It could also mask their scent to potential prey as well.
Why does my dog put her paw on her face. Pawing you can be their way of asking for forgiveness and showing their submission to you in that moment. When your dog puts his paws on you he may be demanding attention seeking comfort or asking for forgiveness. Possible reasons why your dog puts its paw on your face are that it wants something from you it is bored it wants you to stop doing something its copying your own behavior or that it has learned that it gets rewards for doing it.
Also up for consideration are mites or ticks. One of the top theories is scent masking. There are two main reasons a dog may put his paws on your shoulders.
Because he wants to communicate get your attention and maybe a belly rub or a treat and he doesnt know of a better place to put his paw. It could be that your dog is responding to stressful situations in kind not because hes hiding per se but its just his own manneristic response to the emotion. Your dog might be putting their paws on their face for a few reasons.
So when you are petting your dog if he puts his paw on your arm or leg it is kind of like petting you back. It is actually possible that there is a combination of causes at play. Since there are a number of possible causes it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely.
It can also signal I like that dont stop especially if youve been. It tends to happen very quickly. If youre busy reading a book and your dog is quietly sitting next to you he might paw at your leg or your face to remind you that hes there and would like you to pay attention to him.
Most of the time he simply wants attention. Your dogs eyelid area may be red swollen and itchy. Dogs might roll around in the poop of others because it masks their scent.