DO NOT PET YOUR DOG!

Sorry, that was a truncated sentence. (Yes, I had to Google that word. I wanted to sound smart)

DO NOT PET YOUR DOG… ALL THE TIME!

Most of the time we pet our dogs because we want to. Not because they want us to

Yes, most dogs LOVE to be pet most of the time, just not ALL the time

I’m a professional canine bahaviourist. This means I do it everyday. Not just physical dog training, but continuous researching, learning, discovering proven scientific dog stuff

YEP! I’ve done my research. And research shows that human hands and dogs are meant to be together

BUT.. Not all the time

There are signals you can look out for. You can test if they want petting

One of the most telling tests:

move your hand towards their nose. If your dog moves their head away, backs away, huffs, licks their lips or gives you the side-eye, he/she wants you to leave them alone

If they do want petting or cuddling, your dog will touch your hands with their nose and/or move into your space

You don’t want to be hugged ALL THE TIME, do you?

If you do, accept your loving nature. That’s cute ☺️

Most of us (especially me) don’t want to be fussed all the time. I never want that. When I’m poorly or pissed off, I bugger off into a different room to be alone

In rare(ish) cases, too much doggy attention can cause behaviour issues and possibly lead to separation anxiety

So pet your dog.

If they want you to