Why does my dog bury his head into my chest?

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Whether it be under the blanket, your arm, or the bed sheets, there are several reasons dogs bury their heads. This behavior could be because of stress, fear, weather, sleep, or even empathy. Some dogs also like to bury their heads under something when they’re in a playful mood.

Has your dog ever buried their nose into your side? Or maybe you had a blanket on your lap and they decided to burrow their head under the blanket? As odd as this behavior may seem, it’s completely normal and something nearly every dog does.

If you’re wondering what those reasons are, here are the seven most common reasons dogs bury their heads.

They Enjoy The Scent

Dogs have an incredible sense of smell. In fact, their sense of smell is how they explore the world. So when your dog enjoys the scent of something, they may bury their head to enjoy the scent even more.

Although less common, some dogs will burrow under the arms of someone they just met. This is their way of getting to “know” the smell of this new person.

Survival Instincts From Puppy Years

When newborn puppies feed, they bury their heads into their mothers stomach. This instinct may continue later in life when they get hungry. This could be the dog’s way of saying “I want some food.”

Cold Weather

Short-haired dog breeds (such as pugs and boxers) have a tendency to get cold quickly. As a response, they may bury their head (and sometimes body) into their owner or a blanket in an attempt to warm their body temperature.

In the wild, packs of dogs also learned to huddle against one another to survive harsh winter months. Although your dog is no longer out in the wild, the instinct to “huddle up” is still there when they get cold.

Imitating Their Owners Sleeping Rituals

Studies are starting to show that dogs pick up on their owners behavior and sometimes imitate their humans. Dogs who have watched their owners curl up under the covers before bed might imitate this behavior and bury themselves under a blanket when going to sleep.

Empathy

It has also been presumed that dogs can understand and tune into human emotion. Service dogs are a great example of what it means to tune into their owners’ needs.

Some dogs will try to relate to your emotions. If they sense you’re feeling sad, they might “feel sad” with you. In some instances this would be portrayed by burying their head.

Demonstrations of Power

During interactions with other dogs, your pet may gently nudge the other to show submission. In a more aggressive fashion, this can be seen as a show of dominance.

Dog’s may do this to their owner as well.Burying their head into you as you try to walk past them, followed by barking or growling, can be your dog’s way of trying to show their dominance.

Marking Their Territory

Dogs like to mark up territory with their scent. When we think of a dog “marking their territory”, we often think about them urinating on the spots they’re claiming.

However, dogs also carry a lot of scent on their faces. When a dog is burying their head into you, it may be marking you as their territory to show other animals your affiliation to them. This is more common in male dogs as they have a greater desire to claim dominance and ownership over people or other dogs.

How to Respond

While it may seem reasonable to reciprocate the hugging and cuddling, doing so can actually cause a lot of stress for your dog. They may become uncomfortable if you nuzzle them back. They are instinctually driven to be able to run to protect themselves, so if they feel unable to move, this can cause anxiety.

Encouraging Your Dog

Instead of making them feel restrained, you can make your pup feel safe by rewarding them with small pats or treats when they nuzzle into you. Paying close attention to the reactions they have to what you’re doing can help you gauge what they like and dislike as all animals are different.

One dog may enjoy having their body wrapped in between their owner’s arms while another may enjoy burrowing for safety but feel on edge when an arm or blanket is draped over them.

Is it Safe?

Things can get a bit dangerous for dogs that are “excessive burrowers”. They might bury themselves under multiple layers of blankets and get stuck. Unfortunately, if the dog is unable to escape, they may suffocate.

This isn’t a big deal when you’re home and able to watch your dog because you can help pull the blankets off them. However, when you’re away, it would be a smart idea to make sure all the blankets are out of reach.

This is especially important for brachycephalic dogs (dogs with a short nose such as boxers) because they naturally have breathing issues. If you notice your dog panting or drooling excessively or their pulse is racing, remove the blankets immediately and monitor them for further issues.

For the most part, dogs do a good job at regulating their own temperature and know when they need to escape the heat, so letting them decide when they need more or less warmth can help your animal stay safe.

How to Know Why YOUR Dog is Burying Their Head

We went over seven reasons dogs bury their heads, but how do you know which of the seven reasons applies to your dog? Is your dog showing signs of affection? Are they trying to leave their scent? Are they being aggressive?

It can be hard to know exactly what your dog is trying to tell you in the moment, but paying attention to the rest of their body language and being aware of the situation can help solve the mystery.

For example, when meeting someone new, a dog might bury their head into this person because they like their scent. If your dog buries their head into you at the dog park, it might be because they are letting all the other dogs know you belong to them. If your dog is burrowing under a blanket on a cold day, they’re most likely just trying to stay warm.

Dogs have limits in how they can communicate with humans, so it takes a conscious effort to tune into the signals they are providing for us to tell whether they anxious, curious, or simply looking to be close to us.

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Dogs can sometimes exhibit some interesting behaviors when they want to get our attention. If your dog is coming up to you and burying their head in your lap, you may be wondering what they want when they do this.

This article will dive into the question of why does my dog bury his head in me to help you better understand this doggie behavior.

Your dog can bury their head in you for a variety of reasons. Most commonly dogs exhibit this behavior to show affection, to mark their territory, to get your attention, to seek comfort, or because they have learned this behavior gets them something desirable.

Common Reasons Why Dogs Bury Their Heads In Us

There is more than one reason why dogs can bury their heads in their humans. Below are the most common reasons and explanations:

To Show Affection

One of the main reasons your pup is burying their head in you is to get your affection. Just like humans enjoy and get pleasure from affection, so do dogs.

Some dog breeds are more affectionate than others, but generally, all dogs enjoy a good rub every now and then. When your dog buries their head in your lap or another part of your body, they are seeking to be close to you and wanting some love.

Dogs show affection in many ways, such as licking you, being close to you, through their body language, tail wagging, and snuggling with you. Burying their head in you is just another way of exhibiting their love for you.

To Get Your Attention

Another big reason why dogs bury their heads in humans is to get attention. Sometimes we get busy with our schedules we may noy pay as much attention to our dogs as they would like.

When this happens, our pups will find a way to let us know they need something. One of the ways this can present is by burying their head in you to get your attention.

Your dog may want attention for a variety of reasons, they may need a potty break, want to play, need food or water, or just want a quick rub.

If your dog is suddenly burying their head in you, think about if you forgot to do something for them that you normally would do if you weren’t so busy.

To Be Comforted if Scared/Anxious/Nervous

Another reason your dog could exhibit this behavior is to seek comfort. Some dogs more easily become anxious or nervous while other dogs are more confident.

You know your individual dog best. If you have a more nervous dog, your dog could be burying their head in you because something or someone is making them scared or anxious.

Try to determine the cause of the anxiety. Is there a thunderstorm? Is there a new addition to their environment? Are there strange noises around?

If you take a few minutes to examine what has changed, chances are you’ll quickly determine what is bother your dog.

It Is Learned Behavior

Head burying can also be the result of learning that this behavior gets your pooch what they want. Dogs are very smart, and they quickly learn that certain actions lead to desirable results.

Thus, if they want to go outside to play, and every time they bury their head on you, you get up and take them out, they will have learned this behavior equals an outside trip.

This applies in all sorts of situations! If your dog gets the desired attention, they are seeking from head burying they will keep doing this behavior over and over again until it stops being rewarding.

Marking Their Territory

Dogs also bury their heads in us to mark their territory. Dogs use scent to mark items or locations as theirs.

Dogs also use scent to portray to the outside world that a specific location or item has been claimed as their own. Although we aren’t “items” in the traditional sense, our dogs want everyone to know we are claimed.

Thus, sometimes a dog will bury their head in their owner to mark them with their scent. This could be occurring if your pup senses a threat and wants to make sure that threat knows who you belong to.

For example, if you got a new pet, your dog may want to claim you if he or she feels threatened by the new pet’s presence.

Should You Be Concerned About Your Dog’s Head Burying

Generally, head burying is an innocent way of your dog getting your attention or showing affection and is nothing to be concerned about.

However, if you have noticed that your dog is exhibiting this behavior because of anxiety, or because it has become a learned way of getting what they want, you may want to reduce this behavior.

You will know your dog the best, pay attention to what is going on when your dog buries their head in you. Doing so will help you determine whether it is innocent or something you should try and correct.

How to Stop Excessive Head Burying

If your dog is burying their head in you all the time, you may want to reduce this behavior. Here are a few tips to use:

Don’t Give Them Attention for the Behavior

Once you have determined that your dog is exhibiting head burying to have you wrapped around their paw, it is important to not give them attention when they display this behavior.

Giving them attention for head burying is what taught them to do this to get you to react in a certain way. In order to fix that you have to stop responding positively to this behavior.

So, when your dog buries their head in you, ignore the behavior. Then give them attention only when they have stopped. This will show them that sitting patiently is the way to get your attention.

Solve the Problem

If your dog is burying their head in you because they need something from you, the easiest way to solve it is to prevent the need from occurring.

Try and predict what your dog will need before you get busy. Give your dog plenty of attention, maybe take them for a walk, play fetch, play with a toy, and make sure they have water, food, and a potty break.

If your dog has had sufficient mental stimulation and physical exercise, they will be less likely to get bored. Accordingly, they will be less likely to seek out your attention when you are busy.

Also, make sure to take breaks at regular intervals to spend a short amount of time with your dog. This will also prevent them from needing something from you as well.

Redirection

You can also try to redirect this behavior to something else. Give your dog a fun command or tell them to go get a toy. Basically, have them shift their focus from the unwanted behavior to something else more desirable.

Just don’t let them get intrenched into head burying before you try and redirect them. This may take some time, but with consistency and patience it will pay off.