Why does my dog sit on my foot?

First, we must emphasize that there is no single reason that explains why a dog sits or lies on its feet or on top of its guardians.Dogs' behavior and body language they are complex and varied, so a behavior can have different causes and meanings , depending on the context in which it develops and the individual who carries it out.

If you want To understand why your dog leans on you or lies on your feet, it is essential to interpret its posture and its expressions while carrying out this behavior, as well as paying attention to the environment and in the context where it executes This action.

Next, we will help you to interpret this behavior of your best friend, but we also recommend you to read our complete guide on dog poses and their meanings to better understand your dog.

It is very important not to get carried away by false myths who claim that whenever a dog sits on his guardian It is a demonstration of dominance.Dominance is intraspecific, that is, it is damaged and exclusively among individuals of the same species.Therefore, thinking about the relationship between a guardian and his dog in terms of dominance does not make sense and usually causes many errors in education and upbringing of dogs, negatively impacting their character.

In addition, it is essential to combat the false myth that a "dominant dog" is one that behaves in a manner aggressive with other dogs.Aggression is a behavior problem that needs to be treated properly, with the help of a trained professional.In turn, dominance is part of social interaction and language of dogs, allowing hierarchical organization between two or more m members of a community, occurring precisely at the moment when a meeting or social interaction between two or more individuals takes place.

A "dominant dog" is dominant in relation to one or more dogs , but it will not necessarily be dominant in relation to all other dogs, since the interaction is somewhat dynamic, so we should not understand dominance as an aspect or feature of a dog's personality, much less associate it with aggressiveness.

Your dog is not showing his dominance when he sits on your feet and it is a serious mistake to use aggressive or abusive methods to "correct" this behavior, since you will be exposing your hairy to negative emotions, such as stress, fear and anxiety, and the worst thing is that you will reprimand him for misinterpreting his behavior, seriously affecting the bond.

On the other hand, if you suspect your dog is becoming possessive, reacting negatively when someone tries approaching you or your things, you should know that you are facing a problem of resource protection , and should not be confused with dominance.In this case, we advise you to go to a veterinarian specialized in canine ethology that could rule out pathological causes and investigate the origin of this possessive behavior in your best friend, as well as help you establish specific causes for your treatment.

If you want to know more about dominance in dogs, we recommend you read our article entirely dedicated to the dominant dog.Next, we will tell you the possible reasons that explain why my dog sits on my foot.

Now you know that this behavior can have several meanings and that in no case It is related to the errors of the theory of dominance.So why does my dog sit on my foot? There are 5 main causes:

To enjoy your company: you can not deny that dogs are extraordinary companions, always willing to accompany us in our best moments and comfort us in the most difficult phases.The reasons why your dog sits on your feet is to be with you and express his affection.
Because he seeks warmth and comfort: in his first weeks of life, it is very common that puppies sleep well attached and even on top of each other to keep warm and fight the cold.If your dog sleeps on top of you or on your head, it is probably looking not only to share the warmth of your body, but also to feel safe and comfortable in your company.
To express their support for you: dogs easily perceive changes in our mood, because they are able to interpret our postures, facial expressions, gestures and attitudes, since they mostly use body language to communicate.Even if you do not say a word to your dog, he will know when you feel sad or you are going through a difficult time in your life, so you can support yourself in you or lie close to you to communicate your support and fidelity, "in good times and in bad".
To communicate to others that you are their guardian: anal glands contain pheromones that are a species of "chemical identity", that is, they concentrate substances that "inform" about the main characteristics that identify each individual.When a dog smells the ass of another, he can obtain information about his sex, age, state of health, type of nutrition, etc.When your dog sits on your feet or on top of you, it leaves its "characteristic smell" on you.In this way, it can communicate to the other dogs that you are its guardian.
Because it needs to call your Attention: if you spend many hours away from home or are too busy to devote special time to your hairy, it is possible that he sits on top of you or on your feet to get your attention, either because he is hungry, wants to walk, wants to get something or just to remind you that it is time to share a good time together.

Therefore, we identify that sitting on your feet or on top of your tutor is not a negative behavior or dangerous in dogs.Logically, it is important to observe whether this behavior is accompanied by others that demonstrate possessiveness or hyperapist, since these can become serious behavioral problems that impair the coexistence and social life of the dog and your tutor.

If you notice that your dog It becomes aggressive when you receive visitors at home or when someone tries to greet you on the street, this possessive behavior can be very dangerous, especially for children, and must be treated by a properly trained professional, so we advise you to consult a veterinarian first specialized in ethology.On the other hand, if your dog carries out destructive behaviors during your absence and constantly demands attention, you should be aware of the symptoms of separation anxiety and you can turn to a canine educator to guide you in the treatment of these problems of conduct.

Now you know why my dog sits on my foot! What reason do you think drives your dog to do it? Leave us your comments and share your experience!

Comments

How to know what size a mongrel dog will be?

When we talk about a mixed breed dog or mixed breed dog , generally we refer to a dog whose ancestry is unknown and that has typical characteristics of two or more breeds.This is usually the result of a non-selective breeding, but generally fortunate, since a mongrel dog can be exactly as good companion as a dog of a certain breed. Due to numerous factors, although here it is worth highlighting the great genetic variability, there are many advantages of having a mongrel dog and it is important to emphasize this point since unfortunately it is usually grant a lower value to a dog of these characteristics.If you are thinking of adopting a mixed breed dog, you are surely gathering all the necessary information, if you are wondering how to know what size a mongrel dog will be I didn't leave It is to read this article of Animals and Pets Online. Is it possible to know the size of a mongrel dog? Of course, estimating the exact size of a mongrel dog is not an easy task, although ...

How to scare stray cats? - 15 non-harmful remedies

The presence of stray cats In the home it is not always welcome, especially if they defecate, dig and break the decorative plants or the garden.In fact, it can be considered a risk situation if they are also wild cats, since they are not properly socialized and can be carriers of parasites and viral diseases, factors that can worry parents and animal owners. Therefore, although we consider ourselves animalistic, we can face a serious dilemma when we want to scare off street cats that appear in our garden or terrace.Is there a really effective repellent for cats? How to drive away cats without harming them? Is it possible to apply any method to drive away effective and lasting stray cats? Or worse: it may not even be street cats, but domestic cats that take advantage of your garden to do their needs.What should we do then? In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will explain How to drive away stray cats with basic and effective advice, we will propose some home remedie...

Dog breeds not recognized by the FCI

The FCI is the worldwide canine organization that approves pedigree dogs.There are several dog breeds not recognized by the FCI , even if they meet all the requirements to be considered "pure" breeds from the phylogenetic point of view. In this Animals and Pets Onlinet article We explain to you what these breeds are and why they are not recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale . Do not forget that the breed of the dog is not important unless you want to participate in morphology competitions canine.Read more: In many cases, breeds are not recognized by the FCI because they do not have a detailed written standard .In other cases because they do not meet the requirements established by the FCI.And in other cases, simply because no canine person or organization has bothered Evade the procedure so that these races are recognized by the FCI. It is also possible that political aspects outside the canine organizations have prevented the international diffu...

The smartest rodents

There are more than 2800 different rodent species that populate all parts of the planet, except in both poles.Son species that are not in danger of extinction, quite the opposite, and on many occasions some species are considered a pest. If survival is considered a parametroutile to measure animal intelligence, no doubt Among the rodents are some species of remarkable intelligence. In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will show you some rodents possessing a very considerable intelligence.Continue reading the most intelligent rodents : The common rat The common rat, or brown rat, is perhaps the representative of mammals whose survival is more plausible in any circumstance.It is much stronger, larger and more aggressive than its congenre the black rat, or country rat. The common rat is native to China, and from there it has managed to expand throughout the world, especially in the sewerage of all cities and towns.Various tests have been carried out with them, including m...

Clean a dog's ears step by step

Cleaning the ears of the dog is a behavior that we should carry out regular, whether it is a puppy or an adult dog.It is very important to apply frequent hygiene of the ears to avoid the appearance of fungi. Next we will explain what products you need to carry it out and how It must be the method for everything to go perfectly. Keep reading this complete article by Animals and Pets Online and discover how to clean the ears of a dog step by step : Steps to follow: 1 The first step will be to gather all the materials that we may need to clean the dog's ears properly: sterile gauze swabs physiological serum Instead of physiological serum you can also choose to use hydrogen peroxide or specific preparations that we will find in any pet store.What is recommended is Apply sterile gauze as the cotton can fray inside the ear of the dog and rot.Finally, and for a much more thorough cleaning we may need swabs, yes, baby.Much safer. 2 It is important to keep in mind ...

ALL ABOUT THE FEVER IN DOGS

The fever in dogs or fever Canine is an increase in body temperature above normal values, which are between 38 and 39ºC , due, for example, to an infection or inflammation.There are different causes that cause the fever and we can easily measure it with the use of a digital thermometer. Next, in this article of Animals and Pets Online we will explain everything you need to know about fever in dogs, causes, symptoms and treatment to be applied to lower it.That is, if you suspect that your dog may suffer from fever, we recommend you go to your trusted veterinarian to discover the cause that is causing it and the treatment indicated according to your specific case. What temperature is considered fever in dogs? Fever is an excellent defense mechanism of the body .By increasing body temperature, the immune system seeks to destroy the pathogen.Therefore, it is a immune system reaction very beneficial for the dog in the face of an illness. The normal temperature of a dog Th...

Milbemax in dogs - USES and DOSE

Milbemax in dogs is a antiparasitic widely used by its wide spectrum of action and its effectiveness, in addition to its ease of use when sold as a chewable tablet with chicken flavor, which facilitates the dog to ingest it voluntarily.In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will talk about the action of milbemax in all types of dogs , its dosage, its possible side effects and, also, the precautions that we must take into account.Of course, we must always administer it according to veterinary prescription . What is milbemax for dogs? As we have said, milbemax is a active antiparasitic product against intestinal parasites such as cestodes, also known as flat worms, or nematodes or roundworms.against other non-intestinal nematodes, such as the Angiostrongylus vasorum , whose adult forms are located in the pulmonary arteries and the heart, or the Thelazia callipaeda , which parasites the eyes.be used in the prevention of another nematode, the Dirofilaria immitis or he...

Small dogs ideal for children

When we want to adopt a dog we must take into account several factors.One very important, if we have Children in our home, will be to welcome a dog that is patient and gets along with the little ones and supports without aggression the mischief that the children's minds are able to machine. If we do not have a very spacious and This factor also counts, the solution will be to adopt a dog of small size.Always informing our son of how to play with him so that he does not get to hurt him.Remember that the adoption of dogs teaches your children values, responsibility and rapport. In ExpertAnimal we will show you some suitable breeds that combine both factors, discover the small dogs ideal for children .However, remember that many of the dogs in the shelters (whether mestizo or breed) they are equally appropriate for a child, im It is important that both be happy together.Continue reading: Small dogs, great character It is well known that the idiosyncrasy of most small dogs is...

10 human foods dogs can eat

Sharing leftovers or pieces of food with our best friend is one more way of improving our bond with it, however, it can also make you insistent and anxious at the time of our meal.However, how can we be sure that these foods will not harm you? In this Animals and Pets Online article we will detail 10 human foods dogs can eat , but we will also offer you some basic tips that you should keep in mind.Take note! 1.Meat (without salt or cooked bones) Dogs are not strictly carnivorous animals, as with cats, even so, meat should be the basis of their feeding .Although some are more recommended than others, we can Offer them any meat: chicken, turkey, pork, veal, lamb...We recommend avoid fried meat or salt use and bet on grilled, grilled or baked meat.These options will enchant you. Many people are currently betting on the barf diet, which implies offering the dog raw meat.In this case we must ensure the quality correctly to avoid the transmission of pathogens and parasites , wh...

Animals with exoskeleton - Names and examples

The body of the largest vertebrate animals is not a mystery to most of people: it is known that it has a skeleton, internal vital organs (heart, brain, etc.), a dermis of variable and organ characteristics through which the five senses are manifested, among other characteristics. However, have you wondered what the invertebrate morphology is like? Then you need to know all about the animals with exoskeleton, names and examples. Don't miss this Animals and Pets Online article! What is the exoskeleton? The exoskeleton is an external structure that covers the body of various animals, including arthropods.It is characterized by being resistant but flexible .This structure It consists of different substances depending on the subfile to which the animal belongs: chitin for insects and fungi, calcium in mollusks and corals or silica in diatoms among other components. In turn, the exoskeleton is formed by three structures : Cuticle : non-cellular layer secreted by the hyp...

Animals and Pets Online

Search This Blog