Please Don't Be Offended If I Don't Pet Your Dog

Confession. I’m not real big on petting dogs. Seriously. I sometimes have to put it on my to-do list. I’m just not naturally touchy-feely. We sometimes joke that if I lived alone, my doggie boarders wouldn’t get any petting.

Confession #2. I don’t usually pet my client’s dogs when I meet them. (That’s not so much a confession as a statement of fact.) Part of it is my natural ambivalence to petting and part of it is a conscious trainer decision.

Petting is actually an incredibly invasive activity. How would you feel if a perfect stranger came up and smacked you on the behind?? All too often, we assume that all dogs like petting and that they like it from strangers.

When I meet a dog and see that he’s already slightly uncomfortable with my presence OR isn’t really interested in interacting with me, I do not force the issue by invading his personal space and putting my hands all over him.

If he’s hesitant, I want to help him feel comfortable with me at a distance first.
If he’s not interested in interacting, why? Can I create some interest with simple training games? Forcing or nagging the dog to participate will not lead to reliable behavior, long-term.

So, please don’t be offended if I don’t pet your dog.