Why does my husky stand over me?

If your husky has been standing over you a lot this post will show you why it might be doing it and what you can do about it.

So, why does my husky stand over me? Possible reasons are that it is being dominant, it’s looking for attention or you might have inadvertently rewarded the behavior.

There are actually a number of reasons why your husky might be doing it but there are some things you can consider which will help in figuring out the exact reason. There are also a number of options you have in getting it to stop.

Why your husky stands over you

The different reasons why your husky stands over you will likely come with some clues in the way that it does it.

Below are some possible reasons why it does it and what would make them more likely.

It’s being dominant

The reason why it has been doing it could be that it is being dominant. This is because dogs will stand over other dogs in the wild when they are being dominant. It would be more likely that your husky does it for this reason if it also does things such as not listen to you, it is aggressive or it is possessive.

In this case, it would be important to give it lots of training so that it learns to see you as the leader and so that it learns how it is meant to behave.

It’s being protective

The cause could be that it is being protective. This would be more likely if it does it when there are other people nearby such as when someone approaches the front door. In this case, it would also be important to give it training so that it learns how to behave as discussed below.

You have inadvertently trained it to do it

It might be the case that you have actually encouraged the behavior by giving it things it wants when it does it. If you give it things such as belly rubs, treats or extra attention when it does it then it might have learned to do it more in order to get those things.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it is well behaved and to redirect its behavior when it looks like it is about to try and stand over you after training it.

It is looking for attention

The cause could be that it is looking for attention from you. This would be more likely if it does it when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it more attention when it does it.

In this case, it would help to notice when your husky is about to do it, to redirect its focus onto something else such as laying somewhere else and to give it attention then so that you are not rewarding it for standing over you.

It wants to feel more secure

The cause could be that it wants to feel more secure. This would be more likely if it does it when it might be feeling insecure such as when there are fireworks outside or construction works.

Things to consider

Below are some things you can consider which will help in figuring out exactly why your husky does it.

When it first started doing it

It would help to consider when your husky first started doing it since it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start doing it.

If it started doing it suddenly it would make it more likely that it learned that it gets rewards when it does it, it started becoming dominant after you stopped giving it training or that it started looking for attention when its routine changed. It would help to consider what else changed when it started doing it.

If it has been doing it since a young age then it could be that you rewarded it for doing it when it was young or that it has been doing it due to being dominating especially if you didn’t give it much training as a puppy.

If it stands over other people or dogs

It would also help to consider whether or not it is only you that it does it to.

If it stands over other people and dogs as well then it would make it more likely that your husky does it because it is being dominating. Whereas, if your husky does not do it with other people or dogs then it would be more likely that it is looking for attention from you or that you have inadvertently trained it to do it.

When it seems to do it more

It would also help to consider whether or not there is a certain time that it does it more since it could be the case that the timing has something to do with it.

For example if it seems to do it more when you would normally walk it then it might be trying to get you to give it a walk.

What to do about your husky standing over you

Below are some options you have when getting your Siberian husky to stop standing over you.

Give it lots of training

Huskies were bred to work with their owners for hours on a daily basis. As a result of this, they will naturally look to their owners for direction which is why it is important to give them lots of training.

If you have not given your husky much training it would be important to do so starting with the basics and building up from there. I have written about how to train your husky to stay here and how to lay down on command here.

Avoid allowing it to do so by noticing when it is about to stand over you

When you notice that it is about to try and stand over you it would help to redirect its focus onto something else. You could do this by training it to lay down somewhere and to tell it to go there when it is about to stand over you.

Get help from a dog behaviorist

If you can’t figure out why your husky does it, you can’t get it to stop or it becomes aggressive consider getting the help of a dog behaviorist in your area. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular husky.