How clingy is your nihon ken?

Kaja

Curious how 'clingy' everyone's NK are?

When Kaja, my shikoku, comes round the office and demands pets... she has a way of sidling up next to your computer chair and getting in the position, haha. If pets don't suffice she won't stop groaning until she gets picked up and cuddled for a fair while (she is almost too big for my lap but somehow fits). If you ignore her she will give a single sharp bark. :P

When we are in the house... 90% of the time she's in the vicinity of a person -- playing with toys, chewing sticks, or sleeping. The other 10% of the time she likes to chill on the stairs and keep watch over the doorway! This is when we call her 'Miss Independent'.

When my partner travels for work, Kaja starts shadowing me from room to room and that 90% turns to 100%. If I move 15 feet to another room, she follows me to that new room. If I go upstairs and down again, she's accompanied me for the trip.

If I leave the house for any length of time (10 minutes or more), she is there to greet me and acts like I've been gone forever. Apparently, she actually waits at the entryway for me. If my partner calls her downstairs, she will go, briefly... but then run back up to wait for me again. Personally I like it, it's as if she's keeping an eye on me!

How clingy is your NK?

MapleTwinkie

It depends on the time of day, who's home and how tired he is. But since I've been pregnant he follows me everywhere, washroom, kitchen and at night he sleeps on the bed with me, something he never did prior to me being pregnant. Generally though, Saigo is a pretty affectionate dog. Not needy as he's confident being alone, he just is a very loving pooch.

emi802

@MapleTwinkie awwwww he's watching over you more when you're pregnant. How sweet!

For us, Katsu is the most independent. He likes to be close enough that he knows if we're leaving. Most of the time he's laying down under something. He really likes the feeling of a little den/roof over his head. His favorite spots are under the coffee table, under the futon, and UNDER THE COOLAROO.

Here's a picture (excuse the blurriness.. My phone camera is pretty mediocre...)

The coolaroo is usually even LOWER than that. The front left side had something under it when I took this picture.
Occasionally, he wants affection and will come and sit next to us. He's a lot like Kaja where he'll paw at us and/or make cute little "awoo" sounds to get our attention.

Miyuki is pretty sweet. She usually likes to lay within sight of us. When we're in the living room, she likes to nap in the the crate, in the 4x4 pen, or under my desk. When she wants to play, she'll bring a ball and throw it at us.

Shou is REALLY clingy. He's a fairly anxious dog--most likely because he was abandoned, and (we suspect) he was abused. He's pretty much constantly next to one of us. He's usually at ease near us, but if I get up and try to step over him or walk around him, he immediately gets up in a crouched position and slinks away while staring at me with a scared look. I'm pretty sure someone has kicked him around in the past... When jiggzor lays down on the couch, he likes to sleep on his stomache or chest.
Our computer desks are next to each other. When we're using them, he'll lay down between us so he's within reach if either of us want to pet him. He likes to sleep on our feet. I think he's very paranoid about us leaving him in the middle of the night, so he wants to be somewhere he's absolutely sure he'll wake up if we get up.

Ajax

Velcro. Not really into being petted, but always in the same room. If you use the bathroom, he lays down out side the door!

GrayJJ

Takeo (shikoku) is pretty clingy, usually follows me room to room. Grayson (shiba) could care less what room I'm in lol if I'm working from home, he will come check on me once in a while and then kind of do his own thing around the house - while Takeo will usually just stay where I am.

Crispy

My Shikoku, TK (10 year old male, rehomed at 6) is SUPER clingy. He wants to be near me, but not necessarily touched.

My Kishu, often don't care where I am, but if we happen to be around one another, they want to curl up right next to me and be cuddled and touched.

Kaja

How interesting! Love hearing these stories. So far the shikoku stories seem to be leaning toward the static cling side, hahaha.

I always wondered if pregnant peoples have an effect on dogs. I haven't witnessed it before so I never knew! That's cute. xD

Kaja

@emi802 What happens if someone wants on top of that thing while he is under it? XD

Calia

Tetsu (shiba) has always been somewhat cuddly, wouldn't consider it clingy but he does snuggling on or next to me at night. Miyu (shikoku) on the other hand would rather keep to herself unless she wants something, then she can be very forceful or demanding about it. If she's sleeping on the couch when you go to sit down, she immediately jumps off (giving the stink eye) and finds somewhere else to lay down.

PoetikDragon

Clingy depends on your definition I guess. My JA are just the right level of clingy for me. They're always in whatever room I'm in, lying on the floor or couch close to me. If I am outside they're outside too, again lying on the ground or under the table as close as they can be. I don't have to say anything to them, they're very astute about when I move around and ever so quietly get up and follow. Even if they're playing and don't appear to be paying attention to me, their play inevitably gravitates to whatever area I am in.

By contrast my friend's dogs (Lab and Basset) prefer their actual beds over sleeping in the same room wherever their people are. But if they're awake and playing, they obsessively bother any person they can for attention. The Lab in particular seems to only be happy if she can be IN your shoes.

Six

Kirin (6 months, Hokkaido) is always in whatever room I'm in when we're at home, but this is nothing new as all 5 dogs tend to follow me wherever I am in the house - always very awkward when you're trying to cook food and have to move 5 dogs out of the way before you can get to the oven! When I go upstairs (our stairs are gated) she will be sat at the bottom and if I take too long in her mind then she whines. She is still at the stage where she loves and outright demands attention which starts off with standing in front of me wiggling, then moves on to pawing at me a little like a cat, and sometimes turns into wooing or clambering onto the sofa to plop herself on my lap or next to me.

Outside is a totally different story...she is independent, goes off on her own way, checks in every now and again but finds mousing, hanging off Princess's neck or chasing birds far more interesting than me!

LexterGrace

Yuki (15 month old Hokkaido) follows me everywhere. If I get up to go to the bathroom, she has to come with me. If I'm cooking, she'll follow me around the kitchen. If I'm studying, she's laying by my feet. On the bright side, she doesn't demand attention. She's content simply being around me, which is really nice. My aussie takes her general clingy-ness to an extreme, and she's always got to be in my lap or pressed against my side requesting attention. I like Yuki. She's easy to deal with haha.

WhoBitMe

Meitou is not cuddly or clingy where he has to be touching me. He'll lay somewhere in the room and if he wants attention he will either come put his face on my leg (might want pets, but this usually means he wants to do something active or eat food I might have) or he will sit with his back facing me (this means he wants pets).

When Meitou was young he would scream and cry whenever I left the house even though he had other people with him. He grew out of that, but after turning four he's started crying/howling when I am gone again (nowhere near as bad as when he was a puppy). And he still has other people home with him when I am gone. So he is kind of needy that way.

But overall I don't think I would call him clingy.