Why does my dog lay his head on my chest

There are few things as good in life as cuddling up on the couch with your furry best friend. Whether it is for an afternoon snooze, or during a movie, having some quality time snuggling your dog can be a great way to relax, chill out and feel a sense of serenity.

What is even nicer is feeling your dog rest their head on you, or put their head on your lap, as you truly feel accepted and loved by your pet, as much as you love them! But, what is the reason that dogs put their heads on us, or nuzzle into us, and why do they do it?

We are here to explore some of the reasons why your dog puts its head on you, other dogs, or why they burrow into you.

What does it mean when a dog puts its head on you?

If you have a dog that likes to rest their head on you, lay it on your hands, feet, knees, or lap when you are sitting down, then you have probably wondered what they are trying to say to you. Whilst it can be a sign of affection, it does depend on the context.

For instance, if your dog only does this when there is food around, or it is dinner time, then resting their head on you is a means of getting your attention, working the puppy dog eyes, and praying that you get up and feed them!

On the other hand, for most dogs, cuddling, nuzzling and leaning into you is your dog’s way of telling you how much they care about you. For instance, dogs cannot hug you back when you hug them, but they can use their body language to communicate their feelings with you. Dogs will lean their body against yours as a way of showing affection and how much they trust you entirely.

In other cases, dogs can rest their head on your knees, nuzzle their nose into the crook of your arm, leg, or even go between the thighs to show that they trust, respect, love and care for you. In other words, if your dog nuzzles and lays its head on you a lot, then it is simply showing a connection with you, giving you some affection and showing how much it loves you.

Some dogs may push their heads up against you, or into your chest. This is often another way of being affectionate with you. On the other hand, you may have rewarded or responded well to this behavior before, and so the dog is simply hoping to get something back off you. Other dogs do this because they are anxious and seeking protection, whereas some may be trying to spread their scent onto you to become more attached to you.

What does it mean when a dog puts its head on another dog?

In most situations, if a dog is displaying odd behavior around another dog, it is usually to assert authority over them. Dogs naturally try to dominate and become the Alpha around other dogs, and so when they play together, you may notice them acting in a different way.

A great example of this is if your dog stares at other dogs, tries to sit on them, or puts its head on them.

This is simply an action that shows your dog is trying to display authority. By staring at another dog, trying to get on top of them, or placing their face on top of them, your dog is trying to establish a pecking order, and a hierarchy. It is a way of intimidating and indicating that one dog is dominating the other.

To prevent this from happening too often, or becoming aggressive, it is a good idea to properly socialize your dog with other dogs, and with people too. However, most of the time, it is just an instinct, and will not actually result in aggression or violence.

Why do dogs burrow their heads into you?

Some dogs love to burrow. Whether it is in the arm, into your body, or by rubbing its head into your legs, they love to bury their faces into you. Although, sometimes dogs can burrow into the crotch, and they will do this with their owners, frequent visitors and strangers that come into the home…which can be a little embarrassing!

So, why do dogs burrow their heads into you? Well, the answer is often a lot sadder than you think. Most dogs that do this may be suffering from anxiety, fearfulness or sadness.

By burrowing into people, a dog may feel a sense of comfort, protection and safety. If your dog does this to you, then it may be because they feel safe burrowed into you, and that you are their leader and protector.

Other dogs may do this because they have separation anxiety, and simply want to be as close as possible to you, which is why they may burrow into your arms or between the legs…you can’t get any closer than that!

Another possible reason that your dog burrows its head into you is to spread its scent around you. This, again is to strengthen your bond, and create a closeness between you and the dog.

Finally, your pet may like to burrow its head because it gets rewarded. This does not always mean treats, as sometimes they just love to be petted. When a dog buries its head in you, you will most likely respond naturally by petting them or rubbing their head. This can be enjoyable, and so your dog will do it time and time again as a way of getting some attention and affection!

I know my dog will seek out physical contact with me due to a number of reasons but why does my dog lay on my chest? Why would they do that? Is it a sign of intimacy or is it something else altogether? Let’s dig a little deeper into this now, shall we?

A dog laying on your chest is often construed as a show of affection by most people but it can signal something that is quite opposite of that. It can be a sign of domination where your dog is basically saying that he owns you.

Dogs have a way of communicating with each other and humans that is based on a number of the body or facial gestures and postures. Direct eye contact, for example, is perceived as a sign of authority or domination.

In the same vein, it is also known to be a sign of aggression. A dog will communicate these signs subtly or very explicitly and in order to understand these signs, you need to observant and watch out for them.

Naturally, dogs are pack creatures and this pack mentality applies even in your home. Every pack has an alpha who is the one in charge.

The others either challenge the alphas position or submit. There are no two ways about it. When your dog is with you, they work out whether or not they are in charge or you are.

They will push the boundary on occasion to see whether they can get away with things or you are able to take charge and lead them.

It’s a natural instinct that is part of their makeup. Generally speaking, it was survival of the fittest for their ancestors in the wild.

The dog in charge had to be strong enough to lead otherwise the pack could die. From time to time, this strength and authority are challenged by other dogs in the pack as a way, if you will, to establish whether the alpha was still in a position to lead.

See also  Why do Pugs have Short Snouts

This would go on until the alpha dies or a stronger contender got top dog spot. This is still part of your dog’s instinctive nature and,in most cases, this behaviour is not sinister but birthed from a place of wanting to protect you as part of the pack.

One of the reasons that dogs take on aggressive behavior around strangers is because they feel they need to take on the responsibility of protector if they do not sense that you are providing it.

They need to see that you are leading otherwise they will instinctively take on the leadership role and in their world, that means showing signs of dominance.

Though this could translate as overbearing in the human world, dogs actually need to see this in order to feel safe around you. That’s the more extreme explanation as to why a dog would lay on your chest. Let’s look at another reason.

Why Does My Dog Lay on My Chest and Stare at Me?

Another reason that your dog does this is as a show of affection but you need to be watchful so that it doesn’t turn into a dominance issue. Look at it this way; to your dog, you are their world. You are the reason that they exist. They want to show you that they love and appreciate you for all the things that you are to them and do for them.

This is more evident in situations where there is a genuine bond of affection between you and them. Most of the time they just want to be with and around you. Laying on your chest while in bed and then staring at your face in most cases is just what it looks like; a sign of affection.

See also  Why Are Huskies So Vocal?

When they are on your chest, they are as close to your face as they ever get during the course of the day and because they are pack animals, they long for that connection.

Feeling your breath against their faces and that closeness they experience when in such close proximity with you fulfils this instinctive need. Just make sure that they do not display any dominant behaviour as they do this.

They may do this especially when you spend the day at work and come back home at the end of the day. They want to spend as much time with you as they can. What to do if Your Dog Starts Exhibiting Dominant Behaviour As already stated earlier on, dogs instinctively want to take over a leadership role if they notice that there is a vacancy.

It’s not sinister but an instinctive reaction that they exhibit and it needs to be looked out for. When your dog gets used to laying on your chest while you are in bed, for example, you need to immediately stand up and assert your dominance.

Dogs understand these gestures and respond to them. This is especially true in cases where they are becoming possessive of the bed for example. You need to let them know that it’s your space and you choose whether or not to allow them into it.

They should never feel that it’s theirs otherwise you will have behavioural issues. Showing this dominance should not only be limited to when they are laying on your chest or in bed with you but it should be something that you do often during the course of the day so that it’s imprinted and they never challenge your authority in the first place.

See also  What were Pugs Bred for

Separation Anxiety

A dog may experience separation anxiety and may lay on your chest as a way of making sure that you don’t go anywhere.

to reduce any form of separation anxiety on your dog I recommend you try VetriScience Laboratories Composure, Calming Support chews for Dogs (Check current Price on Amazon)

You may see this a lot when they notice that you are about to leave the house. A simple way to get over this issue is to do the normal routine that you do when you are about to leave the house but instead of leaving, you sit on the couch to watch TV or some other activity from leaving the house.

Over time, graduate to leaving the house for just a short period of time then coming back. Do this over and over again but each time, leave the house for a little longer.

When they see this, they gradually realize that whenever you leave, you will eventually come back. Dogs are trained through repetition and over time they would have overcome their separation anxiety.

Conclusion on why does my dog sit on my chest

When your dog lays on your chest, it can be one of two things. They can be exhibiting a desire to be close to you and spend as much time with you as possible or they may actually be exhibiting dominant behaviour. Observe your dog to make sure that their behaviour is not driven by the wrong instincts and nurture the right kind of behaviour.