Canine body language: What’s your dog saying with his paws?

Pawing is one of the most vital canine communication tools.

What does dog pawing mean? Most new, inexperienced dog owners may wonder what’s my dog saying with his paws. You need to understand dog is a simple language to learn. 

Once you learn it, you understand your pet communicates volumes of information using their versions of sign and body languages. Dogs also use facial expressions, licking, tail positions, and barking to communicate.

Too much pawing is one of the most common complaints by dog owners.

Weary owners, usually of new puppies or demanding and often incredibly spoiled adult dogs, complain that they are being shredded to ribbons by their pet’s sharp nails, and they don’t know what to do about it.

Learn to understand pawing

Observe your pet’s sign and canine body language. If you focus, you’ll quickly learn what your dog’s body postures mean. Learn canine communication to understand better what your puppy or dog is trying to tell you.

People often wonder what pawing means and why dogs put their paws on them. The truth is, there are several reasons why our canine friends paw us.

We need to recognize canine communication signals to understand so we can understand what dogs are trying to tell us.

Dog pawing behavior is a natural and inherent way for your puppy or adult dog to get you to “focus” on them. Depending on how often your dog resorts to this method, it can be an acceptable or annoying habit.

Pawing communicates, “Hey, you up there, it’s me down here. I want your attention, and I want it NOW!”

If you continuously give your dog attention each time he puts his paws on you or digs on you, you wind up creating a behavioral issue. You don’t want to create a situation where your dog keeps pawing at you to get your attention.

If your dog is insistent, avoid eye contact. You need to teach your dog that behavior is unacceptable.

By knowing when, where, and how often to respond or ignore dog pawing behavior, you can curtail that demand before it becomes a problem that requires behavior modification.

Universal canine body language

Pawing is the universal doggie sign, “Hey you! I want to play! Do you wanna play with me?” It’s how dogs communicate with each other. One dog pawing another dog is a sign it’s time to play. 

Since your puppy or dog doesn’t realize that you don’t speak dog fluently, your dog will be persistent and keep pawing until they get any reaction from you.

Have you ever watched puppies or dogs interact together, where one usually initiates playing, by pawing the ground or pawing at the other animal?

If the second dog is interested, they often respond by pawing. The message is now crystal clear to both of them, “Let the games begin!”

It also can be a sign of submission. In simple dog language, it’s the dog’s way of letting another dog know, “OK, you’re the boss, and I am submissive.”

When your dog puts his paws on you, he may be demanding attention, seeking comfort, or asking for forgiveness. The latter two are more likely when your dog rests his paw on you without moving it. Your dog is telling you, “I need some consoling and reassuring,” or “I’m sorry for what I did. Please forgive me.”

Tips train your dog to stop dog pawing

Start by keeping your dog’s nails trimmed. While you’re working on breaking this bad habit, keeping your dog’s nails short will limit their ability to scratch and potentially hurt you. Keeping the nails short also is better for the long-term health of your dog’s feet. 

That’s especially important if you need to stop a dog from pawing at your face. 

Once you understand what your dog is trying to say, it’s easier to formulate a plan to correct or control the behavior. For example, if your dog only touches you occasionally when he needs comforting, you probably don’t want to prevent him from doing so. 

If, however, your dog uses its paw or scratches you to get your attention, then you can work to modify that behavior. 

 

Train your dog and use commands to stop bad behavior

When your dog paws at you, give your dog a “No” or “Stop” command. Then tell your dog to sit. Once your dog is relaxed and sits calmly, give the dog a treat and lots of praise. You may have to do this repeatedly to train your dog to learn the message and break this common dog behavior, especially if your dog has been pawing you for a long time. 

Pawing also can be an example of dominant behavior. If your dog continues to paw you and ignores your commands to stop, your dog may be trying to boss you around. Try walking away from your dog or turning your back on him. Ignoring your dog will teach him that scratching you is unacceptable behavior.

Again, you may need to do this several times to teach your dog scratching you won’t get the result he wants. 

Never yell at your dog or hit him. Negative attention could reinforce bad behavior, or worse, make your dog fearful and potentially aggressive. 

If your dog scratches at the door as a signal that he wants to go outside, you’ll have to decide whether you wish to continue using that method. If you’re going to eliminate all scratching, you can teach your dog to ring a bell to let you know he needs to go out. Or you could train your dog to give one short bark as an alert. Some people even install a dog door so their pets can go outside independently.

Dogs that love to paw (and dig)

Just like some people are more prone to using hand gestures when they talk, some dog breeds are more likely to use their paws. Some dogs wave their front paws, while others cross their front paws or look like they are putting their paws together in prayer.

Dogs also tend to favor one paw over the other, just like humans do. The majority of animals are right-handers. A much smaller percentage are left-handers. Quite a few dogs are ambidextrous or use both paws equally.

Breeds more likely to use their paws to communicate also more prone to digging. Dog breeds that use their paws a lot include boxers, dachshunds, terriers, beagles, miniature schnauzers, Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and Australian shepherds. 

Bottom line

Observe your dog’s body language. If you learn to understand dog mannerisms, you will better understand what your puppy or dog is trying to tell you.

That way, you can control the action and train your dog to stop excessive pawing before it becomes a severe behavioral problem.

Your dog will be impressed when you become as bilingual as you expect them to be.

Karen A. Soukiasian is the owner of Good Dog! — Dog Training in St. Augustine, Florida. You can follow Karen on Facebook.

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