My Dog Spike

Some of you may remember me mentioning Spike, the Border Collie, Jan and I rescued from a crack dealer. Spike has turned out to be one the best dogs I've ever had. We've had him about two years, and still amazes us with things he does. I've got a befuddlement with him. Does anyone know the significance of what it means when a dog sits besides you, you scratch his neck, and he lifts his FRONT leg and paw and places it over your arm while you scratch him? He's just started doing this, and he only does it with me. It's obvious that he's my dog, he prefers to be with me more than Jan. I've never had a dog do this before and he does it most of the time. Please note I said his FRONT leg!!!

He is saying in dog language, that he has you wrapped around his paws, but you think that it is the other way around.

Junkman said:

He is saying in dog language, that he has you wrapped around his paws, but you think that it is the other way around.

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Junk, that could very well be, and thats OK. He's a pretty special dog to me!

Give him a bone to chew on and then put your head down where his is. If he growls at you, then you know who the master is. If he lets you take it from him, then you know that he respects you as his master. Junk.......

Junk; I haven't tried that but will. I do know I can take his dog bowl full of food away from him, and he just backs away with no growling or anything. I thought maybe the raised paw thing might be a sign of affection, if you could call it that.

johnday said:

Does anyone know the significance of what it means when a dog sits besides you, you scratch his neck, and he lifts his FRONT leg and paw and places it over your arm while you scratch him?

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John,

That means "don't stop". He's holding your arm to say "don't move it".

I had a couple dogs that would do similar things. I would lay on the floor with them and scratch, pet them but if I tried to leave, they would lay on either my arms or legs to stop me. I stayed since they were all 100+ pounds each.

Pretty neat.LOL! Couple different ideas there. Anyone else have some?

Brian; know just what you mean by 100+ lb dogs. My malamute is 106lbs, and what she says goes. But she's a real softy, she just acts tough!

We had a big malamutes and loved him. Thunder was about 120#, great to us, but the guy who trained him was the trainer for the Gary, IN Police Dept. He said he'd never train another malamute after mine bit through the padded suit protecting the "attacker." Unfortunately he died at about age 6 or 7 due to liver failure. We've had Akitas since then, a bit smaller but shed just as much. My current female is a little girl at 90# and she will also put her paw over my hand occasionally when I am rubbing her head. I presume it is because she doesn't want me to stop.

I was always told that is a dogs way of giving you a hug.
My lab mutt gives me the paw thing as well.

Ive known this old lady since I was born and she has a dog that is imaginatively named 'Dog'. When I go over there (a couple times a week usually) it runs up to me and follows me till I sit down, when I do it will sit infront of me lift its paw and put it on my knee and give me that look, so I give it a quick scratch and it will take its paw down, the moment I stop it puts its paw back on my knee so I cant get up and licks my hand. I usually end up scratching and stroking it for the whole time I'm there. The moment I say 'See ya soon then' as if I were leaving it will get up and back away a few feet so I can get up and if I say 'see ya in a minute' as if I were going out to do some work and would be back in a minute it gets up and runs to the door to go outside. The dog has never been trained, to get it to sit you have to pat it on the back, really its so good natured you dont need to train it, if it would just stop eating all the windfall apples The dog has never been put on a lead, it just doesnt leave your side if you tell it not to, unless it sees a rabbit (very common) in which case you just walk back to the house and it will be there waiting for you

John, Spike sounds like a great dog, you cant beat going somewhere (home) knowing that atleast the dog will be looking forward to you caoming back and it sure cant nag and moan like the wofe does