Title : Dogs don't want to be tickled when they roll over
link : Dogs don't want to be tickled when they roll over
Dogs don't want to be tickled when they roll over
- A dog does not want its tummy tickled when it rolls over, and will not enjoy it
- This is just one of the things we get wrong, says animal expert Dr Jill MacKay
- Along with shouting at a dog when it barks and telling a cat not to scratch
When a dog rolls over, sticks four paws in the air and looks up lovingly, few can resist rubbing his belly and telling him what a good boy he is.
But a dog does not want its tummy tickled when it rolls over, and probably will not enjoy it – with most having learned to tolerate this strange human behaviour only because their owner seems to like it.
This is just one of the things we are getting wrong with our pets, according to animal expert Dr Jill MacKay, along with shouting at a dog when it barks at the door and telling a cat not to scratch the sofa.
A dog does not want its tummy tickled when it rolls over, and probably will not enjoy it – with most having learned to tolerate this strange human behaviour only because their owner seems to like it
When a dog rolls over, it is an expression of trust but one which dogs evolved to show one another.
Although the dog’s stomach is exposed, that isn’t an invitation to go and stroke it.
In advance of a talk on pet behaviour at Edinburgh International Science Festival, Dr Mackay said: ‘It is very common for a dog to lie down, show its tummy and lift its legs in the air, but that is not a request for a tummy rub.
‘When a dog does it to another dog it means “I trust you and I think you are a good dog to be around”.
‘So when a dog does it to a human they trust, it can then be alarming if that human invades their space and touches their soft, exposed belly. They have simply learned to put up with it.’
Dr MacKay, from the Royal School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh, said people mean well but can misunderstand their pets.
When a dog barks at a stranger, or the postman, most people tell their pet firmly to stop it.
A better solution would be for the person at the door and the family inside the house to be completely quiet and pay no attention to the animal, as dogs hate to be ignored.
The animal expert, who will present this advice to pet owners in Edinburgh on Sunday, said: ‘It is really common for dogs barking at the door to be pushed away and told to be quiet.
‘The dog doesn’t necessarily understand what is happening in this situation. It can think that it is getting excited and you are getting excited too, so carry on barking.
When a dog rolls over, it is an expression of trust but one which dogs evolved to show one another. Although the dog’s stomach is exposed, that isn’t an invitation to go and stroke it
‘It can think you are annoyed with the person at the door, so make more efforts to keep them out.
‘The best advice is to ignore and refuse to look at the dog. Dogs love us and want our attention so this is a good way to train them they are behaving badly.’
The academic, whose book Animal Personality comes out later this month, says people wrongly think many things, such as that they have to be ‘dominant’ over their dog or that a cat licking its lips is content when instead it is probably anxious.
More knowledge is also needed from owners on why cats carry out strange behaviours such as scratching the sofa or drinking from the tap.
Dr MacKay said: ‘Cats walk into a living room and often the first thing they see is the back of the sofa. It is almost like an extra wall, so it’s a good place to mark their territory.
‘Instead of shouting at them, owners should just put a scratching post in the same place.’
On why cats drink from taps, she added: ‘This can happen because most cat owners put out their pet’s food and water together, when cats actually prefer their water to be in a different place.
‘It is not clear why exactly, but it may be that cats would not eat where they drink in the wild, to avoid water being contaminated with bits of dead mouse.
‘It is easy to please them by putting the water bowl elsewhere or investing in a pet water fountain as cats like running water.’
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