Why does she sit on me?

Hi,
When I do certain things such as have a seizure, do a workout, sit on sofa/chair, have people round , Tilly my 6yr old will sit either as close as possible or sit on me basically as close as possible. I have googled but alot of it is coming up with make sure in the pack leader and dominance. A bit more about Tilly she is 6yr she has fear aggression (which I am doing clicker training with) but she gets scared very easily (washing machines, passers by, banging etc). Whats everyones views/opinions? All help would be great thanks in advance

I dont buy the whole dominant pack leader thing as an explaintion of every dog behaviour.

Dogs like to be close to you and they do protect, my dogs have always enjoyed sitting close to me laying at my feet or by the side of my chair.
Not dominance just company.

Exactly, you hit the nail on the head Dorrit. They like to be close. Not because of dominance. But because they like being near to you. Some very close others just close enough to keep an eye on you. After all we are their protector and that is why we nurture them. At least that is my way of looking at it. In the obedience world close is not close enough. So be happy that your dog wants to be. You would be upset if she didn't want to be with you. She feels safe being with you. At least she doesn't mind the clicker, some dogs are frightened by them.

I don't see the problem as long as she's not terrorising anyone who comes close. All my dogs have sat as close as possible to me, the big ones snuggle against my feet and legs and the small ones all try to pile on my lap at once. They've now adopted their preferred positions around me as I get up too often for their liking. None of my lot have fear issues at all, it's just that I'm warm and they like to be as close as possible.

Regarding the fear aggression, my dog had the same problem until I found out about Adaptil spray, ( formerly known as DAP which stands for dog appeasing pheromone. I'm beginning to sound like an advert here!). My dog was fearful of all dogs, having been attacked by 2 greyhounds when he was younger. Just as an experiment we bought him a bandana which we sprayed with Adaptil before tying round his neck. We then took him to a nearby country fayre which was also listed as "family dog day." He behaved like a different dog! As all his fear was removed he was keen to make friends indiscriminately with every dog he met! As a long term result of wearing his bandana during what would normally be stressful situations, he became a much. more confident dog, not fearing anything with 4 legs as previously.
I honestly believe this hormone spray needs to be more widely advertised as it can be so beneficial. It can also be bought as a plug-in diffuser just like air fresheners and mosquito repellents).
Sadly, in spite of visits to dog psychologists, dog trainers and usual visits to the vet, not one of these professionals suggested the use of Adaptil. It was only during the last couple of years of his life after we'd discovered the stuff through much researching, he was a far more relaxed and brave boy. I only wish we'd known about it years ago!
I'd be very interested to hear if anyone else out there agrees with me.I think it would always be worth trying to help relieve any anxiety/fear issues.
Good luck Xionax!

Firstly I had to Google Kooiker, what a beautiful dog

I do agree with Dorrit there is too much made of dominance. The majority of the dogs I have had have wanted to sit on or very close to me and none of them were fear aggressive or had any other issues other than being rescued.

Deebuzzby I used Adaptil for a Lurcher who was afraid of fireworks. It made absolutely no difference what so ever

We've used adaptil on various dogs and not a jot of difference. If anything it made them worse. Probably because the owner thought it would and let their guard down and didn't help the dog in any way. Just patience and time unfortunately in my honest opinion is what is needed and not to ask more than the dog can cope with at any one time.

I agree it depends on the dog. Both of mine are lap dogs. With Callie it's just because he loves to be warm and cozy and as close to his people as possible. Our Sophie is fear aggressive and needy as all get out.

When she sits in my lap she has been known to growl at others approaching. I don't put up with that. If she's just being needy/selfish I dump her off my lap immediately. It does depend on the dog.

I didnt see the mention of a kooiker at first

its well known that these beautiful Dutch dogs are very devoted to their owner and very in tune with the owners feelings. They are a sensitive breed and need to be handled carefully.

Strange as it may seem most working dogs are sensitive in their nature, probably because they are highly intelligent. Did you know that if a dog sits with its back to you it is to show they trust you.