If a dog comes up to you, your first instinct might be to pet them. Of course, it’s good advice generally not to pet dogs you don’t know, but it can be tempting to reach out if they’re the ones approaching us to smell us first.
However, a dog coming up and smelling you is not necessarily an invitation for you to touch them – and not all dogs are comfortable with us doing so. Rather, it’s best to have some of the best dog treats on hand to make the dog feel more at ease.
Certified dog trainer Melissa Goodman of Mission Pawsitive has explained everything we need to know in a recent Instagram post, and it’s given us plenty of food for thought – and it’ll help us ensure we keep the dogs around us as comfortable as possible, too!
In Goodman’s video, she’s being approached by a dog, Hazel. “Have you made this assumption before?” Goodman asks, “See how she’s extending her back legs as far as she can? She’s not asking me to pet her right now.”
She says ‘good girl’ and throws treats for Hazel, who appears to simply be checking her out and gathering information by scent, rather than wanting to be touched.
“She kind of goes, ‘Oh wait, I think I pushed myself too far. Uh oh, now what do I do,” says Goodman about Hazel, explaining that dogs in this situation can have their fight or flight instincts kick in.
She adds in the caption, “If I reached out to pet her, she would have jumped back because she definitely had no interest in interacting with me. If you do it to the wrong dog, that’s how you get bitten.”
Where Hazel is leaning forward and shifting her weight, it’s so she can move away quickly if she needs to – knowing how to read dog body language can be so important! This is why Goodman gives her a treat – it prevents her from feeling stuck in the situation, but also rewards her for being brave. And, as she summarizes, “Unless a dog makes it very obvious they want physical affection from me, I don’t pet them.”
While it’s totally fine for dogs not to want to be touched all the time, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your own pup to see if they exhibit anxious behavior on a regular basis. These eight reasons why your dog is anxious (and how to help them) could be eye-opening.
