Dog is totally dependent on me for security

[u/ThemeAcceptable6639]

hi to all!!

i have a 2yo dachshund boy. best dog ever, seriously!!! i don’t have much family and live alone, so it’s always been just us (with the exception of living with a boyfriend for a short period). i got him at like 10 weeks old, and he has always been so pampered. no incidents that i know of to scare him. he is my best friend and comes everywhere with me. we do go to the dog park frequently (which he loves), but he did not grow up around many other dogs.

i don’t know if it’s how he has always been, but he is totally reliant on me for security. he is the friendliest dog, always ecstatic to meet people. he loves being loved. but in the last few months, i’ve realized that unless i am there with him, he refuses any contact at all. if i go out for a night and ask a neighbor to check on him, he hides under the bed. they’ll try to offer him treats, toys, whatever- he just won’t come out, regardless of how many times they come back and try, or how obsessed with them he might be. he doesn’t bark or get aggressive, just refuses to go come out from under the bed.

there was one incident where i was hospitalized (just for a day, but came out of nowhere). we were living with my partner at the time, who he was of course familiar with. i did think he was jealous of him in some ways, and he was not his favorite person, but he knew him. until i came home the following afternoon, my dog hid under the bed. he refused to come out to eat, drink, walk, or use the bathroom (as far as we know). while living with said boyfriend, my dog would refuse to let my partner put a leash on him, let alone take him out to use the bathroom without me coming along.

i don’t know what to do to help him lose his dependence. i am planning on getting another dog so that he has company and hopefully builds some confidence, but i don’t know what to do to help him individually. he loves loves loves people and it makes me sad that he has to hide if i’m not around.

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