As a dog owner, you feel compelled to provide a loving and safe environment for your best furry friend. You want him to trust you, follow your leadership and be a happy, healthy companion for as long as he is with you on this planet. While your intentions may be the most noble, you may be unintentionally scaring your dog with your own body language and mannerisms. These are things all humans do without really thinking about it, but forget that dogs are not humans and will read us differently than we read each others’ body language. These insights into your own behavior around your dog and easy tips to change them can make your dog more comfortable, trusting and help build a stronger bond with you.
The Lean Over
Small dogs, big dogs, and those in between can all suffer from the intimation that comes when a human leans over to greet him. The lean over would do the same to us humans if someone else much larger than us did the same thing. Most people do this even to small children, but a dog does not have that understanding that human leaning over to say hello means no harm.
Bending at your waist and looming over a dog with your hand stretched out for a pet may not scare all dogs, but it certainly can make them feel unsure of your intentions. Some, especially smaller breeds, may hunker down their own body posture as a way of saying, “Please don’t hurt me, human, as I am not here to cause trouble!” This can include tail tucking, averting their gaze, lip licking, yawning and even rolling onto their backs to show their most vulnerable part of their body – the belly! In more extreme cases the dog may urinate in a display of their submissive intentions.
Instead of leaning over a dog upon meeting them, crouch down with your side facing them. This is your way of saying, “I’m here to meet you, not challenge you or cause harm.” This position is far more welcoming to a dog and brings about less stress. They are more likely to approach you in a friendly manner instead of a fearful one with this sideways crouch.
The Flat Palm
It is an old wives tale to provide your hand, palm flat and facing up to let a dog sniff you before petting. In fact, in an ideal world you would not pet a dog unless the dog asked you to first. However, being human means we have that innate craving to physically make contact with a cute, fluffy dog. Don’t feel ashamed, it’s what makes us dog lovers! However, holding out that flat palm may intimidate the pooch you’re trying to make a connection with instead of making a new furry friend.
It is true that you want a dog to get the chance to become comfortable with you before you wrap your arms around him in a bear hug, but that flat palm is not the way to go. A flat palm extended out to a strange dog, or even your own, can look more like a threat from his perspective than an invitation. Consider yourself in the dog’s paws. If a total stranger thrusts his open palm directly towards your face as an introduction, wouldn’t you be a little intimidated? Perhaps your first thought would be “This crazy guy is about to slap me in the face!” Avoid that completely by dispelling your open palm introduction.
Instead, hold your arm, elbow bent, with your palm point down. Let your fingers relax in a natural position. Invite the dog to come and investigate you, and when he is feeling comfortable you can gently touch his chest and shoulders. Leave the head petting to the owner of the dog, as that is more of a sensitive area, both socially and physically, than you may think!
You can help dogs become more comfortable and quickly accepting of your presence with these few, small alterations to your own behavior around them. By eliminating intimidating actions and stances from yourself, a dog will feel more naturally inclined to be friendly with you, even ones who might be reserved at first. In the end, always respect the wishes of a dog’s owner and the comfort level of the dog itself. Never force a dog to let you pet him, and a mutual respect will form. After all, isn’t that what you’re really after?
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