Dog Behavior Explained: Why Does My Dog Put His Face on Me?

Okay, so, like, the other day I was chilling on the couch, right? And my dog, Buster, he’s a goofy golden retriever, comes over and just plants his face right into mine. Not just a little nudge, but full-on face-smush. It's kinda cute, kinda weird, and definitely slobbery, so I was like, "Okay, what's up with that?"

First thing I did? Google it, obviously. I typed in "why does my dog put his face in my face" and got a bunch of stuff about affection, dominance, and even anxiety. So, I started thinking about when Buster does it. It's usually when I'm relaxed, watching TV, or reading. Never when I'm busy or stressed.

Then, I remembered a training video I saw a while back. It talked about how dogs learn to associate actions with rewards. So, I figured, maybe I accidentally reinforced this behavior. Like, every time he face-plants me, I give him attention – scratches, talking to him, even just a smile. He probably thinks, "Face-plant equals good stuff!"

So, I decided to test my theory. The next time he did it, I didn’t react. Nada. I just kept watching TV. He tried a few times, nudging harder, but I stayed stone-faced. Eventually, he gave up and just laid his head on my lap instead, which is way less invasive. I gave him a good scratch then. Good boy!

I tried this for a few days, and it actually worked! He still comes for cuddles, but the face-smushing is way down. I think he’s figured out that gentle head-resting gets him the attention he wants without the weird face-plant thing.

But you know what else I noticed? He only does it when he seems to want comfort. Like if there is a thunderstorm or something he will put his face on my face. This makes me think that maybe when he is feeling anxious he just wants some comfort.

So, bottom line? I think it was a combo of things. He wanted attention, but also wanted comfort. And I was accidentally rewarding the weird face-plant behavior. Now, we're both happier, with less slobber involved. It was pretty cool figuring it out and making our cuddle time better. Now he just lays his head on me, or just wants me to pet him. Less slobbery, and easier to watch TV. Win-win!