‘What does it mean when your dog lays on you?’ I had asked my dog trainer when we had recently brought home a 3 month puppy. I was referring to her adorable habit of falling asleep on me or simply laying on me.
‘Oh, it isn’t just a puppy-thing’, he’d replied. ‘Even some adult dogs do that!’ Fast forward to today, and my dog still does that!
He then went on to explain why dogs lay on their pet parents and what should dog owners make of this behavior.
I have summarized all that he told me in this post. So read on to find out the answers to ‘What does it mean when your dog lays on you?’
What Does it Mean When Your Dog Lays on You? 10 Cute Reasons!
The simplest answer to the question ‘What does it mean when your dog lays on you?’ is that your dog trusts you and loves you.
It is your dog’s way of showing affection and love. Only a dog that feels comfortable will display such cute behavior. Puppies often lay on top of their humans as it makes them feel safe and comfortable.
Here are some common reasons behind this cute dog sleeping habit:
1. It stems from natural canine behavior
Have you seen cute litters of puppies? They almost always touch each other and huddle together. When they sleep, they sleep on top of each other’s heads.
This is also the answer to ‘why does my dog sleep on my head’. Your puppy or adult dog thinks of you as a part of its family and that is why it lays on you.
2. It is a pack animal thing
Dogs are pack animals like their wolf-ancestors. In the wild dog packs, you might see them all huddling close at night and even hunting, eating, and running together. This pack animal behavior is very much present in our dogs still.
When your dog sleeps or sits on you, it is treating you as a part of its pack or its family and it is its way of showing that it feels comfortable and loved with you.
3. To show affection
A dog lies on its pet parent when it wants to show them its love and affection too. Touch is an important sensory experience and dogs thrive on it. That is why they tend to touch you while sleeping.
4. Anxious dogs
If your dog has separation anxiety, then too it might lay upon you. This is especially the case when you leave it alone at home for long periods of time. Upon your return, your dog might feel you will leave it again and laying on you is their way of saying ‘Hey, don’t leave me!’
5. It feels possessive about you
Dogs sometimes show human-like emotions and feelings. By laying on you, your dog indicates that it feels you are its property. It is a way of showing possessiveness. Your dog is ‘marking’ you as its property.
6. For warmth
In some cases, dogs might cuddle with their pet parents for warmth. In their litter, they literally sleep on top of each other and they mimic the same with their dog parent. Your dog appreciates your body heat and feels snug and cozy.
7. For happiness
Laying on you secretes oxytocin hormone and feel-good endorphins in your furry friend. This makes your dog feel happier. Dogs have relatively short lives so they want to make the most of it and wish to spend every waking moment with you.
8. For feeling safe and secure
Your dog might also sleep on your body for getting that safe and secure feeling. It may even feel more restful especially if has been alone all day. So, sleeping on you at night or on weekends makes your pet feel a lot safer.
9. For protecting you
Even a small dog like Shih Tzu or a Chihuahua feels protective of their pet parents despite their small size. By sleeping close to you or on you, your dog is giving the message to ‘intruders and burglars’ that no one can harm its master/mistress!
10. It is just a breed-thing
Some dog breeds display this behavior more than others. Large dog breeds like Labradors and Great Danes tend to do this more often though you might even see it small dogs and lap dogs like Chihuahuas, Yorkies, and Frenchies.
Also Read: Why Does my Dog Sleep on Top of Me
Why Does My Dog Lay on My Chest?
Dogs will lay on your chest for one of the above reasons.
Mainly they do it to hear your heartbeat. For a new puppy, listening to their pet parent heartbeat is very reassuring and even reminiscent of its mother.
The heart to heart contact between a human and their pet is great for bonding. When your dog keeps its head on your chest, it feels reassured, safe, comfortable, and warm.
The gentle heart beat lulls it to sleep. It also secretes feel-good hormones and endorphins in both you and your pet.
Just like a human mother is encouraged to have skin-to-skin contact with her newborn baby, a dog – especially a puppy- sleeping on your chest is a great way of establishing a connection with your fur baby.
Why Do Dogs Lay By their Owner’s Feet?
As I type this, my dog Fifi is sleeping under my desk at my feet. She never fails to bring a smile on my face!
Dogs lay at their owner’s feet for the same reasons as above. They always want to be by your side and do not want to be separated from you even for a minute.
Sleeping on your feet is also a dog’s way of showing their loyalty. Dogs are inherently very loyal beings and they appreciate your feeding them, taking care of them, and giving them love and affection.
When a dog lays by its pet parent feet, it indicates that they are always there for their protection. Your dog is showing its willingness to jump at a moment’s notice when the door bell rings so it can protect you from strangers and intruders.
Dogs also lie by their owner’s feet in bed so that they can know right away when the owner is up and about. That way, they can immediately follow them wherever they go, even if it is to the bathroom!
Why Does My Dog Sit on Me?
It happens all the time: there might be a comfy spot on your couch but your dog still prefers to sit on you, on your feet, or in your lap.
Here are four possible reasons why dogs like to sit on their pet parents:
1. Marking you as their property
When your dog sits on you it is clearly giving an indication that you are his/her. This behavior may be even more noticeable when you have another dog visiting you or you even talk or pay more attention to another house pet or even your child.
Dogs can be jealous and they show their jealousy in numerous ways. One of these is to sit on your spot or spread their scent on you and even roll around in your bed to gather your scent and mark you with their scent. This gives a clear message to all other dogs or pets around that you are theirs.
2. Does not want you to leave
My dog often sits on my feet when my husband leaves for work. It is as if to say, ‘hey, at least you don’t go, please!’ Fifi repeats the behavior with my son when my husband and I go out to dinner. It is her way of showing anxiety of being left alone at home.
3. To assert dominance
Some dogs also sit on their owner’s feet when they want to assert dominance. This is a natural canine behavior and most dogs in multi-pet households tend to show it. If a dog sits on its owner around other pets, it is showing its dominance. It is the dog’s way of saying that ‘I am more important to this man/woman, back off!’
If your dog shows aggression, it may be a good idea to talk to a canine behaviorist or a dog trainer or even to your veterinarian.
4. For fun time
In some cases, it may not be any of the above reasons that prompt the dog to sit upon their pet parents. It may simply be that the dog wants to cuddle and have fun with the owner or feel close to them. You might have left your dog alone for a long time and sitting on you is a way of asking you to spend more time with it and play with it.
It can, as mentioned earlier, simply be a breed thing- Great Danes, the Gentle Giants of Dogdom- often sit on their pet parents’ laps as it makes everyone laugh!
What Does it Mean When Your Dog Takes your Spot on The Bed When You Leave?
‘My human went to pee,
Now the bed belongs to me!’
I can literally imagine our dogs saying this little poem when we wake up for bathroom in the night!
Dogs love warm beds and when they take our spots on the bed, it is mainly for our body heat left behind on the bed. They also like to sleep while sniffing our scents and that makes them feel more comfortable.
You should not let your dog be so spoilt and pampered that it does not give you back your spot after you return.
Why Does my Dog Follow Me to the Bathroom?
Nearly all dogs become Velcro dogs and do not leave their dog owners alone for a minute.
Here are some reasons why your dog follows you to the toilet or bathroom:
- Pack animal mentality – Your dog considers you a part of its pack. Hence it follows you as its pack member.
- You might have trained it/positive reinforcement – if your dog gets affection or treats every time it follows you, then it will even follow you to the bathroom!
- Concern for your safety – Dogs do not understand the concept of privacy. But they consider your safety of the utmost importance. That is why your dog follows you to the bathroom to ensure that it is safe.
- Your dog loves your scent – Your bathroom smells of you, your perfume, shampoo, soap, etc. If your dog follows you around in the bath, it is because it wants more of your scent.
- Separation anxiety – Some small dogs are inherently anxious types. They may follow you around to feel safe and protected.
Should You Let your Dog Lay, Sleep, or Sit on You?
We all love to pamper our dogs, don’t we? However, as a dog parent, it is also important to show our dogs what is and isn’t acceptable.
We must also give love and affection to our dogs on our own terms and not on their terms. If you keep letting your dog take advantage, it can get spoilt and even show its dominance.
In case your feet get numb when your dog sits on sleep on you, you must move them. It doesn’t matter if your dog gets disturbed. You can wake it up gently by calling its name and ask it to move.
Never disturb a dog in deep REM sleep state by kicking or jerking your body. Instead, gently wake it up by softly saying its name. This way, it will be prepared to move.
Most dogs will themselves jump off after they get too hot and uncomfortable after laying on you for a while.
Conclusion
What does it mean when your dog lays on you?
Dogs lay on you for warmth, safety, and protection. They also lie on their pet owner to comfort and keep them safe. Many dogs simply love your scent and might also want to mark you with their scent.
It is also a pack animal thing since dogs all huddle together in their litters. Some breeds like Great Danes love to sit on their owners’ laps.
We hope this guide helps you decipher your dog’s cute behavior.
