Dogs who lean

[Karen]

Does your dog lean on you to show affection? The dogs my husband had growing up never did, but all of my family's dogs did! Do you think it's breed specific, or did my family just have peculiar dogs?

[Redecr8r]

My dog will lean on us if we are sitting on the couch, sometimes even resting her head on us and looking up at us. She's too small to do it when we're standing. But, I used to babysit for a family who's Doberman would lean on you.

[dogncatluvr]

My younger Lab, a 75lb. female will lean against any part of me that she can. She has fallen asleep in this position a few times. Her favorite, though, is "lap dog". Luckily she jumps in my lap only with her front paws, and leaves her back paws on the floor. She will then lean against me with her head and upper body until I hug and cuddle her!

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[silverann]

my dogs are to small to lean, however when im on the couch therre leaning on me or on my lap

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sylvia alexander

[Higgins]

Originally posted by Karen:
Does your dog lean on you to show affection? The dogs my husband had growing up never did, but all of my family's dogs did! Do you think it's breed specific, or did my family just have peculiar dogs? Yes! My dog leans on me every chance she gets. She's not a kissey kind of dog so I suppose this is how she tells me that she loves me.

[Kira]

Oh God, yes...Galen is 70 pounds of leaner! He seems to think you want his face in yours, and if you're sitting on the futon, you are fair game!

[Midas]

My "laprador" is always ready to lean on
me, he is forever on my lap on the couch,
all 100 pounds of him! But I wouldn't have it
any other way.

Syren (R.I.P) was a 'laprador' I love that word now that's for using it http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif and at 95+ lbs thought he was a lap dog to my husband, and would lean every chance he got. Now the Bassets mainly Iggy will lean on my husband and Branda the female does it to me but mainly when I have food around only.


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Please Help Me To Be Half The Human My Kritters Think I Am!

[tsmom]

My late great Great Dane "Biggie" was a leaner-and this is apparently common to danes, it's something they need to be taught not to do if in a home with little kids or old folks, Biggie was a pound rescue and the first time he met my 3 year old neice he pinned her against the wall leaning and drowned her with kisses.

[lhg0962]

Originally posted by Karen:
Does your dog lean on you to show affection? The dogs my husband had growing up never did, but all of my family's dogs did! Do you think it's breed specific, or did my family just have peculiar dogs?
I have had dogs all of my life and never until I acquired two female golden retrievers did I have a "leaner". Those girls just can't get close enough to me. It is usually worse after I have been away. I end up with Honey on one side and Lilly on the other, just pushing against my knees! Glad to know it happens to others too.

[Starlite]

I have a lab/cocker spaniel mix and if I am sitting down he has to be in my lap. He is still just a puppy so he is small. When he gets sleepy he loves to be cradled in my arms.

[learlaw]

If you talk to an animal behaviorist or read the book, Leader of the Pack, it tells you that leaning is not a sign of affection, but dominance. Depending on the size and temperment of your dog, it may be a behavior to discourage. Even the smallest dogs (Yorkies) can have a very strong desire to be the Alpha Dog. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/cool.gif Sherry

[Karen]

The leaners my family had where all large dogs, but not at all aggressive, in fact we used to joke about one of them being a great watch dog - she'd watch the burgulars come in, watch them find the good stuff, then watch them leave! So in their cases, it was definitely affection, not dominance!

[tsmom]

I agree with Karen-all of my leaner have been very gentle-submissive types inc my grate dane Biggie and my current rotty/bloodhound mix. At 5 1/2 yrs old I've never heard Tucker even growl. Judy

[dogncatluvr]

My 75lb Lab's leaning is not dominance either. She is a big sweetheart, and wouldn't hurt a fly!

[pookietoo]

I have an 85 pound golden retriever who thinks if he can't get your attention by leaning he will come up from behind you and cross in and out between your legs. And when you put him in the motor home he thinks he is suppose to sit on my lap on the front seat. I think it is an attention getter. But what a great thing to give your attention to.

[daisydog3]

My family has a springer who loves to lean. It doesn't matter whether you're standing or sitting-he just wants to get as close to you as he can!!!My own dog, an English staff. bull terrier, also leans but only when someone is already petting her. My boyfriend's dog, a shepher/rottie/hound mix, leans to get you to pay attention to her. I don't think the behavior is breed specific-just specific to particularly "love-y" dogs.

[buboso]

I have a labx that leans on me so much that when I walk away he falls over. I halfheartedly try to discourage him but I like the way he leans when standing or sitting next to me, looking up at my face with a goofy smile http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif

[varnerjt]

Lord Yes, my dog loves to lean and lay on my ALL the time, and I'm not kidding, he is either leaning on me or laying on me no matter where i am at. In the bathroom, in the shower, on the couch, in bed, and the worst, in the car. It would be ok if he was a small dog, but he is a boxer-great dane mix.
Taffanie http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[Liradralyn]

Originally posted by daisydog3:
My family has a springer who loves to lean. It doesn't matter whether you're standing or sitting-he just wants to get as close to you as he can!!!My own dog, an English staff. bull terrier, also leans but only when someone is already petting her. My boyfriend's dog, a shepher/rottie/hound mix, leans to get you to pay attention to her. I don't think the behavior is breed specific-just specific to particularly "love-y" dogs.

My rottie leans also, mostly as an attention-getting strategy and because she's a huge suck. However I was also told that the leaning and pushing behaviour is partly instinctual in certain dogs who were bred for herding animals. I've noticed that my friend's Gordon setter gets nervous if people are too far apart (i.e. in different rooms of the house) and will try to "lean" on them to get them to move closer together.

[blue_heeler]

My Australian Cattledog loves to lean on me! He will run up to me and lean on me. When I start petting him he will slowly slump or slide down my leg, roll on his back and plead for a belly rub. He loves his belly rubs.

http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gifRachel http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[karen israel]

Whew! Now I know that Cody isn't as weird as I thought! He will greet visitors for a pet and then IMMEDIATELY run back over to me, rub against my leg, look up at me as if to ask "is it ok that someone else petted me? I still love you!". I just think it's adorable , not an act of dominance, but if that's the case, I'm not going to enjoy it as much with that in mind, but will be disappointed if he stops!

[DTB]

I have two Doberman's that lean when you pet them. The female is worse than the male, but they are both love bugs!! :) People haven't really minded, or at least they aren't saying anything. I think it's just their nature to get "more" attention.

[MrsJBlue]

We have an Akita who leans occasionally, and also when we are sitting down she will turn her back to us and then sit on our feet! When her "daddy" (my husband) or I return home, Roxi sits on her haunches and lifts both paws up, waving them in the air at us and against us - to get some lovin', of course! Any time we have guests or strangers at the house, she always positions herself between the family and the "intruder" at all times, which a lot of dogs do, probably!

[Alicej88]

Both my former pomeranian and my new one lean on me all the time. Rocky used to do that immediately when I came home from work. Sunshine does this all the time, when I'm in the kitchen cooking, she leans against my legs and also in the mornings, while drying my hair, she comes in, brings a toy and lies down behind me, leaning against the back of my legs. When sitting next to me on the couch, she leans right up against my arm, sometimes, putting her head on my shoulder.

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Alice

[amywhite]

Tobi, my year and 1/2 cocker spaniel leans when she rides on my lap in the car. She'll throw her head back into my neck area and it seems to be all about affection. It's like she is so happy to be riding around. It's sweet.

[Sudilar]

My GSD, Shiloh, will sit at my feet, put her head on my knee and stare up (adoringly?) at me. She's not a leaner, though, because she can't lean with her tail wagging wildly!
Su

[carrie]

Hello,
A couple of points some of you may be interested in;
Leaning can be a breed related trait. Great Danes, for instance, were bred as hunting dogs of large, bulky prey such as wild boar. These pigs were dangerous to hunt as they would often turn and fight. Great Danes, natural leaners were bred to intensify this trait and would bring down the boar by leaning against them at full speed.
Secondly some of you seem to think any mention of dominant behaviour means aggression, this most definitley is not the case. In very few cases is aggression linked with dominance. Very many of your dogs are however displaying dominance by leaning. It feels pleasant and yet the dog is getting reassurance on demand and preventing you from doing what you want to do, so who is controlling that situation? A dog that is showing dominance in this way may not be dominant in any other situation, but if any of you have dominance issues it may be food for thought

[Shannon]

Carrie,
Your explanation of leaning as a dominant behavior was excellent. I completely agree with you. I have 3 dobes, 2 lean. The oldest is 12 and I let her lean all her life as I thought she was "insecure", now that I know I still let her lean she is old and the kindest dog in the world. The second dog is a middle aged dobe who I recently aquired. I discourage his leaning and make him sit for attention. My youngest dobe 7 months is a nudger not a leaner. This we are working at discouraging too.
Kudos for your excellent definition of dominance.
Cheers,
Shannon

[carrie]

Hi,
Thanks that's very kind of you.
I know what a pain a nudger can be - cute for about five seconds! A friend of mine has an Irish Setter who constantly seeks attention this way at home. She loves the dogs behaviour and so I have stopped visiting them at home and only go out for walks with now as it drives me insane!!

[KYS]

Very many of your dogs are however displaying dominance by leaning. It feels pleasant and yet the dog is getting reassurance on demand and preventing you from doing what you want to do, so who is controlling that situation? A dog that is showing dominance in this way may not be dominant in any other situation, but if any of you have dominance issues it may be food for thought.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Carrie I have a question for you.
When I am sitting on the lawn and my dogs are role playing, there is always
one of them trying to lean on me.
I always thought, that the dog who was leaning on me was a sign of strength
(confidence)
Like 2 against one?
The only other time I think they lean
is when there are strangers around/
or fireworks.
So I thought I was more of a security
in this case?

[carrie]

Hi again,
Certainly, when your dog is feeling insecure and unsure of what action to take then his natural instinct is to look to the pack leader for direction. When a stranger enters your area your dog is checking out what he should do by what you do and gaining security and reassurance by the contact.
Excuse my ignorance, but I have never heard the term "role playing" applied to dogs before. Could you help me out a bit and explain it for me?

[KYS]

Excuse my ignorance, but I have never heard the term "role playing" applied to dogs before. Could you help me out a bit and explain it for me?>>>>>>>

Sorry Carrie, I should have explained it. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/frown.gif
My male and female Akitas are constantly testing eachother when they play. (sort of role playing like wolves do in the wild)
They are very primitive in
there thinking/behavior.
When they are playing almost every move they
make means something to them.
I just wished I new how to read all that
body language like some of my friends do. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[KYS]

Excuse my ignorance, but I have never heard the term "role playing" applied to dogs before. Could you help me out a bit and explain it for me?>>>>>>>

Sorry Carrie, I should have explained it. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/frown.gif
My male and female Akitas are constantly testing eachother when they play. (sort of role playing like wolves do in the wild)
They are very primitive in
there thinking/behavior.
When they are playing almost every move they
make means something to them.
I just wished I new how to read all that
body language like some of my friends do. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[carrie]

Hi again,
O.k. without actually being able to see the dogs playing it is very hard to give you a definite answer but I would guess that you are right. It sounds like the dog leaning on you is ensuring it's own safety in the game knowing that the pack leader will not allow things to get out of hand. So essentially using you as safegaurd.

[salliem]

I love to be leaned on. It makes me feel loved. My dog Sporty does it all the time. He always looks up at me with the beautiful eyes while doing it.

[carrie]

I've just read through this lot and I make myself so mad sometimes. I don't express myself very well so I am here to eat humble pie and apologise to you all.
Leaning is not always a dominant behaviour as it looks like I was suggesting before.
Touch is very important for dogs, that's why they like being stroked. In the wild pack touching helps to strengthen bonds and the pack will often sleep curled up together, not just for warmth but for comfort and security too. Dogs have retained the need for physical contact as a pleasure and a way of communication. Sorry again for being so dim.

[Mayissa]

I agree with Carrie on this one. I believe leaning is a sign of control and dominance, not necessarily aggression. The first time I noticed my black shepherd leaning was at dog obedience. It especially happens when he does not want to obey a command. I will tell him "sit", and finally he will but will lean on my legs as he sits. In this context it is a sure sign of dominance as I can tell he didnt want to listen to me but did reluctantly. Now that it is confirmed that leaning may mean dominance I will alter that behaviour. I found this leaning behaviour strange and now it makes sense.

[jennyjen]

So called animal "behaviorist" focus too much on "dominance" and not on the specific situations for pet's behavior, i suppose it has to do with todays crowded conditions, where pet owners dwell in closer quarters than in the past, as more and more people in the larger towns and cities own pets. Let me begin with an analogy; If a cable repair person comes into our home, and sat down on our couch, picked up the remote and helped himself, we would feel off-put by such a behavior and it is a behavior of dominance, the cable repair person feels he can get away with such a behavior. Now lets say your daughter came into your house, sat on your couch and helped herself to the accomodations, is she showing "dominance?" In a way, she is, she certainly thinks she can get away with such a behavior and rarely would a parent object. In the same way, if your pet leaned on you, for reasons she/he wants to play, be petted, or to have physical contact, is it a show of dominance? It certainly might be, but same as the daughter that came into your home does not do it for the sake of dominance, but to perhaps wait on you to join her for whatever reason, a pet will do for the same reason. They just want to play, be petted or have close physical contact with you.

Getting back to our current living conditions, it certainly will be beneficial for you to have a well behaved pet when you are around strangers, so the behaviorist focus too much on obidience with no specifics, you can see why they might not be giving the best advice to us, when they focus on "dominant behavior" and not enough on specifics. I hope every pet owner learn their pets behavior and give them plenty of attention and love to your pets to really understand them better.

[Nmorgan]

Rocky (10 wks) will lean on me or stand right in between my legs. and if he sees me sit indian style on the floor.. then no matter what he is doing he runs to me and jumps in my lamp and will just either walk all over my lap or just sit there. lol

[Karen]

Just had to revive this one, as I met a Golden Retriever mix the other day who gave me a quite obvious "lean" when I stopped to skritch some ears. Her owner instantly apologized, but was obviously new to the whole "dogs who lean" phenomenon, as I explained it was no problem for me one bit!

So current doggies of Pet Talk - do you lean? And no, Angel, flopping on top of Dad's lap the moment he sits down doesn't really count!

[Lady's Human]

Lady was a leaner.

Angel makes her presence known in other, less subtle ways.....like trying to be a lapdog while I'm having my coffee.

She does, however, have Lady's jealous streak........in spades!

[cassiesmom]

In a previous position, I had an opportunity to train with a nurse who worked from home. She was owned by a Great Dane who was actually a big teddy bear. She had limited mobility, so when I got to her house, she would let Max out. That worked out really well - I would get there a few minutes early, and she would send him outside while I kept an eye on him. Then she would call him from the window and he and I would come in together. When we got inside, he would bark and lean against me, like, "Mom, I found this human outside ... can we keep her?" I made the cut because I'd been leaned on by the Max-ster! What a sweet doggie guy. She did a lot of telephone work, and she tried to keep him from barking when she was on the phone. However, almost everyone who spoke to her regularly knew about Max and asked her about him :D

[WILDCATS]

:love: Zack is a leaner and loves to sit on my feet but he is over 12st and my poor feet are not amused. :eek:

[cassiesmom]

:love: Zack is a leaner and loves to sit on my feet but he is over 12st and my poor feet are not amused. :eek:

Awww, Zack! I wish I could have you sit on my feet :) But you're there and I'm here, so i'll just have to look at your photo and smile :D

((HUG)) and some for Scooby and Tilly, too!

[WILDCATS]

Awww, Zack! I wish I could have you sit on my feet :) But you're there and I'm here, so i'll just have to look at your photo and smile :D

((HUG)) and some for Scooby and Tilly, too!:love: If you were here he would be honoured to sit on your feet and would love some cuddles. :D

[opschick]

Most of my dogs did lean. One Shepherd that I had growing up knew the word lean. If anyone asked "Marcus give me a lean" he would come over and give you one. lol

[lolli94]

Thought of this thread Sunday night. I was at a friend's house for a campfire, and their neighbors dog showed up. She lives outside, and occasionally drops by for a visit :) She looks to me like a pitbull/beagle mix. Very much a beagle's body, but her head and front paws reminded me of a pit. She is a very cuddly dog and sat on my lap most of the evening, but when I decided to remove her to the ground, she sat beside my leg and leaned against it. A few of my 'non-doggy' friends even noticed. One tried to get a picture, but the lighting was awful, so they didn't get.

[Karen]

Thought of this thread Sunday night. I was at a friend's house for a campfire, and their neighbors dog showed up. She lives outside, and occasionally drops by for a visit :) She looks to me like a pitbull/beagle mix. Very much a beagle's body, but her head and front paws reminded me of a pit. She is a very cuddly dog and sat on my lap most of the evening, but when I decided to remove her to the ground, she sat beside my leg and leaned against it. A few of my 'non-doggy' friends even noticed. One tried to get a picture, but the lighting was awful, so they didn't get.

Isn't it sweet? I adore leaners, but you knew that! :D

[K9soul]

Rudy does the classic greyhound lean.

[AnimalFamily]

Oh my gosh I'm glad I found this thread.
Payne is DEFINITELY a leaner. I'm not a pup myself these days and sometimes she will knock me a little off balance with her "leanin'" :eek: .
I love it though.
Another thing she does is the "scratch my butt". ALWAYS wants her butt scratched!! :rolleyes:
I'm like "maybe I would like to pet your head every now and then", and she's like "nope, I said scratch my butt". Her wish is my command!!

[lolli94]

Another thing she does is the "scratch my butt". ALWAYS wants her butt scratched!! :rolleyes:
I'm like "maybe I would like to pet your head every now and then", and she's like "nope, I said scratch my butt". Her wish is my command!!

Haha sounds so much like Lolli! :)

[AnimalFamily]

Kinda looks a little like your Lolli too, if that's Lolli in your profile pic?