my dog favors others

Question
I adopted my dog from an animal shelter in Elko Nevada almost three years ago.  He is some sort of Aussie shepard, blue heeler mix.  When I first got him, he was very dependent on me and followed me from room to room and would even wait outside the bathroom while I was in there.  I thought it was a little strange, but it was great I did not have to worry about him running off and he always enjoyed being out in the field (I'm a geologist and he usually gets long days running around.) About a year ago he decided that he liked my boyfriend better and Ian became the packleader.  My dog, Tuco would bury his head and whine if I was the only one in the room or Ian was in the bathroom or wasn't around.  I thought this was because of Ian's dog, but she has passed on and the behavior continues, so I thought it was because I didn't have the proper authority and he didn't respect me as the leader.  
Now he has chosen another person over the two of us and usually sneaks away from me to follow anyone else.  He still has the dependent behavior and has to be at someone's heels, but it is not me and I have become frustrated and a little sad.  I realize this sounds silly, but I want to be able to enjoy the time I have with my dog and he is always just looking to run to someone else.  Do you have any advice?

Thanks,
Rebecca Morris (now in Mexico)

Answer
Hi Rebecca,

In a nutshell, the simplest way to increase your value to your dog is to control all the things that he values: food, toys, freedom to go hang out with other people etc.

It's not silly to feel the way you do, but you may be misinterpreting his fickle streak. He may be herding them and thinking you are the shepherd!

Have you read The other end of the leash by Patricia McConnell? It's a great book about how we relate to our dogs and how they relate to us and how sometimes the two don't match up.