Consent and your Dog: How Touch and Trust goes Hand in Hand

When we think of Consent, we usually think of other people. Whether that be strangers, partners, friends or family members.  We don’t usually think of our pets...after all, they’re our pets!  We should be allowed to pet them whenever we want right?

Wrong!

Like humans, dogs are sentient creatures with thoughts, feelings and preferences.  They often communicate when they want to be touched or not, and this can be through subtle behaviours such as gaze avoidance or lip licking, or though ‘louder’ behaviours such as barking or growling to the human that approaches them.

Either way, we must respect the choices our dogs present to us.  After all, we do not expect to interact or touch every person we come across, in fact the very premise can be incredibly uncomfortable to even think about!

So, what does consent look like when it comes to dogs?  And why does listening to these behaviours help with our human-canine bond?

Some Consenting Behaviours to Look Out For;

Ø  Actively moving towards you

Ø  Nuzzling/nosing at your hands

Ø  Pawing at your hands/moving your hands back to the petting spot

Ø  Loose and flowy body

Some None-Consenting Behaviours to Look Out For;

Ø  Gaze avoidance

Ø  Lip licking

Ø  Yawning

Ø  Lying on the side and lifting one paw up

Ø  Moving away

Ø  Rigid body

What Does this have to do with the Canine-Human Bond?

Listening to our dogs needs is possibly one of the most important thing we can do as dog guardians.  This shows your dog that you respect them, their space and their choice to engage with you.  This ultimately shows that you are someone that they can trust, meaning that they are more likely to engage with you.

You might find that your not so cuddly pooch becomes more so when you respect their boundaries.  This is due to you becoming a person who they can feel comfortable with and thus become more vulnerable around!  After all, a dog is very vulnerable when lying down receiving belly tickles!

Gaining a dogs’ trust will take time, but it’s definitely worth it, after all, you earn a friend for life!