Leaning and sitting on feet?

[Cohort]

I hear Rotties do it but why? I have seen mine do it to my friends, son, GF and family but he does not do it to me. He may have once or twice when I first got him and once a week ago but does it all the time to everyone else?

[hokisteph5]

Some say it's a dominance thing. I'm not sure that's true, but my male is a leaner.

[dipper]

Every Rottie I ever had did this----dominance issue?? I don't think so.

Rotties are herders, hence the leaning--I had a male that loved to (gently) herd the kids together.

My dogs would often sit on the feet of my wife when a stranger approached.
They would sit there and stare at the person---kinda like checking them out.
I kind of like my dogs close to me and they make excellent feet warmers.

Rich

[moz205]

Both of my guys love to sit on my foot and lean. Rommel was a dominant dog although not towards me and Buddy is just a lovey, no dominance issues with him at all. I would swear that he really would try to get into my pockets if he could.

[Nishasmom]

Yes my doggie always sits on peoples feet! I think she is trying to get as close as possible without jumping (she knows this is not allowed). The bad part is she is so happy to meet new people she wiggles around at their feet, (sometimes causeing tripping ect.). How on earth do you work on no wiggleing????

[felicityjay]

My Fern does it...she is def not a dominant dog...she does it to all of our family and friends and i think it is really CUTE!...although i have noticed she doesn't do it to children so i guess she has enough sense to see she would squash them!!!

It is like she is trying to get as much of herself touching you as possible...i think it shows trust. I do not think it is a sign of dominance in her case for many reasons...she approaches with her posture in a quite submissive pose and she often leans so much she ends us showing her tummy and being very exposed.

that's my take on it anyway.

[felicityjay]

HA ha ha...Nisha's mom! i have noticed fern do exactly the same thing! i think the wiggling is adorable...like they know they shouldn't jump so they wiggle in excitmemt trying to keep their bottoms on the floor and getting closer and closer with a 'please love me, please love me, please love me' look on their face!!!

[Nishasmom]

Felicityjay, it's weird isn't it....Nisha is also very gentle with kids. She is much more calm, I guess it is insticts (she is also more gentle w/ puppies and small dogs).

~Paige

[TrinaJ]

Nisha, Fern and my old baby Magnum (dec) , must have had the same genes!!!! *giggles*. He did it too and Jett is also a feet warmer bum wiggler. I am sure that they just want to get as close to you as they can. Hell if Magnum could have found a way to get into your skin, i am sure he would have done it!!!!

[Steelerfan]

When we adopted Izzy I wanted to name her Eileen because of that behavior. I haven't seen it displayed to the extent that she does in any of my other dogs, I think it's great.

I perceive dominance to be displayed by bumping and walking into my legs and feet, she hasn't done any of that.

[MonicaBH]

Clyde is most definitely a leaner, and is most definitely not a "dominant" dog.

The rottweilers I had as a child were leaners too, if memory serves correctly.

[Cdn1050]

I have a leaner, though I don't think with mine it's a dominance thing. She leans on my kids, and my youngest son (who is 9) says that her favourite song is "Lean on Me." LOL So he sings that to her whenever she leans on him.

[annamack]

max wiggled his but so bad once he nocked our youngest down he just cant seem to help himself. and boy does he lean lets me know he wants a good scratchin because when im done hes off and playing, and omg this last week most of put him in a growth spurt geez what a bear...

[anita]

Both of my previous rotties were leaners. My friends called them the leg warmers. My 7 month old puppy, however, shows no signs of being a leaner, but that could change. Both of my previous dogs were rescues.

[jaden]

The leaning was explained to me as a "protective" state. I've also heard it as a dominance thing but neither of my dogs exhibit dominance in any other way. Normally when new people come around my dogs will sit on our feet in between us and a new guest.
My female also likes to herd the kids up into one section of the room and will literally sit on them. I normally will hear yells across the house and I know that the dog has resumed her baby sitting position, and that is normally on top of the kids. My guess is it's her idea of the easy way to keep track of all of them. Wish I could get the same results!