Why Do Dogs Rest Their Head on You

Why Do Dogs Rest Their Head On You: You have often seen your loving dog laying his head on you, but gaining attention is not the only reason.

You must have thought Why my dog rest his head on me. Many owners think that a dog shows affection and trust by laying or putting a head on your body but there could be other reasons for it also that you should know!

Why Dogs Rest Their Head On You –

Attention Seeking

You might be ignoring your dog & not praising or caring for him enough. Sometimes a dog wants to gain your attention by laying their head or paw on you. Some of them get really annoyed if they are not getting enough attention.

Give them the affection they deserve and avoid keeping them alone otherwise, they may suffer from separation anxiety or depression. Keep your dog among family and you will surely observe the change in his behavior.

It depends on the dog to dog, some of them can do well alone sitting quietly. But some of the dogs are social in nature and can’t live alone and wants to be among family & friends all the time.

They also demand to pet them so make sure you pet them correctly as petting your dog is one of the best experiences of owning the dog.

Showing Love and care

All dogs show affection and care for you through various gestures like licking your face, wagging their tails, resting their head on your lap, leaning their body on you, and making eye contact. So resting their head on you may be their way of showing affection to you. It means your dog loves and cares for you.

They may be asking the same from you like asking for a head scratch, cuddle, or some kisses. Almost all dogs ask for these things, it simply means that your dog had a great bond with you.

Demand for food and treats

Asking for food is the basic nature of the dog, laying head on you may mean that the dog is hungry and he is asking for some food or treats.

But it doesn’t mean that they are always hungry when they ask for food, some greedy eaters like English Bulldogs are always hungry and demand more food.

Whenever you are eating something tasty, your dog may appear from nowhere and demand it by doing various things until you feed them. Proper training may avoid this behavior in dogs.

The Dog could be very friendly

It doesn’t mean that there is any specific reason always. The reason for putting the head on you could also mean that your dog is just too friendly and he loves to do this.

Some friendly dog breeds like Golden Retrievers, English Bulldogs, Labrador retrievers, and Great Danes love to cuddle and do this for no reason. They are just very friendly & social shows their trust and affection to others.

There is no need of stopping this as this is just their gesture to show that they are happy and feeling good with you, such friendly dogs don’t like to be alone and need someone’s company all the time.

Anxiety and Trauma

Dogs sometimes rest their head on you in order to make their mind calm because your dog could also suffer from anxiety and trauma due to some past incidents. Focus on their facial expressions do they look tired and sad, the reason for this may be depression.

Many dogs don’t let their owners go because of the fear of being alone, they may be going through separation anxiety or Trauma due to the past could also be the reason, Like the owner left the dog in the past.

To avoid these psychological problems, you should always try to make your dog calm and avoid him leaving alone for a long time.

A dog may also suffer from anxiety due to sound phobia, so make sure to avoid loud noises.

They may be Dominative

Some dog breeds also show their dominance in this way, they may respond by growling when you try to move their head from you. It didn’t mean that they are much aggressive or unsafe towards you they just show that they are more powerful and just demand to lay down in your lap.

However this behavior of dogs should be avoided, proper training could help in avoiding this.

Leaving their smell on you

We all know that dog marks their dominance and territory by marking their smell or scent. Many dogs rub their body or head to leave the smell on you so that other dogs may smell their scent and feel their claim. It is the natural behavior of dogs and almost all dogs do this from birth only.

Trying to tell you about his health

It is true that dogs always try to tell about something wrong through their gestures. Many old dogs get close to their owner before dying, So if you have an older dog check for symptoms.

Whenever dogs are in pain or have some health problem they try to tell their owner by showing some signs which also include laying their head on their owners, they may also indicate by whining.

So you should notice the health condition of your dog whenever they rest their head and body on you multiple times.

Things to notice when your dog lay his head on you

Here are some things that you should observe when the dog is resting his head on you, these indications could help you to understand the reason for this gesture of your dog.

Facial Expressions

You should observe the facial expressions of your dog when he lays his head on you, a dog would look a little bit scared when he has some health or psychological problem. Same if the dog was asking for treats he would be a little excited and happy.

Whining or making sounds

Make sure the dog is not whining, he if cries or whines while resting his head then it means he is trying to tell you something. Maybe he was in pain or having some painful health problems. He may be having a stomach ache or other painful health issues.

The time when he does it

Observe at what time of the day your dog lays his head on you, if he does this when you are home then it simply means he was missing you and don’t want to be alone.

Check whether the dog does it at the specific time of the day daily, then there must be a reason for sure. It may be possible that time of the day he may feel hungry and if he does it when you were busy at work then he may want your attention.

Appetite

Observe the appetite of your dog as it may help you to find the reason for the dog resting his head on you. If the dog has decreased or less appetite then it may mean he is having some health or psychological issues.

The reason could also be increased appetite as he may lay his head on you asking for more treats and food.

When should you stop your dog from putting his head on you?

If the dog is putting or resting his head too much in a day on you for no specific reason then you should train him to stop him. However, it depends upon you whether you want to avoid this habit of your dog or not because many dog owners find this cute and some find it irritating, it all depends upon you.

How to avoid the Dog from resting his head on you-

We know that the dog looks cute when he does it but if you want to remove this habit of resting his head on you then you should not get emotional.
Don’t praise and resist him from doing it when he rests his head on you for no reason
By giving him a treat whenever he doesn’t do it
Simply giving him a command to remove his head
By giving him attention and love

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Why Do Dogs Rest Their Head on You

Why Do Dogs Rest Their Head on You