, handing me a police report to sign. The severity of the situation sunk in—my bottom lip quivered, my eyes welled up.

The boyish doctor saw my tears and stood up to the two barrel-chested cops. "Guys, give him a fucking minute," said the doc. It felt great to know a stranger could care so much.

I didn't need the blood transfusion, but I did need reconstructive surgery, which was continually postponed. I wasn't allowed to eat prior, so they confined me to a bed with an IV in my arm. My mind was a Michael Bay-style action montage of the attack, and I hit mute by mainlining as much morphine as the nurses would administer, for the next two days.

When I awoke from the surgery, my bandaged arm was bulbous and cartoony, like the Michelin Man's. The surgeon explained that my right forearm was essentially ground into hamburger meat. They excavated unrepairable muscle tissue. Eighteen stitches in the right forearm, four stitches in the left wrist. No nerve damage, but full mobility of the right hand was in question. The surgeon handed me a little foam square to squeeze for physical therapy and a prescription for OxyContin for the pain. Addiction runs in my family. I ditched the script and kept the square.

My brush with death shattered me emotionally. In order to recover, I needed to make peace with Rollie, with Eve, and with myself. While I was on hiatus from work as my arm healed, my boss encouraged me to take extra time to heal mentally. The break forced me to confront my feelings. I saw Rollie's ghost everywhere. I felt guilty for putting Eve through this mess. After all, I was the one who'd wanted the dog.

"An important step in REFRAMING TRAUMA as growth is to ask yourself what POSITIVE OUTCOMES have resulted from the event."

In the aftermath of the assault, I rehashed a lot of conflicting feelings. I missed the goofball that ran with me. But I hated the motherfucker that attacked me. I felt remorse for putting him down. These contradictory emotions made me feel embarrassed, even ashamed.

Confronting my emotions is not a strength of mine. I'm a child of the 1980s who grew up on action flicks starring Schwarzenegger, Snipes, and Stallone—guys who solved their problems with uppercuts and spin-kicks. Physicality was my go-to solution for emotional problems, and I ran every morning, sometimes to escape what bothered me. But I couldn't run until my arm healed, so instead I walked, trying to make sense of the calamity. I'm an only child, not used to sharing my emotions, and while I thought I could resolve this situation on my own, I was wrong.

Upon returning from these walks, I poured out to Eve. I worried she'd judge my tangled emotions, but she witnessed my sensitive side, deepening our bond. We discussed Rollie over morning coffee, and that coffee became a ritual for us.

Later, I talked to Avi Klein, L.C.S.W., a New York–based psychotherapist and MH mental-health advisor. He told me that to overcome a traumatic event, it helps to confront all your emotions. "Emotion precedes cognition. If you're open about what you're feeling, then you can make sense of a situation."

I also reached out to Richard Tedeschi, Ph.D., the executive director of the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth, to help me figure out how to move on. "As human beings, we try to understand things and come up with explanations," says Tedeschi. I gave Rollie loads of love, and he attacked me in return—I wanted to know what I did wrong. But as Tedeschi says, "In order to move forward, you have to live with ambiguity." That's not easy.

A year after the attack, I visited my parents down in North Carolina. While unpacking my car, Mom came to greet me, and I wept like a baby. "I'm a failure as a dog parent—I couldn't save Rollie," I told her. But mom built me back up. "You gave that dog a lot of love, and parenting teaches you unconditional love," she said. "Even when shit happens." That helped me understand that I didn't waste my love on Rollie, and one day I could be loved by other dogs.

The attack also left me with a new fear of being attacked. Barking dogs rattled me, and when they stared at me, I tensed up. "It's important to not avoid the things that scare you," Klein told me. "That builds more anxiety-avoiding behaviors, which could require stronger solutions, like isolating yourself or abusing substances."

I had the chance to face my fear head-on. While at a friend's house, I stepped into a penned area with two Labradors and one golden retriever. My friends' anxiety was palpable. But I petted the dogs; they licked my face. This was my first intimate interaction with dogs, and it quelled my fear that all dogs are violent. I'm still cautious around canines, but this moment helped me think positively about them again.

Mom was right: Shit happens—but that shit can be fertilizer if you forgive whoever wronged you, whether it's a dog, a person, or just life. "An important step in reframing trauma as growth is to ask yourself what positive outcomes have resulted from the event," says Tedeschi.

I still love Rollie, but I don't ruminate on him daily. My perspective on work and life changed. Full mobility eventually returned to my hand. I even wrote a (somewhat adjacent) book Creative Endurance: 56 Rules for Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Your Goals. I reframed the attack as a kind of mental trophy, and if I'm stressed about a deadline or a presentation, I remind myself the challenge pales in comparison with the obstacle I overcame. I now take time to slow down, to share long coffee breaks with Eve, and I share my feelings more. This tragedy made me more connected to other people as well—my neighbor, my boss, the doc at the hospital; so many came to my aid. I ask for help more often now. I've realized I don't need to have all the answers.

This article originally appears in the March/April 2024 issue of Men's Health.

Why Does My Dog Follow Me Everywhere?

Dogs love being with their human family. Some want to be with their owners so much they follow them all around the house, from the kitchen to the bedroom and even into the bathroom. It can be impossible to get a moment's privacy. In more than 13 years as a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KSA), I've had countless clients ask me, "Why does my dog follow me everywhere?" I assure you, it's not because you smell like bacon. The reasons your dog follows you around range from something as simple as needing a potty break to something as complicated and concerning as separation anxiety.

Dog behavior can be a tough puzzle to crack. We don't speak the same language or have the same culture as our canine companions, so it's easy to misunderstand their intentions. For example, do dogs like kisses? Why dogs howl? Why do dogs lick us? why do dogs lick their paws? Do some dogs also like cats? And why do they run around in circles when they get the dog zoomies? Following their owners everywhere can be just as hard to fathom.

Once you've figured out your dog's motivations, do you want them to follow you everywhere? If their behavior indicates anxiety or a similar concern, you need to build your dog's confidence and encourage independence. If it's simply because they love you, it can still be beneficial to teach your dog to enjoy quality alone time. You might let your dog sleep in your bed but make the bathroom off limits. Or perhaps you want to eat in peace. Whatever the case, let's explore the reasons for this common dog behavior and what you can do about it.

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About the experts

Sagi Denenberg, DVM, is a veterinary behaviorist at North Toronto Veterinary Behaviour Specialty Clinic. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters, including the behavior chapters in the Merck Veterinary Manual.

Rachel Lane, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, MSc, is a certified behavior consultant, dog trainer and the owner of the dog training company Leash & Learn in New York City.

What does it mean if my dog follows me everywhere?

If you have a Velcro dog, no doubt you've asked yourself, Why is my dog clingy? Consider that dogs share a common ancestor with grey wolves, and wolves live in family groups. You can't be a pack animal without a degree of sociability, so no wonder your dog wants to roam with you from room to room—it's in their genes. Let's look at the other answers to the question, Why does my dog follow me everywhere?

1. Dogs are social animals

Our pet dogs may no longer roam in packs, but they are still social. Only now their focus is on us rather than fellow dogs. Veterinary psychiatrist Sagi Denenberg, DVM, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behavior, says that thanks to 15,000 years of domestication, dogs' attachment has shifted from other dogs to humans. That need for social contact can drive a dog's desire to follow their owner wherever they go.

2. They're attached to you

A study in the journal Scientific Reports found that when dogs were shown photos of their caregivers, it activated parts of their brains that are the same as those associated with emotion and attachment in humans. Another study in the journal Integrative and Comparative Biology looked at dog-owner attachment and found it to be similar to a human infant-caregiver relationship and an important part of a dog's success and resilience.

In other words, dogs become attached to the people they live with. Rachel Lane, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, MSc, is a certified behavior consultant, dog trainer and the owner of the dog training company Leash & Learn. She says, "As social animals, dogs often form strong bonds with their guardians, and this sometimes manifests as a dog frequently following their owner around."

If dogs and humans have an infant-caretaker relationship, you might be wondering if your dog imprinted on you? Well, imprinting is time-sensitive and happens with the first creature a puppy sees. With most dogs, unless they're hand-reared, that's their mother. So your dog isn't imprinting on you. Instead, Dr. Denenberg explains, following can happen at any time in a dog's life rather than just as a newborn pup.

3. You're the source of good things

Shot of a young woman relaxing with her dog at home PeopleImages/Getty Images

If your dog associates you with rewards like meals, treats and cuddles, it makes being with you even more appealing. After all, your dog can't open the treat cupboard without your help. Plus, most dog owners fail to provide their dog with alone-time training and instead make the training mistake of only rewarding their dog when they're together. Treats are offered during training sessions, new smells are only available on walks, food is fed from the dining table and so on. If your dog is never rewarded for being alone, it's no wonder they prefer your company. Plus, Lane adds, owners can accidentally teach their dog to follow them around. "If an owner consistently goes into another room and calls their dog in with them, the dog over time learns that they should follow their owner from room to room, and it becomes a habit."

4. They need something

Dogs rely on us to meet their social, physical and health needs. But your dog can't say "Hey, I need a potty break" or "I'm hungry right now." Instead, they speak with their body language, and that might include following you around to get your attention. I know many dogs that find their owners then lead them to the food bowl or back door. If you aren't paying attention to your dog's basic needs, they could be following you to make sure you finally catch on.

5. They're bored

Dog waiting patiently for his owner to finish work AleksandarNakic/Getty Images

If your dog has nothing to do, they might follow you for entertainment. From your dog's perspective, you might offer some attention or throw a toy, so it's worth keeping you in sight. In my experience, boredom is easily relieved by giving the dog a job to do, whether that's getting food out of a chew toy or playing a training game. A dog that receives plenty of mental stimulation won't feel the same need to follow you for fun.

6. They're anxious about being alone

Many people enjoy when their dog follows them everywhere because they see it as proof of their dog's affection, but sometimes it's a sign your dog is struggling with an emotional issue like anxiety. In fact, Dr. Denenberg believes anxiety and the need to feel supported by their owner is the No. 1 reason dogs follow their humans. Your dog may be staying close to you as a coping mechanism to ease their nerves.

When is your dog following you a sign of separation anxiety or other behavioral concern?

Bergamasco sheepdog looking through open window Rosmarie Wirz/Getty Images

Whether your own dog's following behavior is cause for concern comes down to a simple distinction. Does your dog prefer to be with you or are they unable to be without you? Dr. Denenberg suggests looking at how intensely they follow you and the purpose. If your dog is only following you because they think they will get something like food from the fridge, then you have nothing to worry about. However, he says, "If a dog follows the owners constantly and does not get enough sleep or misses out on meals or other biological needs, then this following is problematic. Some dogs become distressed even more when they cannot follow the owner (e.G. When the owner walks into the washroom and closes the door). In many cases, following the owner does not alleviate or answer the need, so the dog may become more frustrated and distressed."

Lane agrees, saying there is likely no need for concern when a dog follows their human because they enjoy being together, especially if the dog can be left in another room or home alone without panicking. However, if your dog's main reason for following you is to avoid being alone, it's important to dig deeper. If your dog struggles to function without your presence and/or panics during alone time, they are likely suffering from separation anxiety.

Lane advises looking for other behavioral and physiological indicators of stress. "Changes in behavior that may be seen in tandem include jumping, barking, chewing/destruction, pacing, the inability to settle, hiding, whining or holding the ears back and/or raising the front leg. Dogs who are unable to be without their owner may also show physiological changes such as salivating, urinating or defecating, panting, trembling, dilated pupils and/or anorexia or food refusal."

How to stop your dog from following you everywhere

If you want to encourage your dog's independence, the following strategies will give you some alone time. Experiment to find what works for your dog's personality and try multiple techniques to increase your chance of success.

1. Identify the cause

Rule out medical problems that might be causing your dog to follow you around. Until you address any underlying conditions, you likely won't make much progress with the techniques below. The same is true for emotional concerns like separation anxiety. You need to know if your dog is following you as a result of a more serious issue.

2. Meet your dog's needs

All dogs need the basics for survival: food, water and a place to sleep. But they need mental and physical exercise too, which includes time spent performing natural dog behaviors like sniffing, running and playing. The specifics will vary depending on your dog's breed and personality, for example a beagle will want to search for odors all day long, but it's up to you to understand what your dog requires for a healthy and happy life. Dr. Denenberg suggests a daily routine that answers all your dog's needs including feeding toys, training, exercise and time for sleep in a location removed from noise and the hustle and bustle of the family.

3. Give your dog something to do

Corgi dog play with educational toy Ирина Мещерякова/Getty Images

Bored dogs look for their own fun, which can lead to all kinds of behavior problems including following you everywhere. But if you give your dog activities to do on their own, it will not only keep them busy but also reward them for solitary play, making it more likely to occur in the future. Try providing food-stuffed toys or puzzle toys so your dog has to work to access the good stuff. Just be sure your dog plays safely with the toy before you leave them alone with it. Or let your dog do some scent work by tossing kibble in the grass or filling a snuffle mat with treats.

4. Provide a dog-safe space

To foster independence, provide your dog with a comfortable place to call their own and encourage them to spend time there. Try a comfortable dog bed or provide a cozy area inside an exercise pen or crate. But don't just put your dog there and walk away. Provide toys or chews for entertainment and teach them how to be alone. Lane advises, "At first, you might need to sit with them while they learn to relax on their bed and play with their toys, but you can gradually start letting them be there independently as they get used to it. It can also help to build alone time into your dog's daily routine. For example, after you come inside from a walk, you give them a puzzle toy in their bed while you get ready for work in another room."

5. Train your dog

ack Russell Terrier shaking hand with woman Westend61/Getty Images

Along with the alone-time training mentioned above, obedience training can help reduce following. It's a great way to increase your dog's confidence, and it also allows you to build a strong "stay" cue. Lane suggests, once your dog has mastered the basics, you can ask them to stay while you quickly run into another room. Come right back with a great treat and reward your dog for a successful stay. Eventually, your dog will realize that they don't need to follow you everywhere for good things to happen.

6. Encourage bonding with other family members

If you create opportunities for other family members to bond with your dog, your dog might become less fixated on you. Take the whole family to training classes. Or assign feeding time or walks to somebody else. Lane says another person can do the same fun activities with your dog as you do, or they can try to discover something new and special, exclusive to them. Either way, it will encourage your dog to want to be with the other person just as much as they want to be with you.

FAQs Why does my dog follow me and not my spouse (or vice versa)?

Dogs follow one person over another because that person either predicts access to resources or is the dog's attachment figure. I've seen many households where the majority of the dog's care fell to only one person. In that case, it's not surprising when the dog follows that person around the most, as they are more relevant to the dog's survival and well-being. As Lane describes it, dogs know the hand that feeds them. "It is unlikely they are picking a favorite person. Your dog is just a strategic opportunist and knows who is most likely to provide food, treats, toys and affection."

But what about households where dogs have many caregivers? Dogs can still follow one person around more than another. Or more frustratingly, what if you provide all the care and your dog still seems to follow your spouse rather than you? Dr. Denenberg explains that dogs decide who they feel most bonded to. "We determine who is the caregiver. However, dogs also have an attachment figure (mostly only one), and this is the individual they want to be with and follow. The dog chooses the attachment figure, not us."

And you may not always be aware of how much your dog is attending to you. A dog that accompanies you to the bathroom is obviously following, but others pay attention in their own way. Dr. Denenberg says, "Many owners miss the fact that dogs may follow with their eyes and ears, not always their feet. If you have an open-concept dwelling, the dog may supervise you from a distance but does not move. Owners miss this and feel that their dog does not follow them."

What dog breeds are most likely to follow their owners around?

According to Dr. Denenberg, breed differences in following are negligible, although he says lapdogs are probably more likely to do it. As a CPDT-KSA, I personally think that could be due to their heritage. There are certain dog breeds known for being independent, others bred to work alongside humans, and some, like lapdogs, developed strictly to serve as companions.

Lane cautions, "It's most important to think of each dog as an individual. A dog's behavior is influenced by their genetics, but it is also influenced by their learning history, environment, past experiences and their wonderfully unique personality."

Why is my dog suddenly following me everywhere?

Sudden changes in a dog's behavior are often an indicator that something is wrong with the dog's physical or mental health. If your dog is following you when they never did before, Lane suggests your first step should be a visit to the veterinarian to rule out any medical condition causing the change. For example, older dogs can experience Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, a condition similar to human Alzheimer's, which can cause them to become clingy. Or a dog losing vision or hearing might stick closer to their owner for guidance and comfort.

In addition, Dr. Denenberg advises, the change in behavior could be due to emotional trauma the dog has suffered. Explore both physical and mental options carefully to determine the underlying issue ( Also, discover what your dog's tail is trying to tell you). Addressing that may reduce the newly developed behavior. If needed, seek out a qualified professional such as a veterinary behaviorist or certified behavior consultant to guide you through ways you can assist your dog or teach them to be more independent.

Why trust us

At Reader's Digest, we're committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. For this piece, Stephanie Gibeault, MSc, CPDT-KSA, tapped her experience as a certified professional dog trainer and journalist, and then Wailani Sung, DVM, a vet who owns Bay Area Vet Behavior, gave it a rigorous review to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

Sagi Denenberg, DVM, veterinary behaviorist at North Toronto Veterinary Behaviour Specialty Clinic; email interview, Jan. 27, 2024

Rachel Lane, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, MSc, owner of dog training company Leash & Learn; email interview, Feb. 1, 2024

Integrative and Comparative Biology: "Intraspecific and Interspecific Attachment Between Cohabitant Dogs and Human Caregivers"

Scientific Reports: "Exploring the dog-human relationship by combining fMRI, eye-tracking and behavioural measures"

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