Petting a DogPetting a dog: Dogs generally use their mouths to hold and touch things; humans on the other hand, use their hands. Our domesticated dogs need to learn to get used to this and to appreciate our touches and pets. Most dogs learn to enjoy our demonstrations of love and they feel happy when we touch them. This is especially true if they have been raised with friendly and loving people that did not hit them or pushed them when they were puppies. Dogs that have learned to trust in humans can be touched and they are not afraid of other people's hands either. I like that: A well trained dog will enjoy being touched and will even come closer to the person if they really like it. A dog like this not only enjoys physical contact but also feels comfortable about having eye contact with a human. A dog that is not completely used to people will feel very uncomfortable when if a person goes and looks at them and touches them. However, there are ways of helping a dog like this learn and that is by getting on his side and touching him a little without facing him or looking into his eyes. Dog play: When a dog touches another dog with his front paw, he is indicating he wants to play, however, if the other dog is not used to this, he will act surprised and back off from the dog. And he might even take it as a threatening act. Remember that dogs only use their front paws to fight, play and when they want to mate. The rest of the time their paws are used to run. It must be strange for them to see how much we love using our hands. |
