It can happen that a dog who does not like to touch can, over time, show us this one and only place that he can boldly massage. In turn, this pet, who loves massage, can show that there is something that he does not like. It is worth being careful to be able to build mutual trust in this field. We can see if the dog is tense or relaxed. Does he fancy the so-called “Strokes” or “repels” us. Touching the dog should be preceded by active listening – it’s worth knowing what your pet wants to tell you.
The dog wants to feel safe
What is worth remembering at the beginning is the fact that the dog wants to feel safe with his guardian. If this need is disturbed, confidence in a person is diminished. Constant, everyday rituals build a sense of security. The dog should know that he can count on man at all times. A pet who has a good relationship with a guardian will be more likely to follow instructions. It is similar in moments of relaxation – if touching the dog is to be successful, he must feel relaxed and safe with the person who is petting him.
Your pet may not like stroking or massage at all. If that’s the case, I’ll show you this. Maybe it already shows, but we humans have something in us that we want to cuddle and pet the dog often. Many dogs tolerate this and allow their guardian to do this. However, there are also individuals that even die when a person is to pet them. You can’t do anything by force. If the dog is a non-touching type, we must accept it. Stay together, do a lot of cool things, but don’t touch them by force. You can try to gradually approach such a dog, sit next to him, observe the world with him outside the window … It’s such “taming” as the Little Prince was to tame a fox. Perhaps over time the untouchable dog will allow a trusted person to pat him. Sensitive to the behavior of his dog, an attentive guardian, he will definitely catch this moment.
Touching a foreign dog
Unfortunately for a dog, we often translate the relationship with a person into a relationship with him. And it’s worth remembering that what seems natural to people may not be natural for a pooch. Our four-legged pets may interpret certain gestures differently. Embracing – or kissing a dog – can have a completely different meaning to him than to us. Our dog can still tolerate it when we embrace it all, but I do not recommend checking it on a foreign dog … Embracing a quadruped is not a “human hug” but a signal: “I want to fight with you.”
And as for the kissing … No one would dare a foreign dog, but even kissing your own pet after the mouth, we send him a signal: “take care of me”. Puppies often ask their mother for protection in this way. For us, a simple expression of tenderness, for the dog a lot of confusion: “I have to listen to him, he is my guide, but he wants me to lead him? I do not understand…” .
Therefore, be careful of such gestures as hugging your torso and kissing your mouth because they can cause some conflict of interest. Do you think you have a “miziak type” at home and he likes it all? Ok, you know your dog best – but it’s worth keeping these things in mind. It is after all about the best relationship between you.
Empathy counts
There are times when our four-legged friend has a great desire to relax. He gladly shows his guardian with all his energy to massage him. If the guardian is not only attentive, but also focuses on what the dog shows him, he will read better and better over time, where his pet likes to be massaged the most. Each dog is slightly different: one may love touching the calf, another around the neck, another around the tummy.
Empathic caregivers will know more and more how to do massage over time, which places to massage and which to not touch. If they learn to read what the dog wants to tell them, then massage will be a very good form of relaxation – both for the dog and for themselves. Such massage will build an increasing bond and mutual trust. The guardian will learn to get to know his pooch better and better. It’s a great conversation without words.
Listen to hear
Our four-legged friend may also not have the desire for cuddly. If he steps back, runs away, lowers his head, cringes, it shows that he doesn’t feel like patting him. Sometimes, as it lies, he can show it with his paw – waving it as if in a gesture of repulsion. Then he seems to be saying: “Give me a break, relax, don’t pet me.” Man should respect this and leave his pet alone. Empathy is also important here.
Many problems in mutual relations could be avoided if we learned to read the body language of our four-legged friends well. It is worth to learn it so that the dog does not lose confidence in us, on the contrary – that it is as large as possible. It’s not like a pet is to obey only our instructions. It is also important for us to listen to what he wants to convey to us with all of us. Yes, there will be times when communication errors will appear, but it is important to draw the appropriate conclusions from them and have the desire to continue learning this extraordinary mutual relationship, which is undoubtedly human-canine friendship.
