The trainer explained why dogs often display needy behaviour or misbehave towards their owners
15:35, 25 Mar 2026Updated 16:05, 25 Mar 2026
Dog owners might not realise their mistake (stock photo)(Image: Getty)
A dog trainer has shared one reason why dogs might display ‘needy behaviour’. While owners love spoiling their pets, the trainer explained that dog owners could be contributing to their dog’s attention-seeking behaviour if they pet them while they are misbehaving.
Adam Spivey, the Director and Head Trainer of Southend Dog Training, shared a tip for owners on his popular TikTok page @Southenddogtraining1, where he has earned over two million followers by sharing training tips. In one post for dog owners, Adam shared a video titled: “How to stop needy behaviour.”
In the video, Adam sat on the door with a “needy” dog and demonstrated a training exercise. He told viewers: “This dog is incredibly pushy and needy, it’s difficult to sit down without the dog being silly and climbing all over you. So this exercise is about waiting. Waiting before you stroke and cuddle to achieve what you want.”
Explaining what to do in a similar scenario, Adam said: “I’m not gonna give him what he wants right now, so I’m just gonna block until he does something I like, which is stop getting in my face, stop climbing all over me, stop being pushy, stop being needy.”
Adam then said that when the dog is calm, the owner can give them attention, stopping once more if the pet starts misbehaving again. The trainer continued: “Teach him he can come on the sofa and have cuddles. You can sit on the floor and have cuddles.
“The reason so many dogs misbehave is because they get everything without having to work for it. He’s in my face, so I need to stop stroking. He’s out of my face, go back.”
Adam clarified he’s not saying owners can’t fuss or cuddle their dogs, but he waits until the dog behaves properly before giving him attention. He said: “That doesn’t mean we can’t cuddle. It doesn’t mean that he can’t lay down next to me like this. It doesn’t mean that I’m taking the fuss or affection away. It just means behave a certain way, and then I’ll give you what you want. “
The video impressed pet owners on social media. The clip gained over 20k views and hundreds of likes.
People thanked the dog trainer for sharing his tip (stock photo)(Image: Getty)
One commenter said: “This is my pup through and through. The minute I sit down, he’s climbing over me. On my head and all sorts, it’s very exhausting.”
Another response read: “I needed to see this video! Thank you.” Someone else commented to say: “This is literally both my dogs.”
Southend Dog Training said: “Hope this helps.” The commenter replied: “I sat on the floor while watching this and tried it. One [sat] next to me, the other sat in front of me without jumping on me. Thank you.”
