There are many situations when dogs raise their paws and require physical contact with this simple gesture. This simple gesture, however, can have many meanings for your dog. When a dog puts its paw on you, it might be showing you affection or seeking reassurance when they feel bad or scared.
6 reasons your dog puts its paw on you
This is what your dog could be telling you when they put their paw on you:
1. Your dog could be expressing love and joy
One way for dogs to express love is to place their paw on the foot or any other part of the body of their owner. They do it because they want to be petted. In addition to putting their paws on you or wagging their tails, dogs can also express joy and affection by lying on their stomachs, rolling over or use higher-pitched barks or excessively licking you.
2. Obedience
When a submissive dog wants to tell the dominant dog that he accepts his role in the relationship, he will sometimes lie on his back and raise his front paw. The same behavior applies to a dog’s owner.
3. Your dog could be sending You an invitation to play
Dogs have different ways of inviting to play, and one of them is putting paws on people and other animals.
Dogs can bite, bark, and even growl during play, and it is important that people do not interpret these behaviors as aggression. When the game becomes too rough, it is clear according to the change in posture. Dogs then usually become stiffer and move faster, jump less and do not run in a circle.
4. Fear and insecurity
Physical contact is a way for the dog to maintain a healthy relationship and communicate with its owner about its problems. Dogs can express insecurity and fear by putting their paws on us. To determine if the cause of this behavior is really fear or insecurity, we need to observe the whole body language of the dog.
Some other common signs of insecurity include drooping ears and yawning.
5. Lack of attention
Our furry friends enjoy our company, and when we are busy and do not pay enough attention to them, they will find a way to let us know that they are not too happy. They can bark, look for toys, climb on furniture or put a paw on a person.
If you notice that the dog starts to ask too much attention, or that its behavior escalates to an unhealthy level, it may indicate that it is bored and has a lot of accumulated energy, as well as a lack of mental stimulation that would capture his attention.
6. Your dog could be hungry
Another common thing that dogs try to convey with this gesture is very important: they are hungry. The dog knows when it is time to eat, so it can look for food in different ways. Sometimes a dog will put a paw on you, and it all depends on what you usually react to.
