Nice article about dog and human interaction

[Deborah Brown]

This might not be news to many of us but I think it is a great reminder or maybe even surprise to many.

http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/11-things-humans-do-that-dog...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is such important information, and cannot be posted enough.

It's particularly important for parents to read this and instruct their children accordingly. 

I find that many people are very surprised to learn that you shouldn't come at a dog straight on and reach out to pet their heads.

Some people will respond to this kind of article by saying "My dog loves to be hugged." My feeling is that the dog probably doesn't love it, he tolerates it because he loves you, but that's not really the point. The information is meant to be applied to the majority of dogs in general, for safety purposes, not to any one individual's dog. The fact that any one individual's dog doesn't mind being hugged does not mean it's a good idea, especially for children. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I think that the paragraph regarding socialization is especially important for new dog owners:  "It is important to note that there is a difference between positive encouragement with shy, fearful, or reactive dogs. Taking small steps to encourage them out of their comfort zone and giving them rewards for any amount of calm, happy social behavior is important to helping them live a balanced life. . ." 

So many new pet owners have unrealistic expectations about taking their dogs places, even when they are not especially shy or timid.  They bring a new puppy home and introduce it to 30 people in the first 24 hours, never thinking that they are overwhelming the puppy.  They never think that they might need to take steps to expose the dog to new situations.

And don't even get me started about teasing!

[BG and Gavin]

This is why responsible parents teach their children to gently pet a dog’s back or rear, but don’t pat, and definitely don’t go for the dog's face. 

Going on regular therapy visits, Gavin is a pro at being pet.  When he visits the people seated in a chair, he generally "pulls up closely to them like pulling up to a drive through window" with his head well past them, instead presenting his body for petting.  Sometimes the people say "he doesn't like me; he's not looking at me" to which I reply "no, no, he respects you and is presenting you his body to pet - that's where he likes to be touched."  He is perfectly reliable no matter how he is handled, but clearly has shown me that receiving affection on the body, instead of the head is his preference.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Great post - would you mind posting it in the puppy group too?

[Deborah Brown]

I'm not a member of the puppy group but feel free to post a link to the article.  I agree that the puppy group would be a great place for this information!

[Deborah Brown]

I've been thinking about the "hugging" issue since posting this.  My first response was that, Yes!, I hug my dogs.  But actually my human hug and my doodle hug are very different things.  The doodle hug is not about grabbing and squeezing.  I usually put my face against theirs, cheek to cheek, and give them scratches or rubs in their favorite places.

Penelope gives me hugs every day.  She climbs up with her front legs in my lap, puts her chin on my shoulder and presses her head into the crook of my neck.  I love it!