What does it mean when a dog hides his head? A Step-by-Step Guide

Reasons Why Your Dog Buries His Head In You

There can be several reasons why your dog might bury their head into you. Perhaps the biggest indication behind why they are performing such an action is based in their body language and overall demeanor at the time.

Head burying can have both a positive and a negative meaning:

Expression of Love – Dogs love to show their affection for you in a variety of ways and one of those ways is to bury their face into you. This way, they can get your scent on them, into their noses and across their faces where their scent glands are situated. Equally, dogs do this as a means to mark you with their own scent which serves to act as a warning to other dogs that you are taken!

Empathy – Dogs have an amazing ability to show empathy for humans and if they think that there is something off with you, whether they think you are sad, not feeling well, or just seem off, they will try to comfort you. Snuggling into you is the preferred way to go, hoping to cheer you up.

Anxious – If your dog is anxious, they may look to you for comfort. One way of letting you know that they are anxious is to bury their head in you to hide away from the world.

Afraid – Much like being anxious, if your dog is afraid of something, they are likely to try and hide away to feel safe.

Working – This one is a behavior for which you would know about ahead of time, unless of course you ended up getting a rescue dog with a working background. Some working dogs who have tasks learn to alert by nudging or burying their head into their owners. This is the least likely scenario in most cases, however not an impossible one if you have adopted an adult rescue dog.

There could be other reasons for your dog burying their head into you that are personal to you or your dog, that are neither negative nor positive reasons.

One could be that it’s a form of play and they have become used to playing this way.

Other reasons include that they want to alert you to something, get your attention or get you to do something for them.

The bottom line is that your dog is trying to communicate with you.

In this way, you need to acknowledge this fact and do all you can to ensure your dog is heard.

Other Similar Dog Behaviors To Be Aware Of

There is nothing to worry about if your dog is burying into you for positive reasons. Behaviors here will generally be of excitement and expressions of happiness.

However, if your dog is doing it for negative reasons, there could be other behaviors you want to look out for.

If your dog jumps away from noises or situations, or tries to hide behind you, these are behaviors that indicate there could be a problem.

Not only do you want to be aware of the behaviors, but again, you want to take note of what is causing them.

Other things to look out for are hiding in the house, accidents in the house even after being house trained, nipping, lashing out at people and other dogs, and unwanted leash behavior.

All of these indicate potential anxiety and fear.

If you do identify these, then you may need to make some changes to your home, how you your dog experiences new situations or be in better control of some of the interactions that they have.

It may mean going for walks at different times, it may mean taking them to dog obedience training, or it could be a reason to increase your socialization efforts.

To Get Your Attention

Another big reason why dogs bury their heads in humans is to get attention. Sometimes we get busy with our schedules we may noy pay as much attention to our dogs as they would like.

When this happens, our pups will find a way to let us know they need something. One of the ways this can present is by burying their head in you to get your attention.

Your dog may want attention for a variety of reasons, they may need a potty break, want to play, need food or water, or just want a quick rub.

If your dog is suddenly burying their head in you, think about if you forgot to do something for them that you normally would do if you weren’t so busy.

The Meaning Behind 21 Strangest Dog Behaviors | Jaw-Dropping Facts about Dogs

Dogs, like people, have a variety of ways of expressing their feelings and emotions. When your dog exhibits an unusual behavior, like burying their head in you, it can be endearing but also puzzling. What emotions are they trying to express? Is it affection, fear, or something else? What does it mean when your dog buries their head in you, and should you be concerned?

A dog may bury their head in you to provide comfort, sensing that you may seem sad or anxious. Dogs will also bury their heads in you as a way of seeking protection and security if they are scared or worried. Both are bonding opportunities for you and your dog.

Let’s look closer at this behavior, and the emotions that a dog is trying to express by exhibiting them. We’ll also look at whether the behavior is something to be concerned about, and what, if anything, you should do when your dog exhibits this behavior.