Dog presses head against me

When dogs press their heads against you, it primarily indicates strong affection or unsatisfied longings. Sometimes it is also a sign of submissiveness, fear, apology, empathy or even serves to mark territory.

Since dogs can only bark, yelp, whine, whine and howl, they also use their body language more. It's different with people.

Because on average we know a whopping 42,000 words to express our needs. [1] Below you will learn what this gesture means in dogs.

>> Our top recommendations

#1 Affection

When dogs press their head or back against you, it is usually a sign of affection and trust. The same goes for rubbing your head.

Or to put it another way: it's the doggy style of a hug. You often see it in female dogs after birth when they are cuddling their puppies.

As a rule, this is a sign of a very strong connection between you and your four-legged friend. If you observe it with strangers, then it means something different.

#2 Marking

There are scent glands on the dog's face. When he presses his head against you, he leaves behind a smell that is barely detectable by the human nose.

However, since dogs, depending on the breed, have up to 60 times more olfactory receptors and smell 100,000 times better than humans, they can detect it without any problems. [2]

If you like, it's a marking of territory by the owner: «He's mine!» – comparable to marking with urine around the property. [3]

#3 Empathy

The early taming of dogs not only dramatically changed their eating habits, but they also developed an ability to interpret emotions.

Dogs sense and smell when their owners are sad, happy, angry, depressed or anxious. You've probably already discovered this yourself.

For example, when I have an angry discussion with my girlfriend, our dog “Alex” usually jumps up between us and presses his head against us.

#4 Learned behavior

When training dogs, the following basic rule always applies: If you reward behavior, they will repeat it. And if you punish it, they are more likely to avoid it.

So a question for you: How exactly do you behave when your four-legged friend presses his head against you or rubs his head against you? What do you do then?

If your dog then receives a reward in the form of a petting session, then the behavior may just be learned. Ignorance would be the key to untraining. [4]

#5 Sorry

You have probably noticed the following behavior in children. If they have done something and are aware of it, then they are acting “too nice”.

This phenomenon also occurs in dogs. For example, if they have gone into the apartment and know full well that they are actually not allowed to do that.

In this case, it's not a good sign if your dog presses his head against you. The best thing to do is walk through the apartment and see if everything is as usual.

#6 Fear

Some dogs have been specifically bred to be fearless and courageous. Protection and guard dogs are good examples here. Other breeds, on the other hand, should be very trusting.

This is why lap dogs often become afraid and hide even from strangers or strange dogs. They often hug their master.

You can recognize such emotions if the dog adopts a hunched posture, tucks its tail, lowers its head or even begins to tremble.

#7 Desires

If your dog rubs his head against you and makes eye contact, then this is usually a sign of “I want something from you” – i.e. unsatisfied longings.

In most cases it is a silent cry for attention and activity. This is especially true for very active and trusting breeds.

Among other things, it can also indicate hunger, thirst, a pressing bladder or a strong sex drive. Here it is up to you to find out the cause.

#8 Itching

Compared to animals, we have it really good with our hands. Because if we itch something, we can scratch around 90% of our body.

Things are different with dogs. They can reach certain places with their paws and snout, but not everything. And yes, you probably already know what's next.

If your four-legged friend rubs his head on your legs, you could just be serving as a living scratching post at that moment. Dogs are indifferent. [5]

#9 Submissiveness

Some breeds tend to be at the bottom of their hierarchy for genetic or breeding reasons. Because dogs always live with clear hierarchies.

At the top is the Alpha, followed by the Betas, then the Deltas and at the bottom are the Omegas. With good parenting, the master should take on the alpha role. [6]

If this is the case with you, then it may just be a sign of his submissiveness. Other symptoms include a lack of eye contact and ears pulled back.

#10 Welcome

Depending on how well your dog has been socialized and trained, he will behave differently when greeting you. Young puppies usually jump at you with happiness.

Adult and trusting dogs also more often press their back against your legs or their head against your hands. This is comparable to a cat's hump.

The more he presses himself against you, the more intimate the relationship is. But this is rare with strangers. Most four-legged friends are skeptical at first.

#11 Illness

If your dog presses his head not only against you, but also against walls and other objects, then this can indicate the following illnesses:

stroke
Brain tumor
Inflammation of the brain
Hydrocephalus
concussion [7]

In this case, you should consult the vet immediately. This is especially true if other pathological symptoms occur and your dog behaves strangely.