Dogs Like Being Near Their Owners
Dogs form strong bonds with their owners and like to be physically close to them. According to the ASPCA, this bonding behavior likely originated as part of the dog’s pack mentality, where members of a pack remain close for security, bonding, and companionship [1]. Dogs will often follow owners around the house because they find security and comfort in remaining nearby. Research shows that dogs release oxytocin, a bonding hormone, when they make eye contact with their owners, reinforcing attachment [2]. The human-canine bond is a mutually beneficial relationship that provides dogs with safety and belonging.
Dogs Have a Pack Mentality
Dogs evolved as highly social, pack animals. In the wild, dogs live in groups with established social structures and roles. They are hardwired to want to be with their “pack” for safety and companionship. Dogs view their human families as their pack. As According to vcahospitals.com, “Dogs are great students of human behavior and draw conclusions based on [human] actions.”
As descendants of wolves, dogs instinctively may see the human “pack” leaving them when a family member goes into a closed room like the bathroom. The bathroom provides a confined den-like space, which aligns with a dog’s instinct to be in close quarters with their pack. Being shut outside the bathroom door can cause anxiety for dogs due to their pack mentality and need for security within their group’s proximity.
Dogs Feel Protective
Dogs see their human family as their pack and feel a strong instinct to protect the members of their pack, especially when they are in a vulnerable position. Going to the bathroom is a private activity where humans are occupied and not paying full attention to their surroundings. The small, enclosed space of the bathroom also provides an easy area for a dog to stand guard. Dogs want to protect their owners when they are at their most vulnerable, so they patiently wait right outside the bathroom door during bathroom visits. According to the Scottsdale Pet Hotel, this protective behavior comes from a dogs loyalty and desire to ensure their owner’s wellbeing.
Dogs have a pack mentality ingrained in them and they view their human families as members of their pack. As pack animals, dogs naturally feel protective of the pack leaders and want to guard them when they are vulnerable. Dogs see owners in the bathroom as potential moments of vulnerability, so they stand guard to ensure their safety. While humans view bathroom visits as private moments, dogs see it as prime time to fulfill their natural instinct to protect their vulnerable pack leader, as explained on Animal Behavior College.
Dogs Dislike Closed Doors
Dogs have a strong preference for open doors over closed ones, especially when it comes to a door that blocks access to their owners. When a door like the bathroom is closed, it restricts the dog’s ability to maintain constant access to the people they feel safest and most comfortable with. According to psychologists, this is due to the pack mentality bred into canines over thousands of years.
Dogs view their human families as their “pack” and like to keep the whole group together at all times. When a door shuts between a dog and the rest of its pack, it can cause feelings of anxiety, loneliness or even panic. The bathroom door in particular blocks access to an owner at a vulnerable time, triggering protective instincts and curiosity in the dog waiting outside. They want to keep you safe and be reassured you are still there.
As stated in Quora, dogs rely heavily on visual and olfactory cues from owners. A closed door blocks these important senses for dogs, challenging their understanding of their environment and routines. Ultimately, dogs dislike closed doors because they represent separation from the essential pack bond.
Dogs Need Reassurance
Being separated from their owners can cause anxiety in some dogs. This is known as separation anxiety, and it affects around 14-20% of dogs according to the ASPCA (source). Dogs with separation anxiety show signs of distress such as barking, destruction, pacing, and inappropriate urination when left alone.
Waiting by the bathroom door while their owner is inside is one way dogs seek reassurance. The closed door serves as a barrier separating the dog from its beloved human. By waiting right outside, the dog maintains some proximity and can resume following as soon as the owner emerges. This provides comfort and eases the dog’s separation distress.
Owners can help minimize separation anxiety by gradually getting their dog used to being alone. Starting with brief separations and absences builds tolerance so the dog gains confidence in the owner’s return.
Dogs Are Curious
One of the main reasons dogs stay near the bathroom door is because they are curious creatures by nature. Dogs have an innate desire to explore and discover new things. When their owner goes behind a closed door like the bathroom, it sparks the dog’s curiosity about what the human is doing in there. The bathroom represents a mysterious, unknown place to the dog and they feel compelled to find out what’s happening. According to this article, curiosity is a sign of a dog’s good health and wellbeing: Why Curiosity is a Sign of Health in Your Dog
Dogs are driven by their scavenging and hunting instincts to be curious and explore their surroundings. As this Quora post explains, curiosity helps dogs learn about their environment, find food, and identify danger or prey: What causes dogs to be so curious all the time? When a dog can’t access an area like the bathroom, it likely heightens their innate curiosity and desire to investigate the unknown space.
In short, the bathroom represents a private, restricted area for the dog and not being able to enter sparks their naturally curious instincts. They want to know what their owner is doing behind the closed door and satisfy their curiosity about the mysterious bathroom space.
Dogs Hope For Attention
Dogs learn over time that waiting patiently by the bathroom door often results in receiving attention from their owner once the owner exits. This is because the bathroom provides an opportunity for focused one-on-one interaction. When the owner comes out of the bathroom, the dog is often excited to see them after the brief period of separation. The dog receives praise, petting, play, treats, or walks after the owner is done in the bathroom – all forms of positive attention.
As pack animals, dogs crave attention from their human family. They learn that waiting by the bathroom earns them this desired attention. It becomes a learned behavior over time through positive reinforcement. The more the dog is rewarded with attention after the bathroom, the more likely they are to repeat the behavior and wait patiently by the door (source).
Dogs Can Sense Changes
Dogs have an incredible sense of smell that is much stronger than humans. According to Britannica, dogs have about 220 million smell receptors compared to only 5 million in humans. This means dogs can detect smells up to 100,000 times more than people can.[1] With their powerful noses, dogs are able to pick up on subtle changes in human pheromones and hormones that indicate emotional states.
When owners are stressed or fearful, they release different pheromones that dogs can detect. This allows dogs to sense when something is wrong with their human pack members. Dogs may stay near the bathroom door when owners use the restroom because they detect stress chemicals and want to make sure everything is okay. Their loyalty and protective instincts mean they are attuned to any changes in human behavior or scent.
Additionally, dogs have excellent hearing and are able to pick up on changes in breathing patterns and heart rates. According to Paws Chicago, dogs can hear sounds 4 times farther away than humans.[2] So they are able to detect subtle audio cues that indicate their owners’ emotional states. When owners are stressed in the bathroom, dogs may be able to hear changes in breathing or heart rate. Their natural protectiveness means dogs will stay close to offer comfort and reassurance.
Dogs Need Routines
Dogs thrive on structure and routine. Having a predictable schedule helps them understand what to expect throughout the day, which reduces stress and anxiety. Bathroom time often becomes a fixed part of a dog’s daily routine. For example, first thing in the morning, after meals, and before bed are typical times that dogs are taken outside to relieve themselves (source).
When a dog’s human goes into the bathroom and shuts the door, this signals that it’s potty time to the dog. Even though the human is using the bathroom privately, the dog has learned to associate this event with being let outside soon after. So the dog waits eagerly by the bathroom door, anticipating the next part of their routine. This becomes a conditioned response over time through repeated daily scheduling.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are several main reasons why dogs commonly stay by the bathroom door when their owners go inside. First, dogs have a strong pack mentality and dislike being separated from their family members. Being near the bathroom door allows them to feel closer and more reassured. Second, dogs are protective by nature and want to keep watch over their owners, even during private moments. They may stay by the door to guard against any potential threats. Finally, dogs thrive on routine and feel anxious when regular patterns are disrupted. Waiting outside the bathroom helps restore a sense of normalcy.
While each dog has unique motivations, the underlying reason often comes down to the strong bond between dogs and their owners. Dogs form profoundly loyal attachments and simply want to be near the people they love and protect. Staying close while an owner is in the bathroom is just one small way pups express their affection. So the next time your dog waits faithfully outside the bathroom, remember it’s a gesture of true canine companionship.