Why Does Your Dog Put Their Paws On You?

Most dog owners have probably had their dog paw at their legs. While some may dismiss this behavior as an annoyance, it is actually your dog’s attempt to connect with you. And it can suggest something very nice.

Your dog communicates with you through their paws, which they place on you softly or not so gently. Pawing is a communication gesture, whether purposeful or unintentional. The gesture is so endearing to most of us that we reinforce it by offering our paws in the form of extra petting.

While this act can be viewed as a show of love, it can also be attributed to a variety of other emotions. Your dog may feel insecure and seek your attention, which is a sign that you should shower Fido with additional affection. It could also be your dog expressing his desire to eat. There are a variety of requests that your dog can express with a simple touch of the paw. How can you tell what your dog is really saying? It all depends on the situation. Here are some common things that they can usually mean when they paw you.

Your Dog Is Anxious

A paw on you could also indicate that your dog is anxious. A dog may become frightened and paw at you for comfort if it hears thunder, experiences separation anxiety, believes you are about to leave or hears an unexpected knock on the door. The position of your dog’s paws may be accompanied by labored breathing, a lowered tail, or discomfort. Verbal assurances that everything is well, petting, offering a special toy, and most importantly, realizing that they need some comfort can all help to calm the anxiety.

Your Dog Wants To Go Outside

A puppy will try to engage you by pawing, barking, wagging its tail, or snatching a toy and dropping it in your lap if it needs to go outdoors for a pee break or playtime. The dog may eventually resort to resting its head on your lap and staring at you if the paw doesn’t inspire you to go outside.

Your Dog Is Hungry

Owners frequently respond to a paw by giving their dogs food—treats, table scraps, or feeding their dogs a meal. Food conveys affection in any language, and if owners are unsure why their dog is pawing them excessively, a delectable treat is an easy and quick answer. However, doing so may unintentionally result in the undesirable behavior of frequent paw tapping. Some dogs will prefer barking for their meal to placing a paw on your lap, although this may not result in a food reward. When a dog understands that barking does no good, placing a paw on your body may be their next alternative technique to attempt.

Your Dog Wants Attention

Some dogs are more independent and may never put their toes on you to pet or get your attention. Other dogs are more needy and seek your touch, so they’ll do it again and again. As previously said, pawing could just be a request for a great number of pets.

Don’t constantly push your dog away; instead, try to understand why they’re putting their paws on you so you can develop a stronger bond with them.