# Dominant or affectionate?



## Josiebear (Oct 16, 2006)

lately when Josie takes a nap she likes to place her head on my lap if i'm sitting on the floor.

Is it a dominant thing or a affectionate thing?. I read somewhere if a dog places their paw on your foot or resting against you it's dominance?.


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## Doubleminttwin (Aug 21, 2009)

Sounds like a cute thing to me, Baya does this sometimes when shes feeling cuddly like after a long walk or play session.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I say affectionate. 

Specially as long as you are attending dog classes and doing the other normal management things that truly do prove we are the leaders in the family.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

it's affectionate and cute. i've heard people
call this behaviour "claiming". i love it when
my dog claims me.

my neighbor was here and our dog
turned his back to her and sat on her feet.
my neighbor thought he wanted some petting
so she gave it to him.<

when my dog jumps in bed with us
sometimes he'll lay his head across
either of our feet. <

when my GF is in bed alone our dog will lay
his head on her neck when she's on her side. <

sometimes my dog will give us his paw
when we're sitting around. <

sometimes when we walk past our dog
he'll stick out his paw. my GF thinks he's 
saying he wants attention. i flat out think
he's trying to trip us. <


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I think people get way too caught up on the whole dominance thing. Many behaviors labeled at dominance are either rudeness or an untrained dog (or, just a dog being a dog).


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Mine do that too. They suck it up like water. I love it. I love when they show how affectionate they are. At least those are some friends you can rely on. They will never turn their back on you. :wub:


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

affection


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Affection, and IMHO, a sign of bonding. To me, there is nothing quite like the power of touch. And, it's adorable.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

:thumbup:



aubie said:


> Affection, and IMHO, a sign of bonding. To me, there is nothing quite like the power of touch. And, it's adorable.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

:thumbup:



Chicagocanine said:


> I think people get way too caught up on the whole dominance thing. Many behaviors labeled at dominance are either rudeness or an untrained dog (or, just a dog being a dog).


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

think of a "nuzzling" puppy. definitely affection. (probably more accurately self calming, as a pack animal they like to touch one another, it's kind of like "feeling safe")


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## Trina (Sep 11, 2009)

I'm inclined to think affection and a whole lot of trust. 

Max likes to do the lean thing, especially when he meets new people. He turns to his side and leans into their legs. I don't think it's about domination, I think he's looking for lots of petting.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Sinister likes to put his paw on my knee constantly or if he is laying on the bed and I am sitting on the floor he will stick his paw on my shoulder and fall asleep that way. If I am laying on my bed he will get on my bed and lay completely against me so I can put my arm around him like a teddy bear. He is so sweet.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> sometimes when we walk past our dog
> he'll stick out his paw. my GF thinks he's
> saying he wants attention. i flat out think
> he's trying to trip us. <


:spittingcoffee: LOL!


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## Sigurd's Mom (May 12, 2009)

Totally affection!

I posted on here months ago asking if Sigurd was being dominate. He would sometimes end up right on top of me in the middle of the night, or he would lay half his body on me, put his head on my shoulder in bed, etc. Everyone told me affection! and I do believe it. 

I feel like he trusts me and just really likes to be close sometimes (it's rare with him, he is kind of a loner). It makes me feel so loved and appreciated, especially when he looks me in the eye when he cuddles and gives me kisses. I soak it up!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Yes, it is affection. If your dog was challenging your for dominance, he/she would have very specific body language, and your dog's behaviour would be a challenge for every-day little stuff. 

If they were being dominant, most likely they would remain standing, body stiff, tail erect, eyes focused hard, among other things. But what everyone else is describing here is a dog that is affectionate and snuggly, and that is easy to tell apart from the dominant stance.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

Josiebear said:


> lately when Josie takes a nap she likes to place her head on my lap if i'm sitting on the floor.
> 
> Is it a dominant thing or a affectionate thing?. I read somewhere if a dog places their paw on your foot or resting against you it's dominance?.


Are you kidding me?? Your dog is being totally affectionate to you. My dog does this all the time. And I would quit reading anything by anyone who says your dog is trying to be dominate of you.
In order for that to happen you would have to be the biggest creampuff on earth and your male dog would have to be one heck of an aggresive dog. And a ton of dogs lean on their owners to show affection.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

Funny.. my dog Tuki (a girl) sometimes throws an arm on me, and I have pushed it off only to have her put it back. Usually if I push it off a 2nd time she gets the message, but I've never really expressed to her that I didn't like it (such as saying NO!). She also sometimes puts her arm over my other dog, or lays her head on his body.

She does "defer" to me, moves out of my way automatically, listens to me (unless there's a cat nearby but we're working on that), puts her ears down when she's looking at me or coming up to me which to me signify she's not dominant. So I don't think she's suddenly trying to dominate me when we relax.

My other dog Riku never puts any part of his body on me, unless I pull him up on me to cuddle then he'll remain there. And my past dog Dana, would never put any part of herself on me either, and I believe she was a more dominant/stubborn type.

With Tuki I think it's just cuddling, wanting to know I'm there, etc.


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## brembo (Jun 30, 2009)

ChicagoCanine said:


> I think people get way too caught up on the whole dominance thing. Many behaviors labeled at dominance are either rudeness or an untrained dog (or, just a dog being a dog).


 
I think this as well. My dog behaves very well, has manners and in general is wonderful to be around. He seems to step up his game when strange folks are around some as well. Now if it's me and some old friends he knows well, his behavior is more laid back and he'll rub on folks, sit on feet and be more outgoing. Let's just say a person is lying on the floor and a dog stands over them, I think this can be viewed two ways:

1. The person laying on the ground is an old friend and the dog is looking to spur on some playing by assuming a dominant position hoping that the person will react and play can ensue.

2.The person is a stranger and the dog is truly trying to assert a position of dominance. 

I know with my dog he'd NEVER stand over someone he did not trust 100%. He'd come to my side and possibly whine and paw at me telling me that the strange person is doing something weird. With me, all bets are off. He trusts me 100% and as such most rules are out the window. When he stands on my chest in the morning, it's not a dominance game, he wants me to grab his legs and wrestle him some before work. I guess what I'm saying is it all should be viewed in context.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

brembo said:


> I think this as well. My dog behaves very well, has manners and in general is wonderful to be around. He seems to step up his game when strange folks are around some as well. Now if it's me and some old friends he knows well, his behavior is more laid back and he'll rub on folks, sit on feet and be more outgoing. Let's just say a person is lying on the floor and a dog stands over them, I think this can be viewed two ways:
> 
> 1. The person laying on the ground is an old friend and the dog is looking to spur on some playing by assuming a dominant position hoping that the person will react and play can ensue.
> 
> ...


That fits with my dogs too.. my girl dog will try to get my boy dog to play by standing over him when he's laying down. If he's in the mood it will turn into a play session.

Frankly I still don't know which of them is more dominant over the other though. I suppose I could throw a raw steak in-between them if I really needed to know..


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