Last Updated : November 27, 2022

Why do dogs cross their paws

Paws are probably one of the best parts of a dog’s body through which they can communicate with their pet parents.

Experts claim that about 70% to 80% of paws movements have some authentic meaning. This is the reason that you should learn the actual reason behind this movement to interpret and proceed further accordingly.

Why do dogs cross their paws

While analyzing your dog’s paws, you may have come across a question of why do dogs cross their paws when they lay down? Well, this practice also has various meanings and reasons behind it.

What does it mean when dogs cross their paws

Dogs express themselves with their body movement and pet parents like to know about the deep meaning of these movements. Well, this curiosity and learnings are necessary not only to know and fulfill the needs of your precious pets but to make your bond with your dog strong as well. The most prominent and actual reasons behind dogs crossing their paws while sitting include the following:

1. Your dog just to sit in a more comfortable posture

Vets and experts claim that crossing paws allow dogs to decrease their tiredness and pain in their joints efficiently.

Dogs sometimes cross their paws just because they want to sit in a more comfortable position.

The reason behind this comfort is that when dogs sit in a simple position, their elbows are completely touching the ground which means that most of their body weight is bare by their elbow which can cause ache in their bones.

Crossing their paws distribute weight on their whole body while making them a lot more comfortable.

Do keep this fact in mind that dogs can also feel comfortable while sitting on their bones, so you should not force them to cross their paws.

2. Could be a natural habit of the specific dog breed

You may be amazed to hear but sitting with crossed paws is a natural habit of various dogs. Experts claim that this habit is usually found in dogs’ breeds that have long legs but can be noticed in other dogs as well.

Some of the most prominent dogs breed with a natural habit of crossing their front paws include Poodles, Border Collies, and Labradors.

While some dogs can do it more often, crossing their paws is almost impossible for some species, and Bulldogs, Dachshunds are from that list. The basic reason behind this is their big size and small legs respectively.

3. Your dog may be trying to tell something

People usually have assumptions that dogs can only communicate through their tails but tails only represent their happiness and aggression in about 9 out of 10 cases.

If you are living with your pet dog for a long time now, you will have an idea that dogs ask for something by lifting their paws towards you or simply placing it on your hand.

Experts claim that dogs sometimes cross their paws to convey a message and this can only be interpreted by analyzing the movement of their other body parts as well.

4. This is a gesture of submission

Usually, people have assumptions that lowering down their tail or head is the gesture of submission but some experts claim that crossing their paws right in front of you can also be considered as a submissive gesture.

Crossing their paws indicates that they don’t want to attack or look aggressive. They do this while lowering down to a greater extent.

You should also analyze other nearby factors as well to get the right answer about why they are sitting with crossed paws.

5. Dogs are extremely happy or excited

A huge number of specialists and experts claim that dogs express their gratitude, contentment, and happiness by crossing their paws.

This usually happens when a dog has eaten great food and there isn’t anything to get afraid of.

This factor allows dogs to stay relaxed, and happy while sitting in one of the most comfortable positions.

If you are going to feed something special, dogs can cross their paws because of the excitement to eat the delicious food.

6. Your dog may have learned it from you

We all know that dogs can learn various activities from their pet parents and crossing their paws could be one of them.

Apart from just learning by themselves, you can also teach them to sit like this by offering their favorite food and playing with them in an adoring way.

In this way, they will do it very often as they know that they will get treats on doing so.

Some dogs sit with crossed paws because they have learned it from you or have been taught. This usually happens when dogs are living around humans for a very long time.

7. Your dog is nervous

As said earlier that crossing paws could be a gesture of submission, there are possibilities that your dog is sitting like this because he is nervous.

This thing usually happens when they are afraid of something especially if there is a big aggressive dog at your home.

Not only big dogs but they get nervous for many other reasons as well and one is living without you in the home.

8. Your dogs are feeling too cold

As we all know, dogs cannot bear extreme temperatures especially if it is cold. At that time, crossing their paws can be given a protective meaning as they are folding their legs to protect them from cold weather.

Crossing their paws allows them to provide heat to the lower leg and vice versa.

If you want to clarify the fact, you should ask them to sit in a room with normal temperature, they will tend to sit normally as they will not get cold anymore.

Do female dogs cross their paws for male dogs

In most cases, there is no different meaning whether a female dog or male dog is sitting with crossing their paws. All the above-discussed reasons can be a cause of female dogs crossing their paws as well. The difference is that female dogs can sometimes cross their paws to get attention from male dogs.

Female dogs have an assumption that male dogs tend to get attracted more towards females who urge them to get interested. Experts also claim that female dogs often do many other movements as well so that they can develop a feeling of love and attention in males.

Why do dogs sit while crossing their back paws

Where crossing the front two paws is very common, dogs sitting while crossing their back paws is extremely rare. This thing can only be found in some specific breeds of dogs that too in some significant situations. If your dog is sitting with crossed back paws, there are high chances that he is experiencing some kind of discomfort or pain in any part of his body.

It is possible that your dog has some injury in their lower side and they are just doing so to reduce contact with the ground. A muscle strain and pain in joints can also be a reason. In a nutshell, you should always check if your dog is sitting in this manner. If the practice remains the same for a long time such as a day, it is best to get your dog examined by a vet.

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