Due to the hip dysplasia common in large dogs, our danes used to prefer sitting on the couch (front paws on the floor), rather than going all the way down. My sister had parties where the guests would sit on either side of the dogs to eat and the dogs would nonchalantly examine their plates.
My Irish Wolfhound would sit like that, too. This guy lived up to the "Gentle Giant" tag that Wolfhounds have been given - the only thing intimidating about him was his size. Within a minute, even the most intimidated of small children would warm up to the Wolfhound. I have never seen any living thing which radiated good intentions more than this dog did. What a lover. People would always comment on how carefully he moved around children and my frail grandmother. It was so noticeable when compared to his normally rambunctious behavior. I wish I lived where I had enough space to adequately keep an IW.