Why does my dog bury his head in my arms?

If your dog has been burying its head into your arms, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about them.

Possible reasons why your dog buries its head into your arms are that it is being affectionate, it is anxious or fearful, it is spreading its scent onto you or that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded.

There are actually a number of possible reasons why your dog might bury its head into your armpit and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are a number of things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are a number of things you can do about it.

Reasons why your dog buries its head into your arms

Below are a number of possible cause and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.

Affection

The reason why it does it might be that it is being affectionate. This would be more likely if it shows signs of excitement when it is doing it and if it does things such as get you to pet it. It would also be more likely if it does it more when you have not been giving it much attention in a while.

Anxiety

The reason why it does it might be that it has some separation anxiety. This is where it does not like being left alone and the prospect of being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely to be the reason if your dog tends to do it more when you are about to leave home and if it gets anxious when you are leaving.

Encouraging the behavior

It could also be the case that your dog has learned that the behavior gets rewarded. If you tend to give your dog things such as toys, treats, or extra attention, when your dog buries its head in your arms, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Fearfulness

Another possible reason why it has been doing it could be that something has been causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it has been doing it more at a certain time when it is more likely to be fearful such as when there are noises outside or when you are outside and near other animals.

To spread its scent

It might also be the case that it does it in order to spread its scent onto you so that other dogs don’t approach you. This would be more likely if it can get overly protective when you are around other dogs, if it tends to bury its head into you when you are standing up and when you are near other animals.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out why your dog has been doing it.

If it has always buried its head in your arms

If your dog has not always buried its head into your arms, it would help to consider what else happened when your dog first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as something causing it to start being anxious, suddenly getting less attention, or learning that the behavior is rewarded.

What is different when it does not bury its head in your arms

It would also help to consider the timing of when it does it since the timing might also have something to do with it. For example, if it tends to do it more when you are leaving home, it would be more likely to be due to separation anxiety.

The body language it shows

It would also help to consider the body language it shows when doing it. If it shows signs of being relaxed, it would be more likely to be that it is being affectionate or doing it because it finds it comfortable. Whereas, if it shows signs of being anxious, such as by hiding its tail or whining, it would be more likely that something is causing it to be anxious or submissive.

What to do about your dog buring its head in your arms

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Avoid encouraging it

As mentioned above, it might have learned that the behavior gets rewarded. Instead, it would help to reward it when it behaves the way you want it to and to avoid rewarding it, with things such as attention, when it does not.

Limit reasons why it might be anxious

If your dog has been showing signs of being anxious, it would also help to limit possible reasons why it might be anxious. Things to do could include feeding it, letting it pee and exercising it before leaving it and letting it stay in a room that is not too loud and where it can lay down.

Redirect its focus

Another option would be to try to redirect its focus towards something else whenever it is about to bury its head between your armpits. Things to redirect its focus towards could include toys or a bone. Doing this could get it out of the habit of burying its head into you.