Dogs who lean

[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

[WILDCATS]

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

[cassiesmom]

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

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

((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

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

If you were here he would be honoured to sit on your feet and would love some cuddles.

[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!

[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

[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

[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

[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.

[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!