Why Does My Golden Retriever Sit On Me?

Is your golden retriever constantly sitting on your either lap or your feet? Let’s go over why your golden retriever is behaving like this.

Why Does My Golden Retriever Sit on Me?

The most common reasons are separation anxiety, boredom, scent marking, they simply want attention or it is possible you have unintentionally rewarded the behavior.

Although this behavior is welcomed by many pet owners and some even find it quite entertaining, there are certain situations you may not want your golden retriever climbing on you or anyone else’s lap.

Let’s go over some of the reasons behind this behavior and how you can correct it.

Table of Contents

Why Your Golden Retriever Sits On Your Lap Or Feet

Below we will go over the most common reason your golden retriever is sitting on you.

Your Golden Retriever Has Separation Anxiety

The behavior could be because your golden has separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is when a dog does not like to be left alone and becomes anxious when left alone. This will sometimes result in excess drooling, scratching at the door, or chewing items. You may notice this behavior when you are getting ready to leave. Your dog may notice you are grabbing your shoes, which they have put together results in them being alone. You may also notice this behavior directly after your dog comes in from being outside alone.

Boredom

Golden retrievers require daily exercise and younger golden retrievers require hard exercise. When they do not get adequate exercise, they can sometimes act out in different ways. Have you noticed your dog is sitting on you when they would normally go out for playtime? This is them screaming, “Hey, I’m bored; take me out!” So if they display this behavior during their typical exercise time, you can bet it’s because they are bored and need to get out.

You can also try getting them an interactive ball launcher to keep them occupied.

Scent Marking

Dogs will actually mark their people. This may be the reason your golden has taken to sitting on you. This is a way for them to claim their territory (you) and let other dogs know you are taken by advertising their presence. Scent marking may be the reason if you notice your dog sitting on your when other pets or small children are around, or possibly you have returned home with another animal’s scent on you, and your pup wants to claim its territory back.

Attention

Golden retrievers are social animals and want to be next to their humans. Perhaps this is why your dog is climbing on your lap. If your pup climbs up with a toy in his mouth or rolls over after climbing up, you can bet they want attention. Goldens are attention hogs, so it’s like this is why they are climbing and sitting on your lap or feet.

Rewarding the Behavior

If you golden started sitting on you for attention, and you find yourself giving in when they sit on you, you have unintentionally rewarded them for this behavior. If this has become a nightly behavior when you hit the couch for some tv time, and your golden retriever immediately comes over well, they think you like it, and they know they will get the attention they are seeking.

Dominance

Although I don’t think this is a common behavior among golden retrievers, this is also a reason your dog could be sitting on your lap. The behavior could be accompanied by growling at your or other animals or people approaching you. This is a display of dominance and should be cause for concern.

You Dogs Spot

Another reason your dog could be sitting on you is maybe that you are in their spot. Silly dog you don’t own the couch! but all jokes aside if this only happens when you in a certain spot or chair you could possibly be in your dog’s spot.

What to consider

Below we have listed a few things to consider when trying to figure out why or your golden retriever had developed this behavior.

When Did The Behavior Start

If the behavior started all of the sudden and is not something your dog has been doing. Here is a couple of things to consider when trying to figure out why your dog starting this type of behavior.

Have you unintentionally rewarded the behavior when your dog was young?
Have you went back to work or working longer hours
Is your dog spending more time in the yard or at home alone?
Not enough exercise – Has your golden retriever been getting enough exercise?

Timing

Other things to consider when trying to get to a conclusion of why your golden is behaving in such a manner

If your dog tends to sit on you during a certain time or activity, you can put the two together and try to figure out exactly what your dog wants or why they want to sit in your lap. For instance, if your dog sits on you when you are getting ready to leave the house or sits on you around the time, you would normally give them attention. For example, if your dog comes to sit on you right when you get home, it may be because they want attention, they miss you and looking for someone to play with them. By considering the time of day or activity you are engaging in, you can likely pinpoint why your golden is displaying this behavior.

How To You Get Your Golden Retriever To Stop Sitting On Your Lap

While some pet owner welcome this behavior and fine it enteraioning and feel as if the dog is doing this because they love the. There are certain circumstances where you would want to correct this behavior.

This the may be the cause as your golden gets older and get bigger. If you have a male golden retriever they can weight up to 80lbs which can be quite alot of weight climbing into your lap. Also if you have small children or maybe elderly family members you would want to correct the behavior so you don’t have a 80 pound dog sitting on a person that they could cause unintentionally harm to them.

Training

The good news, golden retrievers, are highly trainable. If sitting on your lap has become a problem for you or a family member, you can simply train your dog not to climb in laps. To do this, it’s important your dog knows the down, sit, and stay command. If your dog is actively climbing into your lap, start with the down command. Then you can tell them to sit and stay and redirect their attention with a toy.

Must Have Golden Retriever Products

There are a couple of things golden retriever owners need to know. The first one is your need a good vacuum for the shedding! The second one is your need a good dog dryer to get your dog dryer, and it also helps reduce the shedding in your home. So here are our favorites recommendations.