Dogs are weird. They chase their tails. They chew their owners’ shoes. And as gross as it sounds, they even eat their own poop.
And sometimes, they sit on your lap like you’re some kind of meat recliner.
So why do dogs do this? Keep reading to find out why!
12 Reasons Why Your Dog Likes to Sit On You
Below, we discuss the various reasons why dogs sit on our laps or feet!
1. They love you
While all dogs adore us, some breeds are more expressive of their love than others. And one of the ways they express this love is by staying as physically close to us as possible. In other words, your fur baby wants to snuggle with you!
This behavior is seen in the wild. Members of wolf packs huddle together; the direct touching then causes an exchange of positive feelings that strengthens bonds between individuals.
So if your pooch jumps onto your lap and sits there, it could simply be because they love you and they find joy and comfort in being so near you. Just pray your dog isn’t huge, otherwise cuddle time is going to be a real hassle!
Another dog may sit on your feet. Yet another may lie down on the ground using your feet as their pillow. In the case of the latter, they enjoy their proximity to you but also find pleasure in the coolness of the floor tiles or the texture of the carpet.
The most affectionate small dog breeds that are likely to exhibit this behavior include the Bichon Frise, Chihuahua, Shih Tzu, Maltese, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and Pomeranian. Larger dogs such as the German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and Great Dane are also extremely loving and thus may sit close to you or on you.
2. They want to feel safe
A dog who loves you trusts you and knows you’ll protect them from harm, so there’s no safer place in the world for them than by your side – or on your lap. This is especially true if you’ve raised your pet since they were a wee pup.
In addition to making your dog feel safe, being close to you also helps them gain confidence.
Take note that such a dog may have anxiety and fear issues. To know whether or not they’re suffering from poor mental health, look for symptoms such as:
- Aggression
- Defecating or urinating in the house
- Excessive panting
- Pacing
- Drooling
- Depression
- Destructive behavior
- Excessive barking
- Restlessness
- Compulsive or repetitive behaviors
Such dogs can be treated using anti-anxiety medication prescribed by a licensed veterinarian. A dog trainer or animal behaviorist’s counterconditioning techniques can also help.
3. They want you to feel safe
While one dog may sit on you so they can feel safe, another may sit on you to make you feel safe.
In addition to loving us unconditionally, dogs are also exceptionally loyal to those of us they call family. When they enter our lives, they form a strong bond with us that’s nigh unbreakable.
Dogs express their loyalty in various ways, including defending us from danger and making sure our homes are safe from intruders. By staying so close to you, your pet ensures they’ll be around to protect you when trouble rears its ugly head.
4. They’re comforting you
Dogs are great at reading human emotions and moods. If they sense that you’re upset, they may crawl onto your lap and snuggle with you to give you some much-needed comfort.
The canine desire to help their distressed owners has been observed by scientists. In one study, people were instructed to hide behind doors and make either crying or humming noises. When it came to the crying owners, their dogs were observed to have more stress. These pets also quickly opened the door to join their crying humans. In contrast, dogs whose owners were only humming weren’t stressed, and they took a longer time to open the door.
5. They’re bored
If your dog is bored, they may try to gain your attention to get you to do something with them. So when they sit on your lap, they could simply be saying, “Let’s play!”
Read your doggo’s body language. Is their tail wagging furiously? Is their body shivering with excitement? Are they staring at you like they expect something from you? Or maybe they’re whining, licking you, or nuzzling you with their nose? These could all be signs they want to have fun with you.
Boredom is one of the chief causes of unusual, sometimes dangerous or destructive behavior in dogs. So if you don’t want your pet to start chewing furniture, barking excessively, or eating rocks, make sure you meet their need for physical and mental stimulation.
Walk your dog daily and play games such as fetch and tug of war with them regularly. Take them to dog parks and other dog-friendly places where they can meet new people and others of their kind. Give them lots of toys, especially those that have them solving puzzles. Training sessions are also a must.
6. They want your attention
As previously mentioned, a dog may sit on your lap to gain your attention. However, not every dog who requests their owner’s attention is asking for a playmate; some of them want other things.
Is your dog hungry or thirsty? Do they need to be let outside into the yard so they can pee or poop? Did they accidentally kick their favorite toy under the sofa and need your help to retrieve it? Any of these concerns could motivate your pet to obtain your attention.
7. They learned the behavior
What did you do the last time your dog jumped onto your lap and sat there like you were a living chair? Did you smile at them? Speak to them in a happy voice and tone? Scratch them behind the ears? These are all rewarding things for a dog to experience. If you reward your doggo every time they sit on your lap, you may end up inadvertently training them through positive reinforcement to repeat the behavior.
Positive reinforcement is the process of rewarding an animal whenever they exhibit desirable behaviors so that they’re encouraged to repeat said behaviors. It’s an excellent way to train dogs to obey commands. Unfortunately, it’s also possible to unintentionally reward unacceptable behaviors, such as when you react positively to your pet whenever they chew a shoe, sleep on your bed, or sit on your lap.
If you want this behavior stopped, you should stop rewarding it. You should also pay more attention to your actions lest you end up positively reinforcing inappropriate conduct.
8. They have separation anxiety
While the root cause of separation anxiety remains unknown, it’s widely accepted that being ripped from a beloved family member can cause a dog to develop this issue.
If a puppy is separated from their mother and littermates too soon, they may develop separation anxiety. If a dog is juggled between guardians, neglected, or abandoned, they may develop separation anxiety. Even bringing a rescue dog home can cause problems if it tears them away from a fellow shelter dog that they rely on for companionship.
A dog with separation anxiety may therefore sit on you to prevent you from abandoning them as others have. When they’re not sitting on you, they’ll try to stick as close to you as possible at all times.
How do you know if your pooch has separation anxiety? They’ll show classic signs of anxiety such as excessive panting, pacing, and drooling. When you leave the house, they may:
- Bark, howl, and freak out
- Urinate and defecate in the house
- Chew up your carpet, furniture, and other possessions
- Dig up and destroy the yard
- Eat their own poop
- Escape the house to look for you
Anti-anxiety medication prescribed by a vet can help a dog with separation anxiety, as can a dog trainer or animal behaviorist.
9. They’re preventing you from getting up
When a dog rests on your lap or feet, you’re going to have a hard time getting up. After all, you’d have to be a cold-hearted villain to disturb a dog when they’re relaxing in the most comfortable spot they know.
It’s possible dogs are aware of this and do it on purpose to prevent their owners from leaving. As discussed above, our canine pals love us and don’t like it when we leave them. This is especially true for dogs with separation anxiety.
And if a dog observes that sitting on your lap prevents you from moving, it could also train them to keep repeating the behavior through positive reinforcement.
10. They’re showing dominance
Maybe your dog sits on your lap to show they’re in charge or control of the pack. They may feel dominant over you or other family members, including your fellow humans and other household pets.
If this is the case, your dog may view your lap as some kind of throne – the seat of authority both literally and figuratively. A good indicator that this behavior is dominance-related is if Fido sits on your lap every time other pets are nearby. This is his way of telling those others that they’re beneath him.
In more extreme cases, the dominant pooch will show aggression toward any pet who approaches you. For example, they may bark, growl, or snarl. If that other animal comes too close, your dog may even snap at them. This behavior must be controlled lest it leads to violence, so get help from a reputable dog trainer or animal behaviorist.
11. They’re marking their territory
Dogs can be possessive of the things that belong to them, from their toys to their territory. And sometimes, the owner can be one of the things that a dog feels they own.
If Fido sits on your lap or foot then starts rubbing himself on you, that’s an obvious sign he’s leaving his scent on you to mark you as his territory. It’s his way of telling other pets that you belong to him and only him – and anyone who doesn’t respect that will have to answer to him. It’s another show of dominance.
And because it’s another dominance display, Fido is more likely to do this whenever there are other pets around.
12. They’re being governed by their breed’s instincts
Some dogs were bred to want to be as close to their owners as possible. This is why we have what we call lapdogs – doggos temperamentally predisposed to sitting on our laps.
There are various breeds of lap dogs, including the Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Havanese, Tibetan Spaniel, Pug, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Affenpinscher, Japanese Chin, Brussels Griffon, Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Pekingese, Chinese Crested, Shih Tzu, and French Bulldog.
However, not all lap dogs are tiny toy dogs. Some enormous canines seem to think they’re lap dogs, too! Examples include the English Mastiff and Great Dane – dogs who have a habit of parking their butts on their owners’ laps whether those owners like it or not!
How to Stop a Dog Sitting On You
If you’re not averse to your pooch treating you like a chair, then you can skip this section. If the behavior bothers you, however, you should do something to keep them from repeating it.
The easiest way to train your pooch to stop the behavior is to stand the moment they try to sit on you. If they’re already sitting on you, you can stand so that they’re forced to jump down. Keep doing this trick until your dog gets tired of sitting on you.
Don’t push your dog off your lap as they could see this as an invitation to playtime.
You can also train your dog to sit on you only when you permit them. This will involve using commands such as “lap” or “up,” lifting your dog and placing them on your lap, then giving them positive reinforcement in the form of a treat or praise. Keep repeating these steps until your pooch associates the words with climbing onto your lap and getting rewarded for doing so.
What if your dog has already formed a bad habit of jumping onto your lap whenever they want to? What if they become aggressive toward you, other people, or pets while they’re on your lap? You may have to hire the services of a professional dog trainer or animal behaviorist to wean your pooch off this behavior. Any time a dog becomes a threat to you and those around you, it’s time to let an expert step in – you don’t want to get bitten!
Conclusion
Dogs sit on us for various reasons. Some do it out of love, others out of fear. There are those who wish to show their dominance over the pack, and then we have those who are simply bored.
Whatever the reason behind a dog’s peculiar sitting obsession, know that this behavior can be controlled, reduced, or eliminated altogether, either by a professional or the owner themselves. If it makes you uneasy every time your dog sits on you, take steps to curtail the behavior. Otherwise, let your dog cuddle with their favorite snuggle buddy – they’ll thank you for it!