Hey, look! It’s your friend, George, and he has a dog you’ve never seen with him. That’s
because it’s his sister’s new pup, and it’s so cute too! You desperately want to pet it.
But instead of just getting down to it, here’s a few things to consider.
First, turn to your friend and ask if it’s okay to pet the dog. For all you know,
this dog in particular might not like to be petted. It might be afraid of strangers,
or even be a bit skittish around them. Who knows, it might just be having a bad hair day. Maybe
the mail carrier didn’t bring it a cookie this time around while delivering the mail.
Looking at the dog, you can start to approach it carefully, or better yet,
you can let the dog approach you instead. See how it reacts. Definitely don’t rush with open
arms as if you’re coming in for a hug. Don’t make any sudden moves, and don’t look fearful,
or it might give a signal for the little guy to go into a defensive stance and curl up.
You don’t want that, the end goal here is to make it be your friend, right?
If you really want to be sure it’s willing to engage with you, ignore it. Okay,
that sounds counter-productive. But picture this. You’re out, talking to your friend, pretending
the pup doesn’t even exist. It starts getting interested in you because you’re a new person,
and now you’ve got its attention. The rest is easy! Still, if you do decide to approach it,
let it take the final steps. Oh, and don’t look at it directly in the eye.
Get this, you know how it’s polite to look someone in the eye while you’re talking to them?
It can even be considered common courtesy. In the pooch world,
it means the opposite. They might not like you too much if you look them in the eye,
in fact, I’m fairly sure they might think you’re rude instead.
Okay, you’ve successfully approached the dog you really want to pet!
Now, you let it sniff you. Relax your posture, but slowly,
as you still don’t want to startle your new friend. You can extend your hand now, but still
slowly. Do it with your palm facing down and your fingers slightly curled under, for safety reasons.
A little nip can still hurt. Let the dog get comfortable with you. If you notice that it’s
sniffing your hand for a long while, let it. Dogs need to get comfortable with strangers too.
If it gets too excited, though, it might become the one invading your private space instead
by jumping around and licking you. Don’t fret though, just remain calm.
If you start getting uncomfortable, you can get yourself out of the situation by turning
away with your arms folded. Like this, you’ll become boring to the dog and it’ll start losing
interest in you. The owner can then have a chance to calm it down or even take it away.
If you’re speaking to the dog, be sure to use English, as this is the most common language
for dogs. Actually I made that up. Rather, just make sure to use a calm and re-assuring tone.
Here’s the part you’ve been waiting for. You can go ahead and pet it.
Now, don’t jump it and start hugging it though. Keep the pace you’ve had with it so far.
Don’t pet it on its head. Your hand won’t be in their field of vision if you do this,
and you’ve got to admit, a hand coming out of nowhere would freak out just about anyone.
You can start by stroking the dog’s ears and neck.
They also enjoy rubs on their back and shoulders. While petting the dog,
keep paying attention to its body language, because if their body is slightly curved,
they’re wagging their tail and circling you with excitement, it’s a good sign and it means they
want to get to know you! One thing we love about dogs when they’re playing is extending
their legs on the floor while bowing down. If they do this, you’re in! They want to play.
But be on the watch for behavior that indicates they’re not enjoying your company
all that much. If they’re showing you their teeth or growling at you, it’s a sign to back off.
A stiff standing tail can also mean they’re feeling threatened. There’s another way dogs
can show they’re stressed or anxious too: by licking their lips or even yawning. During your
interaction, always respect the dog and keep in mind they have their own boundaries too.
You go back home, and your own dog Riley is waiting for you at your doorstep.
Excited as ever, he licks your face and jumps around you!
His best friend is home. To make your dog love you even more,
get down to its level once in a while and lie on the floor with your best bud. When you do this,
give it loads of kisses and affection! They love it and will be sure to give back twice as much.
Now, you might get a bit of drool on your face, buuut it’s for a good reason. I mean come on,
just look at how happy it is looking at you! It’s important to keep them happy, and one thing we
can do is grab a tennis ball and play fetch with them! It doesn’t need to be a tennis ball though;
a plastic water bottle would probably work as well. Say you’re out in the woods walking with
your buddy and he brings you a huge stick! His tail is wagging so you know he’s proud
of his achievement. If he’s trying to give you the stick, chances are he wants to play fetch!
Grab that stick and throw it far! Your dog will be back with it, faster than you can count to 10.
Wait, is that two sticks he has now? More fun, I guess. Down these woods, there’s a little lake.
Some dogs absolutely love water. If yours is like mine, chances are, at the beach or next to a lake,
it’s going to spend more time in the water than sitting next to you.
Before this though, make sure your dog can swim. Jump in the water with it and see how
well it does. If it can’t swim, there’s still a way for it to enjoy being out on the water – it’s
called a doggy life vest. Just be sure to strap it tight before you both take a dip!
Remember those days when you would spend the entire afternoon playing hide and seek
with your friends? Well, guess what, you can do that with your dog too! Their noses are great,
and they love showing off how good their sense of smell is. You’ve probably noticed how they
spend their time during walks, half looking at the scenery, and half smelling things.
Pick a good hiding spot in your house and call your dog! It’ll come and find you. Chances are
it’s going to be confused at first, but once it gets into the game, you’re both going to have
a good time. It’s important to make sure your dog is social too. Set up playdates whenever you can,
especially when they are puppies, so they learn other dogs are okay. Hanging out
with your friends is an important part of your social life – and it’s the same for your dog.
They get really excited when they meet someone new, and if they have a whole afternoon to get
to know them, they’re bound to have a happy day! Throw a whole puppy party if you want! Lots of
dogs hanging out together and even more things to share and talk about! At the end of the day,
before you both hit the sack, both of you can enjoy a bit of quiet time together.
My dog is a lap dog. Any chance he gets he lies on my lap. Even if there’s already
a computer on it. He doesn’t seem to understand what paying the bills means.
But, I can’t say no to his cute little snout, so sometimes I put
work aside for a few minutes and give him the very deserved tummy rubs he deserves.
There’s a whole bunch of other things you can do, like teaching your dog a new trick. It doesn’t
matter what age it is, what matters is how much it loves learning. If it doesn’t know how to roll
over, grab a sack of treats and get to work. It’ll appreciate it as much as you, and it might even be
something neat to show your friends when they come over. Good dog, Riley. Oh you’re such a good boy!