Why does my dog touch me with his nose?

If your dog keeps touching you with its nose, 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 to get it to stop. 

So, why does my dog touch me with its nose? Possible reasons why your dog has been touching you with its nose are that it wants attention, it wants something from you, it is trying to remind you about something, it is being affectionate or that it is anxious about something. 

Since there are a number of possible causes, it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the main cause, it should become a lot easier to figure out what to do about it.

Reasons why your dog touches you with its nose

Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.

It wants attention

It could be the case that it does it in order to get extra attention from you. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it extra attention when it does it. 

It wants something from you

It could be the case that it has been doing it because it wants you to give it something. This would be more likely if it does it more when you are eating or when you are holding something else that it might want such as one of its toys or a bone.

It is reminding you about something

It might also be the case that it does it because it is trying to remind you about something. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more at around the same time that you would normally feed or walk it. 

Affection

It could be the case that it is just being affectionate. This would be more likely if you tend to pet it when it rubs its nose into and if it tends to do it at random times.

Anxiety

The cause could be that something is causing it to be anxious. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more at a certain time such as just before you normally leave home. In this case, it would be more likely that it has separation anxiety. 

Fear

It could be the case that something has been causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it tends to touch you with its nose at a certain time such as when there are loud noises outside or another animal around that it does not like.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been touching you with its nose a lot.

What else happened when it first started doing it

If your dog did not always touch you with its nose a lot, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it might be due to things such as something causing it to become anxious, learning that it gets rewarded or it has been reminding you to feed or walk it.

What is different when your dog touches you with its nose

It would also help to consider if there is a certain time that your dog tends to do it since the timing might have something to do with it. For example, if it tends to touch you with its nose, when you have not been giving it attention for a while, it could be the case that it does it in order to get extra attention.

What to do about your dog touching you with its nose

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

Avoid encouraging it

It could be the case that your dog has learned that nudging you with its nose results in it getting rewards. Instead, it would help to reward it when it behaves the way you want and to avoid rewarding it, with things such as extra attention, when it does not. 

Limit reasons why it might be anxious

It would also help to limit possible reasons why it might be anxious by doing things such as ensuring that it can pee, eat and get exercise before leaving it for long time periods. 

Give it a daily routine to be used to

Since it could be the case that it has been doing it to try to remind you about something, it could also help to try to get it used to a certain schedule. If it knows when it can expect to get things such as food or a walk, it could make it less likely to try to remind you to give it food or a walk.