Dogs like many other animals are very proud and like to be the dominating creature amongst others. I am sure that many of you have witnessed the situation in which you are sitting down and a dog will stand on you, they will stand tall and proud looking, especially small dogs. But why is it that we see this occur across the domesticated breeds? Well, this article will tell you exactly why as well as some of the reasons as to why it continues to occur with no real purpose in mind.

When dogs stand on you whilst you are sat down it is often an act by them in order to make themselves feel taller, prouder and more dominant. It is only an attempt and the higher they feel above the ground when doing this they seem to feel very powerful.

So why is it the majority of smaller dogs that do this? Well, it is fairly obvious to why smaller dogs will do this, but to those of you who are not sure why, here is an explanation. Smaller dogs compared to larger dogs are very insecure and can often be scared off by the larger dogs. You will notice that smaller dogs are more likely to stand on your laps; the reasoning for this is because smaller dogs are constantly striving for dominance and power. When around larger dogs they may seem cowardly and more insecure, but when stood up high they will feel as though they are bigger and better, they will think themselves just like the bigger dogs who dominated them.

The fight for power and approval can be traced back to when dogs were mainly stray, since they would go around in packs, there would always be a leader and the leader would be the one that proved to be the most dominant and powerful amongst the rest. If we look at it today you can see how this trait has not really disappeared as many dogs will still strive for approval and dominance over other dogs.

But since many of the smaller dogs feel powerless compared to the larger dogs it is obvious as to why the larger percentage of smaller dogs will do this. Larger dogs may do this simply because they are not confident enough, but you will always find that the higher percentage is of smaller dogs.

In conclusion, the main reason as to why dogs will stand on you when sitting is because they want to feel as though they are the dominant one, they want to feel like they are the one with the power, and by standing tall and high it gives them that sense. Some have even said that when in this position they almost feel invincible, they know that they are in safe hands whilst stood on your lap and they can stand tall and feel invincible. Of course this is only theorised, but it is understandable as to how it would make sense amongst a dog’s nature. It wants to dominate, it all links back to the alpha male of the pack when dogs were mainly stray.

My hope is that this article has educated you to the extent that you both know a little history behind why dogs will stand tall on your lap when you are sat down. It is fairly obvious, but there is nothing wrong with learning a little more. This can all be traced back to traits from when dogs were stray, and since most dogs want to feel some sense of dominance and power, they will do anything to give themselves that confidence boost. And due to the size of a smaller dog you can understand why standing up on somebody’s lap is more dominant. Dogs can do some strange things at times, this may have seemed like one to you, but now that it has been explained you should hopefully know better when this particular action is performed by a dog.