Why Do Dogs Rub Their Faces?
If a dog is rubbing its face regularly on something, then it may have a problem. But if the rubbing is intermittent, then it may not be of concern. An annoyance such as wet or dirty fur, pain from a bad tooth or eye injury, irritation from fleas or allergies, or simply because it feels good are all potential reasons why a dog may rub its face on something.
Some dogs develop allergies that cause them to be itchy and rub their faces. Skin inflammation may lead to itchy skin or eyes and dogs may rub their faces in an attempt to scratch their itch. Allergies may be to a food or treat that a dog eats or household and environmental allergens such as dust mites, various grasses, or pollen. They can be constant or just seasonal. A dog with allergies will likely have other symptoms including itchy and/or malodorous ears, itchy paws and hind end, and other skin changes including redness, hives, and/or thickened skin.
Why your dog rubs its head on you
Each of the different reasons why your dog rubs its face on you will likely come with some clues.
Below are a number of possible causes and what would make them more likely.
Many people jump to the conclusion that their dogs do it because they are trying to be dominant. However, the alpha/beta dynamic has been disproven in studies showing that wolves take turns in taking the lead.
With that being said, it could be doing it due to bullying behavior which would be more likely if it shows signs of aggression when doing it. In this case, it would help to avoid giving it reasons to feel threatened and to get it to learn to behave the way you want it to with training programs such as NLIF (“Nothing in Life is Free) dog training.
The reason why it does it might be that it has some separation anxiety. This is where it does not like being left alone and the prospect of being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely to be the reason if your dog does it more when you are about to leave home and if it gets anxious when you are leaving.
In this case, it would help to try to train it to learn to be less anxious when you are leaving home.
To do this you could do as follows:
The reason why your dog does it might be that it is looking for attention. This would be more likely to be the reason if it does it more when you have not given it much attention and if you tend to give it extra attention when it does it.
If you don’t want your dog to be doing it then it would help to avoid rewarding it with attention when it does it by recognizing when it is about to do it and redirecting its focus or getting it off you and waiting for it to calm down.
Dogs evolved as pack animals so they will naturally feel safer when they are around other dogs in the pack or people. The reason why your dog rubs its head on you could be that it makes it feel safer.
It might also be the case that it does it in order to spread its scent onto you so that other dogs don’t approach you. This would be more likely if it can get overly protective when you are around other dogs.
Below are some things you can consider when trying to figure out why your dog has been doing it.
It would help to consider when your dog first started doing it since it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start.
Some things to consider would be:
It would also help to consider the timing of when your dog rubs its head on you since it could be the case that the timing has something to do with it.
If it does it more when you are about to leave home then it would make it more likely that it has some separation anxiety. Whereas, if it does it more when you haven’t given it much attention then it might be looking for attention.
They Snuggle With Your Dirty Laundry
If you have to check your dog’s bed or crate for missing dirty socks and T-shirts every laundry day, take it for the compliment it is. Your dog knows your smell and finds comfort in it when you’re out of sight. For a dog with separation anxiety, it may be helpful to consciously place a few items of unwashed clothes near him when you leave him home alone.
Dog kisses usually mean exactly what you guess they do—your dog thinks you’re the cat’s meow. Licking is an instinctual canine behavior that soothes and deepens social bonds between mother dogs and their pups, and among littermates. When you become a member of your dog’s pack, he’ll lick your face to strengthen your relationship, whether you’re a fan of dog kisses, or you duck to avoid the slobber.
A fast, full-circle wag that gets your dog’s entire backside involved is a clear sign he’s overjoyed to see you. But other tail wags can indicate hesitation, agitation, or even dog hostility. Depending on the circumstances, slow wags and stiff wags may indicate your dog is feeling anxious or he’s on the offensive.
Why Does My Dog Rub His Face On Me
If your dog has been rubbing its head on you this post will show you why and what you can do about it.
So, why does my dog rub its head on me? Possible reasons your dog rubs its head on you are that it makes it feel safer, it has separation anxiety, it is looking for attention, or that it does it to spread its scent.
There are actually a number of reasons why your dog might be doing it and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are also a number of things you can consider that will help in figuring out the exact reason.