9 Signs Your Dog Wants Your Attention Right Now

We’ve all been there. You’re in a very important Zoom meeting presenting your slide and your dog has decided at this moment to sit right next to your desk chair, stare, and whine softly. You laugh meekly and apologize for your pup (though honestly, everyone is probably grateful for the interruption and would love, in fact, to see their little furry face on the camera way more than yours). 

After the call ends, you turn to your pup. “What do you want?!” You might ask, exasperatedly, though you love your furry family member more than anything on this earth. But you should know the answer already, which is, you. They want you to pay attention to them. 

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But there are some more subtle signs that also mean they're feeling a bit needy, so we’ve turned to canine experts Hannah Richter, NYC CPDT-KA-certified dog trainer and author of Teach Your Dog New Tricks, and Cathy Madson, CBCC-KA, FDM, CPDT-KA from Preventive Vet, to find out all of the signals and physical cues that your dog wants attention. 

1. Staring at you or trying to make eye contact.

As a pet parent, you get pretty used to the idea of your dog watching you. But there’s a specific reason that they’re doing it. Richter and Madson both cited this as a signal that your pup wants you to notice them. This is your dog’s most subtle and polite way to say “Hi, can I have a moment of your time?” If this fails, they’ll escalate. “A dog quickly learns what works best to get your attention,” Madson says. “If their usual ways of getting you to look at and respond to them don't work, they will often escalate into behaviors that have always worked (like barking, chewing on things they shouldn't, or jumping on you).” 

2. Tail wagging. 

Let’s say that you’re so accustomed to their stares and attempts to make eye contact, because that is frequently how they try to get their dinner early or scraps of any food available, that they move to the next course of action. Richter says that dogs will wag their tails when they want you to notice them. In my personal experience with my family’s dog, Daisy, I can confirm that after you make eye contact with her and then turn back to what you’re doing, she will start wagging her tail. 

3. Nudging you with their nose or pawing you.

This is the most obvious sign on this list. It screams “pet me right now!” or “give me my afternoon treat 15 minutes early!” Consider it a tap on the shoulder, but perhaps less gracefully done. If you’re busy, don’t just completely ignore their request. “For times when you are not available, giving your dog a chew or food toy is a great way to give them enrichment while you are occupied,” Richter says. 

4. Barking, whining, sighing, sneezing, moaning or howling. 

Madson and Richter say that vocalizing is a physical cue that your dog wants you. That doesn’t mean just a bark. For example, Daisy will do a little yodel-like howl if she feels that my father is behind her very precise, to-the-minute play schedule. It’s very effective at getting my dad to abandon whatever he was doing. She’s the bossiest Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I’ve ever seen—love that for her. When your dog sighs like they’ve been 12-hour days while they’re lying on the floor, that might want you to take a break from emails and rub their belly. 

5. Leaning on you.

Some compare a dog leaning their body on someone to a hug. It can also mean that your dog wants you to interact with them, according to Madson. It’s their way of saying “Hey, I’m here, if you have a minute.” 

6. Following you everywhere.

If you have a velcro dog, you’re probably used to the sound of nails tip-tapping on the wood or tile floor behind you. It’s like having a smaller shadow, even when you tell your shadow to stay there and that you’re just going into the other room for some water, and you’ll be right back. They never believe you and follow anyways. The reason they’re following you might not only be because they love you and want to be near you. Your pup might also want you to pay attention to them, Richter suggests. 

7. Grabbing onto things they definitely aren’t supposed to have. 

If the first six signals didn’t work, your dog might move onto more extreme maneuvers, knowing that, for example, grabbing some socks from your laundry bin and parading them around will definitely get a rise of you. “Chewing on or taking items that dogs shouldn't have can be destructive, which is why it is so important to puppy proof your home.” says Richter. 

8. Having accidents. 

If your dog begins peeing or pooping in your home, it might be because they’re desperate for you to pay attention to them. This can happen if you’re ignoring the other signs that your dog is giving you. 

9. Destroying things in your home. 

Dogs can become destructive, too, if they don’t get attention from you. “If those more subtle signals get ignored, some dogs escalate to chewing things they shouldn’t, barking, or digging at doors,” says Madson. They feel like they’ve run out of options, so they will start tearing apart your throw pillow or rip up their bed. 

What do you do when they want attention and you’re too busy? 

Perhaps you recognize some of these signs in your own pup and know that sometimes you can’t give them what they want at that exact moment. What then? “When you’re unavailable, it helps to give them something to do, like a stuffed food toy, a snuffle mat, or a safe chew,” Madson says. “It’s like giving them a ‘project’ to work on while you're busy. And be sure to meet their exercise and enrichment needs prior to your meeting times.”