Why does my dog rub his chin on me?

If your dog has been rubbing its chin on you a lot, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of common reasons why dogs do it and what you can do about them.

So, why does my dog rub its chin on me? Possible reasons why your dog rubs its chin on you are that it is being affectionate, it likes the way it feels, it gets rewards for doing it, it has a rash, it is spreading its scent onto you or that it wants something from you.

Since there are a number of possible reasons why your dog might rub its chin on you, it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the most likely cause, it should become a lot easier to decide what to do about it.

Why your dog rubs its chin on you

Below are common reasons why dogs do it and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

It gets rewarded

It might be the case that you have encouraged your dog to do it by giving it things it wants when it rubs its chin on you. If you give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it rubs its chin on you, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it behaves the way you want it to and to avoid rewarding it when it behaves in a way that you do not want.

It is being affectionate

It could just be the case that it is being affectionate. This would be more likely if it wants to sleep when it does it and if it does not try to get you to do anything or to give it anything.

It likes the feeling

It could just be the case that it likes the feeling. This would be more likely if it does not try to get you to give it anything, it does not behave unusually when doing it and if it also rubs its chin on other things in a similar way.

A rash

The cause could be that it has a rash on its chin. This would be more likely if it has started doing it suddenly, it rubs its chin on you a lot, if it has been rubbing its chin on other things a lot and if it does it forcefully.

It wants something from you

The cause could be that it is trying to get something from you. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when you are eating or at around the same time that you would normally give it something such as food.

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.

It wants attention

The reason why it does it could be that it is looking for attention. This would be more likely if you tend to give it extra attention or things such as belly rubs when it does it.

If you want to get it to stop it would help to give it attention throughout the day but to avoid rewarding it with attention when it tries to rub its chin on you. It would also help to try to recognize when it is likely to try to do it and to redirect its focus onto something else.

It makes it feel safer

The reason why it does it could be that it makes your dog feel safer. This is because, by touching you, it will know that you are there and it won’t feel like it is alone. This would be more likely if it also tends to follow you around the house and if it can have a timid personality.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.

What else happened when your dog first started rubbing its chin on you

If your dog did not always rub its chin on you, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to a rash but it could also be due to things such as trying to get extra attention from you.

What is different when it normally does it

It would also help to consider if there is a certain time that it tends to do it more and what is different when it tends to do it. For example, if it normally does it when you are eating, it would be very likely that it does it because it wants your food.

What to do about your dog rubbing its chin on you

Below are some things you can do in order to get it to stop doing it.

Avoid encouraging it

As mentioned above, it might be the case that your dog has learned that it gets rewards for rubbing its chin on you.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it is behaving the way you want it to and to try to redirect its focus when it seems likely to rub its chin on you.

Take it to a vet

If your dog has started doing it suddenly and it has been rubbing its chin on other things a lot or it has been doing it excessively, it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular dog and to rule out the possibility of it being due to an injury.

Train it not to do it

Another option would be to train your dog not to rub its chin on you by teaching it to go somewhere else. You can do this by teaching it to sit or to lay down somewhere and then by gradually training it to stay there over longer and longer time periods.

You can do this by applying the same techniques as in the video below:

Give it attention throughout the day

It would also help to give it attention throughout the day in the form of exercise, training and by playing with it. By doing so you should help to reduce the amount of attention it feels the need to get from you.