Why Do Dogs Put Their Butt on You? 7 Things to Know

Sometimes you may wonder why your dog always puts their butt on you? Is it because the dog doesn’t like you?

Or because they are having some physical issues you are unable to understand. Or do they hate you and do not wanna see your face?

Don’t worry this read will answer why they do it, what they want to convey, and whether you should worry about it.

To much relief for every dog owner, yes, this is a common behavior, and many dogs do this to show affection towards their owners.

We will discuss their behavior and learn why they put their butt on us and all other related things.

Let us just dive right in.

This behavior may mean many things maybe they are saying, ‘you are mine’ or ‘Please, pat me’ or ‘I love you’; whatever they wanna say, it has to be a positive sign.

The Basics of Dog Communication

It is not easy to understand what your dog wants to communicate. Especially for new dog owners, it’s a significant problem if they do not understand what their dog is saying, affecting their trust and bond.

To understand what they mean, we need to understand the basics of their communication.

Dogs sniff each other’s rear as an introduction, and this gesture is the same with all breeds of dogs. It may seem weird and awkward for humans, but this is how dogs say hello to each other.

They surely do not shake hands when they meet, do they? It’s very interesting to know why they do that. They go ahead and smell each other rears because they get all the information after the sniff.

A dog’s rear has scent glands, and after a sniff, dogs can find out everything about a dog, like their mood, sex, age, and even their stress levels.

And since this is a very common and essential communicating skill they have, they tend to do the same with humans. In their world, facing each other face-to-face signifies aggression and dominance.

Now you know the basic communication of dogs and what makes them do those behaviors.

The Role of Scent Glands in Dogs

Scent glands are referred to anal sacs, which are two oval-shaped glands on either side of the anus. The gland’s purpose is to release a liquid with a very fishy and pungent odor.

When they poop, they express their glands, naturally excreting this fluid with an odor. Expressing their scent glands alone releases a scent to mark their territory near their home or yard during regular bowel movements.

This is why the sniff hinds end when they meet, as they can find all information through the smell.

All dogs, male or female of any breed, have these glands. Even other pets like cats and other animals too have these glands.

These glands don’t seem to cause a problem until you notice some irregularities and changes in their behavior. Now is the time to worry, especially when you have a small breed dog.

If your dog is displaying these symptoms, you should head straight to the vet and get it treated.

• Scooting their bum against or along the floor or lawn.
• Excessive licking or itching of their rear-end area,
• A noticeable fish-like unpleasant odor.
• Swelling and redness near the rectum.

The vet will manually empty those glands by squeezing them. You can also do this, but it will be gross, and you may need help to handle all the unpleasant-smelling things coming out of it.

Also, getting this done by a vet is a good idea as your vet will get it checked and let you know what caused this in the first place, making it easier for you to take precautions.

If your dog has an infection, the vet will prescribe some medications and drugs to help it ease. And if things are too severe, the vet can also advise on removing the glands.

These glands do not pose a health risk to your canine partner, and these glands can be removed for surgical or health reasons; your dogs would be okay to live without them.

A healthy diet, fresh water, and lots of exercise can help keep them fit and out of these problems.

Why Do Dogs Put Their Butt on You?

There might be various reasons why your dog puts his butt on you, this behavior is very common among dogs, and it tells you many things.

Let us discuss in detail all the possible reasons why your dog puts his butt on you.

1. Communicating Their Trust

They might put their butt on you as a sign of trust and confidence. Dog turning his back exposes them and makes them vulnerable to attacks, and keeping his back towards you means they trust you not to harm them.

A dog’s mouth is his weapon; when it is furthest away from you. It means they love and trust you. Turning butt towards you means you will have his back from any threat; in return, they will guard your front side.

They may also lie down on their side, which shows they have put their guard down and trusts you to protect them from any danger if there will be any.

2. Avoiding Eye Contact

Dogs turn their back toward you as they might feel uncomfortable making eye contact. In a dog’s world, making eye contact is a sign of establishing dominance, and when the dog sees you as a dominant partner, it will avoid eye contact.

Study shows that when our dogs look at us, our brain releases a chemical called oxytocin, which makes us happy, but that may not be the case with dogs. While some dogs love eye contact, others may be agitated by it.

Dogs adopted from shelters are fearful and frightened and do not understand what to make of this eye contact; hence, they try to avoid eye contact by putting their butt on you.

This may also happen with dogs who are not social and timid. Instead of just giving a long look, try making eye contact with verbal and visual communication, so they might feel comfortable and not put their rear on you.

3. Seeking Affection

You do give your dog constant love, right? If not, seeking affection might be another reason your dog puts its butt on you.

It is a very common behavior and is called a hip nudge. They will come to you and put their butt on you, telling you to pet their hippo. Sometimes they can not reach their back and hip nudge when they need a scratch.

You will notice a tail wag when you scratch or pet their rear end as a sign of satisfaction and enjoyment.

A dog’s rear end has many sensitive nerve endings, and they can not reach that of their own, so as an owner or a friend, they expect you to do it.

4. Marking Scent

They put their butt on you to mark scent and make you part of the pack. Remember reading about the scent gland earlier in this article? Your dog releases the scent to mark love and claim you are theirs.

This becomes common when two dogs are in a house, and the competition begins for human attention.

They will put their butt on you to claim territory, and each dog has a different and unique odor, and we humans may not smell it sometimes, but dogs do, and this is also done for other animals to know you belong to the pack.

5. Protecting You

Another possible explanation of why your dog is putting its butt on you is because they are protecting you. We all know about the essential traits of dogs. Loyal and protection are their best and most admired qualities.

If they come to you and put their butt on you or sleep with their butt on your body, it can mean they have sensed something and is in guarding posture against any threat coming your way.

It is a positive sign if your dog faces the door or windows and puts their butt on you; it means they are looking for any possible danger and will protect you at all costs. It is their natural way of paying you back for your kindness.

6. Indicating a Problem

One reason why your doggo puts their butt on you can be a problem they want you to know of.

If you notice, there can be rashes or another skin infection, or a foul smell around the bum, causing a flea infestation.

The fleas hide in the dog’s coat near the rear area or the bum and feed on the dog’s blood, laying eggs. These irritate the doggy, start itching around the anus, and they itch to control that.

Look out for any signs of infection and problems they might have, and if you find one, make sure you go to a vet to get it treated.

7. Should You Allow This Behavior?

If there is nothing to worry about and your dog is just expressing your love, you can let it carry on. It is okay for them to express love in every way they want to.

But if something is wrong or you want this behavior to end, you can train them to be more obedient and social. If your dog is shy and avoids eye contact, train them to be social and friendly.

If this is just the love language, you can adjust to this behavior, forming a good bond with them.

FAQ’s

Conclusion

You shouldn’t be bothered about your dog putting a butt on you. They are just showing their loyalty, trust, and love to you. Getting used to it is the best solution.

You may need to see a vet if your dog is rubbing its butt and constantly itching the rear end. Apart from that, this article explains why your dog puts a butt on you.

I hope you understand what they want to convey by this behavior and your role in complementing them.