Why is my dog leaning on me? – Other causes
As we can see from above, the main reasons why a dog will lean on you is out of love and security. Both are related. They feel secure because you have shown them love and they love you because you provide them with security. While these are not only positive, but very rewarding reasons, there are rarer occasions when leaning their head on you means the dog has a problem.
If you are wondering whether it is OK for your dog to lean on you in these circumstances, we need to know it depends on the context. If a dog is leaning on you to get your attention, it may be perfectly normal. For example, if you are eating something tasty, they will know barking wont get them anywhere. If they lean on you and give you their puppy eyes, they might be more likely to get a taste.
However, if your dog is leaning on you to get attention all the time, it might mean you are not giving them enough of it. Dogs need to be sufficiently emotionally and physically stimulated. How much stimulation they need depends on the individual. If you do not give them enough walks, play games with them or in any way deprive them of what they need, they may lean on you excessively to petition for more.
When the dog is leaning on you because they are possessive, it is not OK. While it is wonderful to develop a strong bond with your dog, if they become overly attached it creates behavioral problems. In extreme cases they may attack other dogs or people if they get too close to you. We may need to take the dog to a dog trainer or ethologist if they are overly possessive.
Separation anxiety is also a reason why a dog might lean on you to get your attention or become possessive. If they are not properly socialized or stimulated, they will feel insecure when you are around. They might lean on you simply to feel OK when you are around.
Why your dog leans on you in bed
Below are a number of possible causes and what would make each of them more likely.
It could be the case that it has learned that it gets rewards for leaning against you when sleeping. If you tend to give it things such as belly rubs, when it leans against you, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.
The reason why it does it might be that it makes it feel safer. Dogs are pack animals and they evolved to spend most of their time around the other dogs and people in the pack so it is natural that being near you will make it feel more secure.
The reason why your dog leans on you could be that it is being protective. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when there are other people or animals around and if it can get overly protective around them.
The cause might be that it has separation anxiety and it wants to be woken up when you leave. This is where it does not like being left alone and being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely if your dog does it more at around the same time that you would normally leave home and if it tends to become anxious when you are leaving home.
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.
Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.
It would help to consider when your dog first started leaning on you, in bed, since it might be the case that there was an event that caused it to start doing it.
Some things to consider would be:
In the examples above, it would make it more likely that something such as separation anxiety would be the cause.
It would also help to consider the timing of when it leans on you since the timing could also have something to do with it.
For example, if it tends to lean on you more before getting fed or given a walk, it might be doing it to get woken up when you are ready to feed or walk it.
Why does my dog push up against me when sleeping?
If your dog sits on your feet or sprawls out on the bed, he could be demonstrating his dominance over you. He feels comfortable enough to deem the space his and push you aside. Sleeping between you and your partner could also be a dominant move.
Why Is My DOG LEANING on Me? ♀️ (4 Reasons)
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