suzywillsmushyou Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 when I'm lying in bed reading a book or watching tv, my bc likes to sit on me with his rear on my stomach and his fron paws on the bed, so he's sitting upright. He's 5 months old, and I was wondering if I should let him do it, or if its a dominace thing. Do i ignore it, or let him do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 when I'm lying in bed reading a book or watching tv, my bc likes to sit on me with his rear on my stomach and his fron paws on the bed, so he's sitting upright. He's 5 months old, and I was wondering if I should let him do it, or if its a dominace thing. Do i ignore it, or let him do it? Did you invite him sit on your stomach? If not, dump him off. Mr. Woo likes to do something similar to other dogs, but he wouldn't dare try it with me. I personally would find it both invasive and uncomfortable as I don't regularly place 40lbs of object on my torso. Teach him to lay nicely next to you is my advice. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painted_ponies Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 I think it depends on whether or not it makes you uncomfortable. If, like RDM, you don't like having 40 lbs of collie on you, then I think it's a fine idea to push him off and teach him not to do it. If, on the other hand, you're like me and find it sort of sweet and comforting, then I don't think you're encouraging him to mount a coup d'etat by letting him sit on you. Some people disagree - I remember the first sheepdog trainer I ever met who told me, on seeing Violet jump into my lap, that I'd already "ruined her." Piffle. Unless of course you have fragile people in your house who might get hurt by a dog who's accustomed to lounging on folks. For example, I have an old draft horse who likes to pin me against a wall and rub his head on me. There's a big debate in horse circles as to whether this behavior is disrespectful or not. I don't know if it is or isn't. Bram is well-behaved and always does everything I ask him to do, so I suspect this is just his idea of a little joke. But when we boarded at a stable with young kids, I never allowed him to rub on me or anyone else, because there were young kids who could've been hurt by a big old clunkin' horse head smacking them in the face. So if you live with little kids or older people, you might want to train your dog to express his affections from a distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marky48 Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 I was told by ONE of Riley's trainers that in a BC or any dog....they try to be dominate by looking down on you. If you hold the dog in your arms..most times they'll try to climb until their head is above you. It's cute but you're telling them that they are in charge. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Personally, I don't see dogs trying to 'dominate' us or our world...Sounds like he found himself a comfortable spot and the human hasn't seemed to mind.If you don't want him doing it then don't let him do it...move him by raising up a few times,be consistent and he'll get the idea....'Oh,I guess that isn't the best spot 'cause I ALWAYS get moved !' The 'dominance' theory to me just seems to imply an 'us versus them' mentality,that dogs are constantly scheming,planning and manipulating....Dogs do what works for them. I don't mean that boundaries and rules shouldn't be set, but it sure is hard to consider a dog a partner if one thinks a dog is out to 'dethrone' the human in its life. I want to work WITH my dogs,not do TO my dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzywillsmushyou Posted May 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 thanks for the advice. he's not 40 lbs yet, but i'm sure he will be soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marky48 Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 I hear ya BC. I was starting to think that way also until last Sat. when my wife came out on the deck laughing her butt off when she saw that Riley had closed the kennel door on me while I was inside cleaning it.....He was sitting on the outside looking in at me....probably laughing. I swear it will be like Planet of the Apes....but with BC's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJS1993 Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Personally I think some people are ultra paranoid about the whole "dominance" factor. Yes it's a factor, however not to the extent that some individuals make it out to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Personally, I don't see dogs trying to 'dominate' us or our world Don't be so sure; you never really know what a Border Collie is really thinking. (Although it might be an improvement, given the state of our modern world...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bindi Mom Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Personally, I don't see dogs trying to 'dominate' us or our world. This reminds me of the bumper sticker that was posted a little bit ago. I love that bumper sticker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 I think they have to know that they need to look to you to see what to do, but I don't think that they spend their whole day planning how to make us do stuff. Black Jack does like to lay on my chest when I'm watching tv but only when I call him up. Other wise he'll just lay beside me. I don't mind the 42 lbs. laying on my chest once in a while though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted May 16, 2007 Report Share Posted May 16, 2007 Personally, I don't see dogs trying to 'dominate' us or our world...Sounds like he found himself a comfortable spot and the human hasn't seemed to mind.If you don't want him doing it then don't let him do it...move him by raising up a few times,be consistent and he'll get the idea....'Oh,I guess that isn't the best spot 'cause I ALWAYS get moved !' The 'dominance' theory to me just seems to imply an 'us versus them' mentality,that dogs are constantly scheming,planning and manipulating....Dogs do what works for them. I don't mean that boundaries and rules shouldn't be set, but it sure is hard to consider a dog a partner if one thinks a dog is out to 'dethrone' the human in its life. I want to work WITH my dogs,not do TO my dogs. I'm with you on this! I don't base any of my training or rules for my dogs on dominance theory because I personally don't hold this theory to be true. If I want my dogs to stay off me, I cue them "off". If I want them on, I allow them on. It's nice, I think, to not have to concern myself with constantly trying to assert dominance over my pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJS1993 Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 I'm with you on this! I don't base any of my training or rules for my dogs on dominance theory because I personally don't hold this theory to be true. If I want my dogs to stay off me, I cue them "off". If I want them on, I allow them on. It's nice, I think, to not have to concern myself with constantly trying to assert dominance over my pets. I'm with you guys on this issue. When Freckles misbehaves it's not because she wants to put me in a collar and walk me on a leash. It's because she is a kid and wants to have fun with me. Unfortunately like human kids, what is fun to them isn't really fun at all. But by no means is it some kind of struggle between dominance and submission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickim Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 I don't let Whisper sit on me, ever. I don't like it. I do think it is a dominance thing, but I also think that it depends on the dog. Whisper is a very assertive dog and her concerns in life are food, my location, and her status in the world. She respects me and almost always does as I ask, provided she does not think it is stupid and provided her entire focus isn't elsewhere (she loves to chase squirrels, chipmunks, racoons, etc. If she sees one of those, there is no getting her attention until she has rid the area of the pest. That is her job.). I think if Whisper tried to sit on me, she would be trying to assert herself over me. But that's her personality. On the other hand, some friends own dogs who are allowed to sit on people, and dominance over people is the last thing on their minds. Status is unimportant to those two dogs; they just want a comfy place to sit near a person who will pet them. My first dog used to sit on the cats, and that was most definately a dominance thing. The cats would try to steal the dog food (this was when I was a girl, growing up on a farm and all animals were fed outside). She'd chase them off, or pick them up in her mouth and gently carry them around, or sit on them. I watched this many times (ready to intervene if it looked like either one would get hurt). After she would release the cat, the cat would stalk off (if anyone has seen two cats decide NOT to fight, and has seen the cat backing down stalk off while trying not to lose face, you will know exactly what I mean), ceding dominance to the dog. I guess in this case, decipher what your dog is telling you and go from there. If he is assertive in all other ways, I would guess that he is trying to be dominate. If not, he likley just wants to be close to his person. Of course, I am not a trainer or behaviorist and I could be completely off base, it's JMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted May 17, 2007 Report Share Posted May 17, 2007 There's a difference between interactions between dogs/ dogs, dogs/ cats and dog/ human interaction....There's a difference between a human making a decision for the dog ie It is MY job to decide who comes in the house.The dogs don't have to make that decision...so guess what? They don't react at the door. Thing is 'dominance' is a word that has a lot of negative connotation ...folks envision pinning dogs to the ground, or cranking on choke chains. Humans acting like they 'think' another canine would act...all that stuff. Are some dogs dominant over other dogs?Yes.Are some dogs status seekers? Yeah, because dogs are opportunistic beings,that's how they survived in the wild... I just think that a great disservice was done to the canines that share our lives when that study about wolf behavior came out...based on behavior in ARTIFICIAL packs,as in captive wolves from different groups. A wolf pack in the wild is a familial unit...mom,dad, a yearling or two,young pups. Do mom and dad set limits and rules? Yep! Do they get taught manners by their elders?Yep! Guess what...dogs are dogs...they are NOT wolves nor are they humans with fur coats. I get a little frustrated when I hear owners( in general) say' Oh he's trying to be dominant.',when the reality is that the dogs haven't had consistency,or are insecure or have simply not been taught manners .... If what you are doing to try and change behavior isn't working,then CHANGE what you are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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