Does your dog sit in a begging position? Has anyone got any ideas what it means in doggy body language?

My dog has started to sit in a begging postion when we call him over for a stroke, he puts his paws on your hand (he does 'hi five' and 'how do you do' on command) and if you continue to support it he then sits upright in the positon you see little terrier types doing. Now it sounds ok but he is the size of a labrador :) He then just sits in the position looking rather proud of himself, one paw on your hand and one dangling infront of him. My family have had jacks and have always taught them to beg on command but the golden retriever never got this trick (bet she thought it was beneath her though :rolleyes: ) we just thought that she was too big but he is larger.

Now it's something I don't mind and I can easily change it into a trick I can get him to do on command instead but I don't want to teach him any bad habits :lol: or let him think he getting away with something that is bad in doggy language.

What do you think? Is it a bad habit or a trick to be taught and encouraged to add to his others? :lol:

If you like it and think it's cute then there's no harm and you can reward and encourage it.

If you don't like it then discourage it.

The dog is in your company and should only do what you want it to do. Personal choice I suppose.

I wish my dog would do it, I think it's cute. I'm lucky to get a paw from him depending on how he's feeling!

Molly does a proper beg, but only on command (or if there's something that she really REALLY wants and the first few tricks performed without being asked didn't get her the treat!).

She struggles with it if she's not got somewhere to support one of her front paws though.

Does your dog sit in a begging position? Has anyone got any ideas what it means in doggy body language?

My dog has started to sit in a begging postion when we call him over for a stroke, he puts his paws on your hand (he does 'hi five' and 'how do you do' on command) and if you continue to support it he then sits upright in the positon you see little terrier types doing. Now it sounds ok but he is the size of a labrador :) He then just sits in the position looking rather proud of himself, one paw on your hand and one dangling infront of him. My family have had jacks and have always taught them to beg on command but the golden retriever never got this trick (bet she thought it was beneath her though :rolleyes: ) we just thought that she was too big but he is larger.

Now it's something I don't mind and I can easily change it into a trick I can get him to do on command instead but I don't want to teach him any bad habits :lol: or let him think he getting away with something that is bad in doggy language.

What do you think? Is it a bad habit or a trick to be taught and encouraged to add to his others? :lol:


My Max does this and he's a gsd ! :)

Takara and Eddy both do it on cue but T will do it sometimes just because she wants to, and put her paw on you.

There are people who believe it's 'dominance' but I can't see it somehow. The belly is the most vulnerable part of a dog (bar his throat) and I like to think they're saying 'I trust you' if they show you their belly! (Well put it this way, a dog who doesn't trust you not to hurt him won't roll over onto his back and show you his belly so wouldn't do this either!)

no, but I trained my cats to sit and beg!! lol

:lol: like the cats begging!

I think we will have to work on his balance and if he can manage it without resting a paw I'll teach him to do it on command. I think he is a bit confused at the moment as I don't allow it but my boyf does. It is quite a cute trick to do but not one I'd force on a dog as it is quite a vunerable position balancing on your bum :lol:

Eddy still loves to do it Evei, but I have to try and persuade him that giving a paw is just as fun! He's 14.5 years old with weakening, stiff legs but he doesn't realise this and thinks it's perfectly normal for a dog his age to sit back on his hips!

When I first taught it to him, he was 11.5 years old and his balance was spectacular - he learned it really quickly and beat Takara at it paws down! Even now, Takara's 'beg' is not fantastic, she's worried about losing her balance so doesn't lift her paws up properly (always has them poised ready to fall!) whereas Eddy did it paws up and everything.

My Max does this and he's a gsd ! :)

so does Amber!:)

My boxer does it , to my extreme annoyance, so he only does it with other family members.

My Dachs do it, but only so they have a better angle to launch at you :|

My Dogue De Bordeaux does it and will stay there until you take notice of him, doesn't need his paw on anything. Though it did bring tears to his eyes when he tried it just after he had been castrated :o:D

My Dogue De Bordeaux does it and will stay there until you take notice of him, doesn't need his paw on anything. Though it did bring tears to his eyes when he tried it just after he had been castrated :o:D

:hihi::hihi::hihi:ouch

Oz (Jack Russell) does it all the time. He spends most of his time sat up like a person. Sometimes he does it for attention, other times I just think it's comfier for him. He isn't begging as such, just sat there. :roll: they are strange little things JRTs though.

Takara and Eddy both do it on cue but T will do it sometimes just because she wants to, and put her paw on you.

There are people who believe it's 'dominance' but I can't see it somehow. The belly is the most vulnerable part of a dog (bar his throat) and I like to think they're saying 'I trust you' if they show you their belly! (Well put it this way, a dog who doesn't trust you not to hurt him won't roll over onto his back and show you his belly so wouldn't do this either!)
Well 'dominance' may be too strong a word for it, but if Brude wants his tummy tickled, there's no way on earth he's going to roll over for it, but he'll demand you scratch his tummy by adopting a 'beg' position, then clawing at your hand

it is more a consciousness of dominant/submissive behaviour than it is actual dominance (well when it's Brude anyway)

The reason we discourage it is that when he gets away with making demands, his behaviour deteriorates on a more general basis, and he demonstrates further 'dominant' behaviours - including aggression

... but Brude's weird - it's probably not why Evei's dog is doing it


PS - he does it to see things above his normal range too :rolleyes:

PS - he does it to see things above his normal range too :rolleyes:

Takara's actually managed to perfect the art of looking on top of the worktop on her back feet without touching the worktop with her front feet now because she knows she gets in trouble for putting her paws up there..

We don't actually like her looking on it at all, but she seems to think if she's not touching it, she's not done anything wrong :rolleyes:

So she just steps back and forth on her tippy toes trying to stay upright long enough to see what's up there...

He He - Well I bet you only told her off for being up or near the worktop, not to keep her paws on the floor :P Oooooo, she knows all the loopholes!!

It's amazing to watch a pack of beagles in a field of long grass - they all 'up periscope' to see where the rest of the pack and their huntsman are :hihi:

Rocky does this as he likes his chest rubbed ......

i feel left out now lol none of mine do it lol

If you spent hour after hour after hour bribing them with dried black pudding over the course of a week I'm sure they'd give it a go!