Why Do Dogs Lean On You?

Do dogs lean on us out of dominance?

I saw a comment thread on reddit where everyone was saying how cute it is when their dogs lean on them for affection. most people said they like when their dogs lean on them, and they don’t seem to think anything of it, good or bad.

Then there were a few people who jumped in preaching Cesar-Millan talk, saying that a dog that leans on you is trying to assert his dominance. and of course this created all kinds of drama as people became overly emotional and defensive about “dominance theory.”

Here’s the thing: sometimes dogs do use their bodies to claim space or to get to an object first or to simply be in the lead. call it dominance. call it cute. call it whatever you want. It’s what dogs do.

But not a single person (except yours truly!) brought up the fact that many dogs will lean on their owners for security. They will lean on their owners because they are shy, fearful or insecure in that moment. They are not trying to dominate their owners. They are trying to feel safe.

Nine times out of 10, when dogs lean on us they really are just seeking attention. They like to be close to people. and yes, sometimes it’s rude.

Why dogs lean on us

My dogs Ace will come up and slam his side into my legs, wiggling his body into a U shape and whipping his tail every which way.

I don’t see this as dominance (although he does want my attention) or insecurity (although he does feel safer with me around). He’s just trying to connect with his best friend! és képzeld csak? Működik!

I always bend down and give him a good butt scratch. “Good boy, Ace!”

But there are dog owners who don’t read into anything their dogs are telling them. everything the dog does is cute or funny to them, even when the dog is trying to communicate something. To them, a dog that leans couldn’t possibly be trying to say anything other than “I love you.”

And then there are dog owners who assume every action from a dog always means the same thing. Growling always represents dominance, for example. Or a wagging tail always represents happiness. Or leaning always represents friendship. Hmm …

In order to understand our dogs, we need to pay more attention to what they are trying to communicate during each specific situation.

Dogs can certainly block us with their bodies in order to gain access to what they want, but they will also lean on us in order to feel safe.

Here are some examples of when an insecure dog might lean on his owner:

1. shy dogs will typically lean on their owners in order to feel safe

My former foster dog Cosmo was a leaner.

He would lean on me when someone came to the door or when we attended an adoption event. This wasn’t because he was trying to dominate me. He was leaning on me in order to feel more secure.

Poor Cosmo was always stressed at adoption events. His ears would be back. He would avoid direct eye contact with people. He would pant with an open mouth. usually one front paw would be raised and tucked up into his chest. sometimes he trembled. sometimes he even growled at people.

No wonder no one was very interested in him during these events!

I made sure not to give Cosmo affection when he leaned on me for security. telling him “It’s OK. Jól van. good boy,” would only teach him to continue looking to me for security. In order to help him grow as an individual and build his confidence, I had to teach him not to depend on me so much.

So I would block Cosmo with my hip or my elbow (I was usually sitting on the floor with him). Or I would simply move away or up into a chair. He would usually shift back in order to lean on me again, and I would move away again as well. When he was relaxed and lying next to me without touching, I would pet him calmly.

Tudom, tudom. some of you are thinking, “But affection does not reinforce a dog’s fears.” Az igaz. and I’m not saying you should correct a fearful dog. just look for ways to block some habits in order to slowly help the dog move on and grow.

See my post: Does affection reward a fearful dog?

Treats and favorite toys can also be very useful to help distract an insecure dog from everything going on. You can use treats to get him to think about something else like sit or stay and build his confidence that way. sometimes I would make Cosmo lie down and stay a foot away. then he would get the treat as a reward for maintaining distance. “Wow, what a good boy! So brave!”

2. Some dogs climb into their owners’ laps in order to feel more secure

Some little dogs will climb into their owners’ laps in order to feel more secure. big dogs try this as well, but it’s usually the smaller dogs that tremble in their owners’ arms because they fear something in the environment.Ehelyett a tulajdonosnak a kutyát a földre kell helyeznie, és lassan segít megérteni, hogy új helyzetekben semmi rossz nem történik. A tulajdonosnak figyelmen kívül kell hagynia a kutyát, vagy elmozdulnia, amikor kétségbeesetten a lábánál mancsot mancs, hogy visszatérjen. Adjon neki egy élvezetet, vagy csak akkor vegye fel, ha nyugodt, vagy ha a helyzet valóban kockázatos a kis srác számára.

És természetesen fontos, hogy ne teljesen elárasztjuk a kutyát. Ha fél az új emberektől és kutyáktól, tisztességtelen lenne a földre helyezni őt egy Petsmart vagy egy utcai vásár közepén. De a tulajdonosnak először kevésbé „ijesztő” helyzeteket kell keresnie, és egyre inkább lassan kihívást jelent a kutyának.

Egyes kutyák még a tulajdonosok birtoklásává válnak, morgva és harapva a tulajdonosok fegyvereitől, ha valaki túl közel áll. Természetesen birtokosak lesznek. Nem akarják, hogy eltávolítsák az „áramforrásból”.

De még ezek a kutyák sem ugatnak a dominanciából. Viharot ugatnak, mert bizonytalanok. Védekező módon viselkednek.

Tehát hogyan javíthatja a tulajdonos ezt a problémát?

Ugyanúgy, mint a fenti. Keressen olyan helyzeteket, amelyek nem túl lenyűgözőek, és tartsuk a kutyát a földön. Ha körülvitele nem segíti a bizalmat.

A legtöbb kis srác azonnal megpróbál visszaugrani a tulajdonosok karjaiba – a felhatalmazás helyére.

A tulajdonosnak csak akkor szabad engedélyeznie, ha a kutya valóban veszélyben van.

If the dog tries to jump back into his owner’s lap, she should block him with her arm. Ha az ölébe hozza, akkor állnia kell, le kell tolni, vagy a földre helyezkedjen. Ha morogni kezd, és ugatni az embereket a lábáról, akkor a pórázát rá kell tennie, és el kell kötnie tőle. Meg kell jutalmaznia őt, ha nyugodt, és nem ugat vagy sír.

A cél az, hogy segítse a kutyát egyénként növekedni azáltal, hogy elválasztja őt a tulajdonosától való függőségétől.

Lásd a hozzászólásomat: Hogyan lehet megakadályozni a kutyámat, hogy őrizzen.

3. Néhány kutya elrejtőzik a tulajdonosok lábai között a kutyaparkban

Amikor a kutyák elrejtőznek a tulajdonosok lábai között a kutyaparkban, sok tulajdonos válaszol a kutyával vagy a kutyával való beszélgetéssel.

Ehelyett a legjobb, ha csak elmegy. mozogj. Ne engedje, hogy a kutya elrejtse mögötted vagy alatta. Segítsen a kutyának kiépíteni a bizalmát azáltal, hogy csökkenti az öntől való függőségét.

Ha a kutya túlságosan félénknek vagy félelmetesnek tűnik, csak sétáljon el a többi kutyától, csoportosítsa újra és térjen vissza néhány másodperc múlva. Nem akarja túlságosan elárasztani a kutyáját, ha arra kényszeríti őt, hogy azonnal kölcsönhatásba lépjen a denevérről. Nézze meg a kutyaparkot csendesebb órákban, és ne tervezze, hogy sokáig maradjon. Ha néhány másodpercig játszik, és úgy tűnik, hogy túlterhelt, akkor csak hagyja abba, amíg előre vagy. At least he played for a few seconds. That is a success.

Some dogs appreciate socializing in smaller groups just like some people like to socialize in smaller groups. Some dogs and some people get tired of socializing sooner than others. Heck, I’m one of the most introverted people I know! I can certainly relate to all those introverted dogs out there.

What have you noticed about your dog when he leans on you?

Is he usually seeking attention? Erő? Biztonság? probably all of the above, depending on the situation. let us know in the comments!

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