Why Does My Dog Always Sit on Me? Find out here!

Alright folks, let me tell you about this weird thing my dog's been doing. The title kinda gives it away – "why does my dog always sit on me?" – and man, I've been trying to figure this out for ages.

It all started, I guess, when he was a puppy. He was tiny, you know? All cuddly and cute. He'd climb on my lap, and I'd let him. Figured it was a puppy thing. Big mistake!

Now he's, like, 60 pounds of pure muscle, and he still tries to sit on me. Not just near me, on me. Like, full-on butt-to-thigh contact. Sometimes he even tries to sit on my chest when I'm lying down. It's… uncomfortable, to say the least.

So, first thing I did was hit up Google. Started searching stuff like "dog sitting on me meaning," "why does my dog need to be so close," and "is my dog a weirdo?" Got a bunch of the usual answers – dominance, affection, anxiety, blah, blah, blah. But none of it really clicked. He's not usually anxious, and he's definitely not trying to be the "alpha." He's just… being a goofball, I think.

Then I tried ignoring it. Figured if I didn't give him attention when he did it, he'd stop. Nope. He'd just nudge me with his head or whine until I gave in. Talk about stubborn!

Next up: redirection. I tried giving him a toy or a treat when he started to settle in for a sit-down on my person. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. He'd take the treat, then try to sit on me anyway. Greedy little bugger.

The breakthrough actually came from watching him interact with other dogs. I noticed he does this thing where he kind of leans on them. Not a full-on sit, but just a gentle pressure. And the other dogs don't seem to mind. Then it hit me,maybe it's just a way of showing affection, or feeling secure?

I also started thinking about when he usually does it. It's almost always when I'm sitting still, like watching TV or reading. So, I started being more proactive about engaging with him when I'm relaxing. A quick scratch behind the ears, a little playtime with a toy, just something to break the "sit on dad" cycle.

• Increased exercise
• More focused training sessions
• Consistent reinforcement when he chooses to sit next to me.

It's not a perfect solution, and he still tries to plop down on me sometimes. But it's definitely gotten better. I think it's a combination of things – he just loves me, he likes the feeling of being close, and he’s learned that he gets attention when he does it.

The (Ongoing) Results

So, what's the verdict? Am I still a dog-seat? A little bit. But now I understand why, and I've got some strategies to manage it. It is an ongoing thing and he is still learning and so am I. Plus, all the extra walks are doing wonders for my waistline!