Doggone Etiquette —

Petting A Pet

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

When people (other than your very own people) reach out to pet you, do you “duck or grouse”? (In case you don’t get it, that is a joke sign above a very low door opening.) But seriously, do you lower your head, go flat on the floor and back away? Or do you let ‘em have it and growl at the offending hand? Let’s have a chat with your people so they can straighten you out, along with the offenders.

A Word to the Dog’s Owners:

This whole subject of petting came to light when there was TV coverage of the White House Scottie snapping at (I believe it was) a reporter reaching down to pet the dog. It was perfectly obvious to anyone with a little knowledge of dogs that the person was to blame, not the dog. Here’s why.

The correct way to approach any dog is the way dogs greet each other and that is by sniffing. Okay, dogs do get a bit personal about it, but people need to follow canine protocol in saying hello. People extend a hand for a handshake as a friendly how-do-you-do. When greeting a dog, you raise your hand (palm facing down) in front of, and just below the dog’s nose – and let him sniff the back of your hand. A wary dog will come forward cautiously, in which case the person must hold steady. A few warm words may help. If the dog backs off, or dashes behind his owner, stand up straight with your arm back at your side. Forcing the issue could easily get you a very quick bite.  That’s actually called “fear biting.” The dog may be shy or fearful for any number of reasons, and when approached, reacts with a very quick attack-bite-and-retreat. The owner of such a dog should forewarn anyone approaching that it’s fine to stand and chat for a few minutes, but the dog must be totally ignored. (Actually, that’s part of the re-training of such a dog.)        

The person reaching to the Scottie may have broken two rules. First, always ask the person on the other end of the lead if you may pet the dog. If the answer is yes, use the sniff method. In the case of a small dog, it may require a squat-and-sniff, but not leaning over the dog. In either case, let the dog come to you. The second broken rule that was obvious in that TV coverage was the person’s hand coming down onto the dog’s head. If you did that to a child, the child would anticipate a good smack. Well, so does the dog.             

If the dog is friendly, with tail wagging and perhaps even licks the back of your hand, turn it palm up for a second sniff. When that’s okay with the dog, a stroke under the chin might precede any pats anywhere else. An exuberantly friendly dog will be wriggling all over and obviously anxious to have you stroke and pat him and tell him how gorgeous he is. Those are true signs of a well-socialized companionable dog with an out-going temperament. However, some breeds (and therefore extending to some mixed-breeds) are aloof and, while pleasant within their own family, are not quick to make new friends. These instincts can go back to the jobs those breeds were originally bred to do. Because of this aloof characteristic, breeds such as the Akita and its smaller cousin, the Shiba Inu, can be difficult to obedience train.

Dogs are very like small children in that they are all different when it comes to social interaction either with other dogs or other kids. And both of their social skills may also vary with adults! Get the owner’s okay before greeting a strange dog. With dogs you know and who know you, offer the introductory “sniff” routine anyway – just to be polite.

Until next time - Be Good!

-  Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me! which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award this year.