# Why does my dog like to stand on me?



## Tbone412

I've got a 1 1/2 year old black lab/beagle mix named Carter, though we aren't positive about the beagle part. Carter is very energetic and definitely not a lap dog though he does like to lay by my feet and rest his head on my leg while I'm laying on the couch. However sometimes he does this thing where he will walk on me and stand with his front paws right on my chest and put his face very close to mine. He would lick my face all day if I let him but I don't so he just kind of stares. He will start to look around the room after a moment of this like he is looking for something which made me think maybe he is being protective but I'm not sure. I'm not looking for a way to make him stop this, I just play with him when he does this and he is only about 40 pounds so it doesn't hurt, I'm just wondering why he does it. 

I also thought maybe it was a dominance thing but he is not the alpha dog in the house (we have 2 older and larger dogs) and he definitely knows I'm in charge. I've also heard about how some larger breeds, mastiffs I think, were once trained to stand on the chest of intruders and pin them down but I certainly don't think that is what he is doing. Anyone have any ideas?


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## Binkalette

I don't know.. both Zoey and Maggie do that to us, and I can assure you it has nothing to do with dominance. With our girls it is ALL about the face licking.. that or smelling my breath to see what I ate last and if there might still be some crumbs on my face! My girls are lap dogs through and through though and have no problems sitting, standing or laying anywhere on us, and don't care if we do similarly with them. Zoey will let me use her as a pillow, and frequently lays her head on top of mine in bed.


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## TxRider

Tbone412 said:


> I've got a 1 1/2 year old black lab/beagle mix named Carter, though we aren't positive about the beagle part. Carter is very energetic and definitely not a lap dog though he does like to lay by my feet and rest his head on my leg while I'm laying on the couch. However sometimes he does this thing where he will walk on me and stand with his front paws right on my chest and put his face very close to mine. He would lick my face all day if I let him but I don't so he just kind of stares. He will start to look around the room after a moment of this like he is looking for something which made me think maybe he is being protective but I'm not sure. I'm not looking for a way to make him stop this, I just play with him when he does this and he is only about 40 pounds so it doesn't hurt, I'm just wondering why he does it.
> 
> I also thought maybe it was a dominance thing but he is not the alpha dog in the house (we have 2 older and larger dogs) and he definitely knows I'm in charge. I've also heard about how some larger breeds, mastiffs I think, were once trained to stand on the chest of intruders and pin them down but I certainly don't think that is what he is doing. Anyone have any ideas?


Hope does that when she wants something and lesser means to get my attention have failed... She generally expects me to mind read what it is that she wants, attention, to play, to go outside, to get her ball from under the sofa, whatever is important at the momet in her little doggy brain... So I taught her to go "show me", or taught her she will usually get what she wants if she can "show me".. Which she usually does pretty well now.


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## pbmix

TxRider said:


> So I taught her to go "show me", or taught her she will usually get what she wants if she can "show me".. Which she usually does pretty well now.


How did you do this? I can't tell you how many times I'm completely out of ideas with an obviously annoyed, whining dog.


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## TStafford

Porter stands on us all the time. He does it to lick us though. He will also sit in our laps and lay on us if we're laying down. Of course he about kills me since he's around 100 lb now.


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## Mdawn

It's sort of off topic but Uallis stood on me once. He actually scared me because I couldn't get him to move. I couldn't physically move him and didn't listen verbally. At the time, I honestly thought he was breaking bones because it felt like all of his 200lbs was on that one foot digging into my hip. All we were doing was playing, rough housing. My boyfriend had to get him by the collar and pull him off. I've never tried to wrestle with him like that anymore. Now we play tug...lol I have several pictures of my boyfriend and Uallis wrestling around like I was with Uallis when he stood on me. If he's brave enough to do it, that's fine. But I learned my lesson. lol


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## mitzi

Mdawn said:


> It's sort of off topic but Uallis stood on me once. He actually scared me because I couldn't get him to move. I couldn't physically move him and didn't listen verbally. At the time, I honestly thought he was breaking bones because it felt like all of his 200lbs was on that one foot digging into my hip. All we were doing was playing, rough housing. My boyfriend had to get him by the collar and pull him off. I've never tried to wrestle with him like that anymore. Now we play tug...lol I have several pictures of my boyfriend and Uallis wrestling around like I was with Uallis when he stood on me. If he's brave enough to do it, that's fine. But I learned my lesson. lol


Wow! 200 lbs?? I don't think I've ever even seen a dog that big! I think the largest I've been around was 107 lbs., a Great Pyrenees. Where does this behemoth sleep ? 

Bosley loves to stand on my shoulder every morning when I finally get the lazybones out of my bed.


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## sassafras

Each of our dogs will climb up and sleep on us when we are laying down on the couch (if we let them). My husband sometimes calls Pip "The Creeper" because he's very slow and sneaky about it.


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## Mdawn

mitzi said:


> Wow! 200 lbs?? I don't think I've ever even seen a dog that big! I think the largest I've been around was 107 lbs., a Great Pyrenees. Where does this behemoth sleep ?


Uallis is an English Mastiff. 200lbs is not uncommon for them. He normally just sleeps on the floor. He's not allowed on the furniture. lol


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## Independent George

TStafford said:


> Porter stands on us all the time. He does it to lick us though. He will also sit in our laps and lay on us if we're laying down. Of course he about kills me since he's around 100 lb now.


I really, really, really want a 100-lb. lapdog. I once spent an afternoon in the dog park with a Cane Corso fast asleep on my lap. It was awesome.


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## Tofu_pup

Independent George said:


> I really, really, really want a 100-lb. lapdog. I once spent an afternoon in the dog park with a Cane Corso fast asleep on my lap. It was awesome.


That's what Great Danes are made for. Duh.
I work with one that once got sooo excited to sit in my lap that he threw himself on me, slamming my head into the wall hard enough that I was seeing stars.


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## Jayme182

pbmix said:


> How did you do this? I can't tell you how many times I'm completely out of ideas with an obviously annoyed, whining dog.


I've taught my dogs a similar thing... if they are whining I will just keep saying "what?" or "what do you want?" until they show me what they want (usually getting a toy or going to the back door which means they want to go outside). They have caught on pretty well to it.


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## KBLover

Wally does that (once I let him on my lap anyway) sometimes. Usually, he's trying to sniff the snacks I was eating and didn't give him any of - like he had to see what he was missing.

I'm not sure why he has to stand up to sniff my mouth - but he does. 

Oh and sometimes he does it to see what's on my computer desk (probably to see what's up there he can't eat but has been smelling all day). 

The only time I know exactly why he did it was when I had a banana chip in my hand and stretched my arms, he climbed up my chest, put his front paws on my head and tried to get the chip. And the time I had a cookie on the top of my head and didn't know it. Don't ask.


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## Tofu_pup

KBLover said:


> And the time I had a cookie on the top of my head and didn't know it. Don't ask.


Um...

Do tell.


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## Mdawn

Tofu_pup said:


> Um...
> 
> Do tell.


Yes, KB...you do have to tell that story! lol


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## LuvMyAngels

Buster doesnt stand on us but he has no problems pretending to be a lap dog...all 150 or so pounds of him. Most evenings I invite him up onto my bed for snuggle time and end up with him laying more on me than on the bed.


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## lisaj1354

Pepper does it all the time. Its his way of telling me that I'm not playing with him often enough. 

He climbs on my lap, puts his feet on my shoulders and mouths my nose. It cracks me up.


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## Lindbert

If I am laying on my back anywhere (on the couch, on my bed, on the floor), Brody will come over to me, give me an eyelash inspection (stick his nose in my closed eyes and sniff intensely), and then roll on my chest like he's rolling in something extra smelly. He has this crazed look about him when he does it, but it's more like "OMG, BEST THING EVER!!" instead of "OMG, I WANT TO KILL IT!!" Bottom line is.. dogs are weird :laugh:


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## ioreks_mom

brom is my 65 lb lap dog. just in this past week he has decided that he wants to sit on my lap or cuddle in real close on the couch all the time lately. i love it. 

brom also likes to sort of stand on me. he will jump up and put his paws on my shoulders and he stretches a really good stretch while i rub his belly. he loves it!


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