One of the curious things dogs do is to have the habit of sitting directly on the feet of their owners or sitting directly on them, behavior that is especially fun in large dogs, which seem to ignore their true size.
If you’ve been through this, I’m probably asking questions like, “Why is my dog sitting on my feet?”, “Why is my dog lying on me?”or “why does a dog like to sleep with its owner?”In this Animal Expert article, we’ll answer these questions to help you better understand and communicate with your best friend.
- First.
- We must emphasize that there is not a single reason why a dog is sitting or sitting on its feet or on its guardians.
- The canine behavior and body language of dogs are complex and varied.
- So canine behavior can have different causes and meanings.
- Depending on the context in which it develops and the individual who performs it.
If you want to understand why a dog likes to sleep with its owner, why a dog leans over you or lies on your feet, it is essential to interpret posture and expressions when performing this behavior, as well as pay attention to the environment and environment context in which it does this.
Then we’ll help you interpret this behavior from your best friend, but we also recommend that you read our complete guide to interpreting the body language of dogs to better understand your dog.
It is very important not to get carried away by false myths that every time a dog sits or lies on the caregiver is a demonstration of domination, the domain is intraspecific, that is, it occurs only and exclusively among individuals of the same species.thinking about the relationship between a guardian and a dog in terms of domination makes no sense and tends to cause many errors in the education and rearing of dogs, with negative consequences on the character of the animal.
In addition, it is essential to combat the myth that a “dominant dog” is one that behaves aggressively with other dogs.Aggression is a behavioral problem that needs to be treated appropriately, with the help of a trained professional.Domination, on the other hand, is part of the social interaction and language of dogs, allowing a hierarchical organization between two or more members of a community, occurring precisely at the moment when there is a social encounter or interaction between two or more individuals.
A “dominant dog” is dominant compared to one or more dogs, but it will not necessarily be dominant compared to all other dogs, since the interaction is dynamic, so we should not understand domination as an aspect or trait of a dog’s personality.much less associate it with aggression.
Your dog shows no dominance when he sits standing or lies on you, it is a grave mistake to use aggressive or abusive methods to “correct” this canine behavior, as you will expose your four-legged friend to negative emotions, such as stress, fear and anxiety.And the worst part is that you’ll scold him for misinterpreting the behavior, seriously affecting the bond between you.
On the other hand, if you suspect that your dog is becoming possessive, reacting negatively when someone tries to approach you or your things, it is important to know that you are faced with a problem of protection of resources, that should not be confused with dominance.In this case, we recommend that you go to a veterinarian specialized in canine ethology, who can rule out pathological causes and investigate the origin of this possessive behavior in your best friend, as well as help you establish specific causes of treatment.
If you want to know more about canine domination we recommend you read our article entirely dedicated to the dominant dog, below we will explain the possible reasons for the question of why my dog is on top of me.
Now you know that this canine behavior can have several meanings and that, in no case, it is related to the errors of the theory of dominance, so why do you lie about yourself?There are 5 main causes:
There is no denying that dogs are extraordinary companions, always ready to follow in the best moments and also to console themselves in the most difficult phases.One of the reasons your dog is infecting you is to be in your business and express your affection.
In the first few weeks of life it is very common for puppies to sleep well together and even on top of each other to conserve heat and fight the cold, if your dog sleeps on you or on its head, it’s probably not looking.just to share your body warmth, but also to feel safe and comfortable in your company.
Dogs are able to easily perceive the mood swings of guardians, as they are able to interpret postures, facial expressions, gestures and attitudes, since they mainly use body language to communicate.Even if you don’t say a word to your dog, he’ll know when he feels sad or going through a difficult time in his life.In this way, he can lean on you or lie next to you to show your support and loyalty, “in the good and the bad”.
The glands contain pheromones that are a kind of ‘chemical identity’, that is, they concentrate substances that inform the main characteristics that identify each individual. When one dog sniffs the other’s ass, it obtains information about its sex, age, health status, type of nutrition, etc.When your dog sits on its feet or lies on you, it leaves its “characteristic smell” on you.This way, you can communicate to other dogs that you are their guardian.
If you spend many hours away from home or are too busy to spend special time with your four-legged friend, he can lie on you or stand to get your attention, whether it’s because he’s hungry, he wants to walk, he wants something..or just to remind you that it’s time to spend time together.
Therefore, we have identified that standing or lying on the guardian is not a negative or dangerous canine behavior, logically it is important to note if this behavior is accompanied by others that show possessiveness or excessive attachment, since these can become serious behaviors.Problems that interfere with the coexistence and social life of the dog and the tutor.
If you notice that your dog becomes aggressive when you receive visits at home or when someone tries to greet you in the street, this possessive behavior can be very dangerous, especially for children, it should be treated by a properly trained professional, so we advise you to consult first a veterinarian specialized in ethology.On the other hand, if your puppy has destructive behaviors during your absence and requires constant attention, you should also be aware of the symptoms of separation anxiety and you can go to a canine educator to learn about treating these behavioral problems.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Curiosities section of the animal world.