Dog Sits on my Feet

Why does my Dog Sit on my Feet

There are many reasons why a dog may like to sit on an owner’s feet. It all depends on the dog and the other behaviors they exhibit. What kind of dog is it? Is he a pushy dog? A love bug? A dog that always likes to be touching someone? Is this an anxious dog who doesn’t like to let the owner out of its sight? The same behavior can be caused by lots of different things, depending on the particular dog.

If you have a dog that is very dominant, then your dog could like to sit on your feet as a way to assert himself over you. He is physically pinning you down and putting himself in a more powerful position. But this would only be the case if this particular dog does other things that make you believe he is trying to be dominant.

Does your dog need constant reassurance? Are they always looking for love and affection? Do they want to be touching you all the time? In this case, the dog may be sitting on your feet simply as a way to stay in physical touch with you.

Does your dog suffer from separation anxiety? Do they follow you from room to room? Do they go to pieces if they can’t see you? In this case, the dog may be trying to reassure himself about your presence. He may be looking for comfort by touching you.

Maybe your dog simply likes to be near you. There doesn’t have to be any particular reason why a dog likes to sit on an owner’s feet. Maybe the dog gets some petting when he does this and he likes it.

Your dog may also like to sit on your feet as a way of “claiming” you. Perhaps he feels that he needs to let your spouse or another dog know that you are “his.” Dogs do display this kind of possessive behavior and can become very jealous of an owner.

This is a good example of the way different behaviors can have lots of different interpretations depending on the particular dog — and the owner.

If you like for your dog to sit on your feet then there is no particular reason to make your dog stop it. If you don’t like the behavior then you can discourage it. Don’t pet your dog when he sits on your feet. You can teach him to do something else that you like better instead. Toss a treat for him and teach him to lie down a few feet away, for example. Make sure that you give him lots of praise for keeping his distance.

If you have a very needy dog then it may take some time to teach this lesson because your dog thrives on being closer to you. Be patient.

If your dog is being jealous of you and showing possessive or guarding behavior then you do need to do something about it. Your dog looks upon you as a “resource” and he is guarding you just as he would a bone or a bowl of food. You should let him know that this is not appropriate behavior. If this is the case, then when he sits on your feet to claim you, you should get up and move. Let him know, in subtle ways, that you are not exclusively his. If you let him guard you then it will eventually make life difficult with a spouse or with other pets in the household, or even with children.

Do you have a dog that exhibits this behavior? What have you done to eliminate it?

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