3 Reasons Why Dogs Put Their Paw on Their Owner
Paws Are GoodDogs are very smart and they know how to communicate with their owner. Dogs are very good at communicating with their owner through multiple ways, for example through their eye contacts, expression and paws. Yes, it is very common for dogs to use their paws for communication.
As a dog owner you know your dog's personality better than anyone. I would say when dog uses paws to communicate, it has various meanings based on the dog's overall personality and surrounding situation at that moment.
But, overall there are few main reasons why dogs put their paws on their owner. Today I am going to cover the main 3 reasons why dogs put their paws on their owner. I hope it will help you determine whether it is normal or a cause for concern.
1) Seeking Attention and Affection
Like humans, dogs are social animals. Every dog seek attention and affection from their owner. Usually dogs use their paws to interact with you to get attention. I believe attention is not limited to seeking a treat or going out, but mostly it is about getting affection from their owner.
Yes, you got that right, dogs need affection, and they use paws to communicate with you asking for pets or cuddles. It is very cute behavior but when they learn to demand it through paws, it needs some training.
As a pet parent when you feel your dog has demanding about seeking affection, or to get what they want whenever then you must address it with training, mind stimulation and exercise.
Majority of dogs goes through common behavior problems, and all problems have solution.
2) Requesting for Something
You won't believe but dogs are very intelligent animals and they know their ways to get things through their communication skills.
Mostly they use their paws to indicate they need to go out or need food or need your attention. But when their behavior start to feel like demanding, then you must consider to train your dog.
Learn your dog's body language behavior through some simple tactics by observing their ears, expression or the way they show up their body postures.
As a dog owner you must understand your dog's behavior, in long run it will help you train your dog well behaved and develop deep bonding.
3) Anxiety
Anxiety will make your dog very insecure. Dogs try to express anxiety with their paws. You must try to calm down your dog with affection and assure secured surrounding.
Anxiety in your dog could be because of lack of attention, playtime or mental stimulation. You must consider to spend more time with your dog and add playtime in daily routine.
Try to find out the underlying real reason behind anxiety. You must make sure to create safe and comfortable environment in house to build trust. If you notice anxiety is still persistence and you are not able to cure it then you must consider to consult professional help.
Is it related to owner's feelings?
As in general, whenever dog puts paws on owner, we think it is a sign of seeking attention or affection. But you must notice the behavior closely if your dog constantly put paws on you. It is recommended to explore the real cause.
Sometimes dogs react to human feelings. Yes, you may not believe but dogs understand and feel human feelings. There has been incidents reported about dog paws at owner whenever owner felt like going to have an anxiety attack. With dog's this behavior owner was able to distract thoughts and changed the mood.
It is unbelievable but this intelligent animal understand humans. They know what their human's going through emotion wise.
Is it dominant behavior?
Oh well, dominance is very subjective. But, in my opinion if dog is trying to dominate you, then they will not use paws. They have that instinct that will trigger aggression. You can notice that easily through their expression, tail movement and facial expression.
I would say dog uses their paws majority of the time to show affection towards humans. They are pack animal, they consider their owner as family. Paws are their communication medium to show affection and trust to their family.
As a whole, it is very important for a dog owner to understand your dog's body language and behavior. It is always a good to learn about your dog's behavior to find out the real cause of certain reactions. It is always good to consult professional help if you are not able to understand or figure out the underlying problem of your dog's behavior.
