When you first encounter a dog, your instinct is to reach out and give it a quick pat on the head. But if you do this and a dog reacts by looking at you as though you’ve just seriously offended them, there may be a reason. Ask any dog trainer or behaviorist; we witness it daily in the workplace, in lessons, and on neighborhood streets: people jokingly patting their dogs while the animals appear to be in pain.
Not that most dogs don’t enjoy being petted, though. Most of them do. But then. they donât. Honest. Both the statements “dogs love petting” and “dogs don’t love petting” are equally true. Ironically, the behavior of those who are actually doing the petting provides the explanation for that apparent contradiction. Related article.
For a moment, imagine yourself in your dog’s snow booties, and everything will make sense. Like most humans, you probably love a good back rub. Just thinking about one can make most of us smile. But you don’t want one every minute of the day, do you? What if you’re in a crucial Zoom meeting? Linda from accounting would find it odd if you were getting a back rub while discussing the budget for the following month. Itâs all about timing.
Ask First (It’s Not Just For Kids)!
Never approach an unknown dog and begin petting him. That’s a good way to annoy him or get bit by him. Always ask the owner’s permission before petting the dog, and then approach it from the side rather than head-on.
If you are familiar with the dog (perhaps he is a friend’s pet or you frequently see him at the dog park), you can cut the “meet and greet” phase of the process short. Just be careful not to startle him and pay attention to his body language.
In our guide on how to greet an unfamiliar dog, you can find out more about how to behave around dogs.
The Chemistry Between You and Your Dog
However, the relationship between humans and dogs goes beyond simple communication. When we interact with our dogs, we actually change their hormone levels, and they do the same for us.
Specifically, they cause an increase in the production of oxytocin, the hormone primarily responsible for the mother-baby connection that develops during the first few weeks of life. But oxytocin also influences other aspects of our thoughts and behavior. Oxytocin is part of the reason you feel the desire to be kind to others, and it is also at work when you are deciding whether or not to trust someone.
In fact, this has been empirically investigated by scientists, who discovered that oxytocin levels rise when people and dogs look into each other’s eyes. A big increase.
The participants who stared into each other’s eyes for the longest periods of time experienced startling increases in oxytocin, the researchers found, while brief gazes failed to elicit much of a change.
In these situations, the oxytocin levels of the dogs increased by at least 130% while those of their owners increased by a staggering 300%!
It was perhaps best put by canine-cognition expert Brian Hare, of Duke University in an interview with Science. As explained by Hare, “[It] suggests that dogs have hijacked the human bonding system.”
The Shoulder and Back
Many dogs enjoy having their shoulders or backs petted, scratched, or patted. It’s not a good idea to pet strange dogs here, but your own pet might really like it. You can be fairly vigorous while doing so (within reason), as there is a lot of fur and thick skin here.