Too attached?

I had a friend tell me that she didn't want male dogs because they were too "needy". Well, I wouldn't call Boo needy, but he is DEFINATELY attached to me. Sometimes, I wonder if it's too much. In the morning, after breakfast and pottying, Boo comes back to be with me. I can often feel his breath on my cheek as he lies there, watching me sleep. (or pretend to). It's almost eerie. While getting ready for work, this is the face I see staring back at me:


We recently measured his DAFM (distance allowed from Mommy) to be 8 feet 3 inches. And the line of sight must be unobstructed. This DAFM is a constant. (If I move from one couch to another, Boo feels he must also adjust position in order to maintain the preferred DAFM. Except for one major detail. In agility, he will work well away from me, and hold his stay for longer than the DAFM. He has also happily completed all of his out of sight sit stays in Open that violates not only the DAFM, but also the line of sight requirement.





We started something with Hershey that maybe we shouldn't have. But, she's 10 now, and we've used it on all of our other dogs, and now it's sort of expected. When leaving the house, we would always give her a treat. This meant "you aren't going", and would keep her from charging the door. It worked, but we've created a monster. (That's a topic for another day, however). Boo is so upset with my new schedule, that when I leave, he refuses his treat. Instead, he runs to the door and gives me *that* face. The one that says "You're leaving and never coming back?" This is the face I see every morning when leaving to open the store. Pitiful, isn't it? (Dontcha just want to reach out and pet him, save him from being abandoned?)





When I come home in the afternoon, he is so happy to see me, that we have to spend some quality time together. He is quite adament that he's happy I'm home. Well, see for yourself:









This sweet boy is so attached to me, that he will even tell me he loves me. Unfortunately, like any other teenage boy, he is shy about making these statements in front of witnesses. So, we had to trick him into this.






So, my question remains. Is it possible for a dog to be too attached to their owner? I guess if it's possible, Boo comes pretty close.