A Behavior Question

[Charla]

Hi,

When I put my hand down to pet my Goldendoodles on the head or the side of their face they back away. It always takes me by surprise. I have seen this reaction in dogs that have been abused. My dogs have NEVER been hit or abused in any way. I try to remember not to approach them with a hand near their face but sometimes it happens. I started watching other doodles and have seen the same behavior in some of them. Any ideas why?

Charla

PS My dogs are Rozee and Bella

[Cam & Oski]

Oski does something similar. When people reach down to pet the top of his head, he'll look up so they'll miss his head & then he sniffs their hands. The only abuse he's ever had has been being refused potato chips, LOL! He will do it less often with us & I get the feeling that he doesn't like have the top of his head touched but tolerates it from us as we're his "pack." It'll be interesting to see what other people think about this. I've wondered about it in the past & it seems to be primarily a doodle thing because most other dogs love having the top of their heads rubbed by friends or strangers :)

[Charla]

Thanks for the info. I received a lot of good responses.

See you on March 14th!

Charla

[Charla]

Thanks for writing back. Hard to tell sometimes what Doodles are thinking. My dogs are smarter than I am so I will just accept the fact of no head or side of face petting. Think a pair of glasses on top of their heads would help???

[Ali]

I think it has something to do with dominance. Putting your hand on top of a dog's head shows that they are submissive to you, you are the leader or higher in rank than them. This is why it is harder for strangers to rub their heads. It is better for strangers to pet their chest first. At least this is what I read.

[Charla]

Good to know. Thanks for writing back so quickly.

Charla

[Charla]

Doodles know what they want. I am trying very hard to change my behavior!

Charla

[Charla]

Rozee loves her butt scratched. She will use a chair or a tree to get a good scratch. I know what you mean about feeling bad. My doodles walk all over me in more ways than one. Thanks for writing.

Charla

[Ellen]

My 1 yr goldendoodle Riley doesn't mind being petted or stroked on the head, and in fact relishes it, but my sister's 2 yr labradoodle hates it, including when my sister, her husband, or I try to pet him on the head. He actually bolts when anybody tries to pet him on the head. I've heard about the dominance theory, and I've also read that dogs may not like the movement of their head bobbing up and down and blurred vision if somebody pets them a little too hard on the head.

[Charla]

Guess dogs have their own likes and dislikes just like people. Thanks for writing.

Charla

[Adina P]

I think in doggy language it's a pretty bold move to touch a head. Not always welcome or comfortable (same with hugs...not a normal doggy thing).

BUT it doesn't necessarily mean the dog is being traumatized. When I reach out my hand to Rosco, he tends to back his head up and follow my hand... I think some of that is just following the scent of what might be on my hand, curious what I'm gonna do, hoping maybe there's a treat in there...etc. But he's MY dog who trusts me. Yet he does a similar move with strangers...sniffs backward to follow the hand. Might even lick a strangers hand as he sniffs.

Yet, Rosco LOOOOVES head massages and will sometimes plop his head on my lap as I sit on the couch (or plop his head on the side of the bed as I'm waking up) and begging for a good scalp massage...he is very relaxed when he gets those. So it probably depends on context too.

[Charla]

Maybe the head thing goes back to the wolf days. My dogs are good with strangers but if they back off from someone I make a special note to myself to watch that person a little more carefully. I trust my dogs instincts 100%. Doodles are wonderful! Thanks for responding.

Charla

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yes, I have noticed this too with my labradoodle. He does not like to be touched on the head and usually backs up when a hand approaches him. I will tell him that I want to touch his beautiful face and then he comes to me to get petted, but he always backs away from a stroke on the face. My goldendoodle, on the other hand, loves to be petted anywhere on his body. He approaches everyone for a pet or a hug. It must be personality because neither of these dogs has ever been abused in any way.