Why Does My Dog Push Me With His Feet & Paws?
You must have seen your dog putting his paw on you when you pet it. Dogs use paws to communicate. They have been staying alongside humans for a thousand of years and have gained extraordinary qualities to communicate their feelings to communicate with humans, who are completely different from them.
Reasons
There are many reasons why your dog may put his paw on their most favorite human. It is mainly dependent on the situation your dog is in at that point in time. However, it is most likely because he wants to tell you about something.
- Attention Required: Dogs are fond of their companionship with humans. It has been such a long time that humans and dogs have been living with us that they have become an important part of human life. Humans have bred them and they have become dependent on us. Dogs have started to communicate in their own way to express themselves. They would let us know if they feel neglected in their own way.
They may put their paws on you when you are very busy for most of the day. In this way they are seeking your attention and asking for your time. They may be even asking you to play with them and want to just remind you that you have missed the playtime scheduled with them. This seems fair as any responsible dog owner would need to meet the pet requirement.
- Playful or a Happy Gesture: Your dog might push you when you rub their belly. It is just a gesture showing that your dog is playful and is exhibiting signs that it is relaxed and open for your companionship. You might notice your dog bowing; this is also a sign telling you that it is interested in playing with you. Your dog is instigating you to play with it. You will see his tail wagging and there might be barking which would sound playful, as if it wants to tell you to play along.
- Feeling Insecure: A paw raised can mean that the dog is stressed. You should check the body language of your dog and see if there are any signs of anxiety such as smacking of lips or flat ears or yawning. If you don’t see any of the above signs you might want to think why is your dog behaving in such a manner. It might be that there was a heated argument with your family members or you might be angry for some other reason or maybe your dog is in a new environment and is worried about the surrounding change. The best you can do is stay positive and spend your time as much as possible with your dog. It would be a good idea to play with a toy which is your dog’s favorite.
- A Way Of Saying They Love You: Many researches have revealed that oxytocin is a feel-good hormone and are released in both dogs and humans during a session of petting. When your dog puts his paw on you, they are making contact with you and are returning the affection to you in their own way.
- It Does Not Mean: They are your master. There is a notion that dogs try to dominate us and be a pack leader when they try to put their paw on their human. Some dog trainer even uses punishments to solve this. Dogs have evolved from wolves and they behave very similar to them when it comes to communication. Unfortunately, not many of us are aware of the wolf’s behavior. Next time you find your dog putting his paw on you, look at his body language and you would know that your dog is totally fond of you and loves you a lot. None of the above assumptions would seem to be true.
How to Stop a Dog Putting Paws on You?
It may be a very sweet gesture but there are many occasions you would prefer they not have a paw on you. It is particularly if it is messed up from dirt and you are wearing a very beautiful and expensive fabric or if you are trying to concentrate on a very important work. In these situations you can follow certain steps to handle the affection of your dog without applying methods which might be harsh. Listed below are some ways in which you can stop your dogs from putting their paw on you:
- Ignore pawing.
- Stay consistent in the way you behave with your dog.
- See that his needs are met.
- Pet him in a position which will be hard for him to paw.
