More about petting a dog

basic, good common sense information, Beau will do the one shoulder on the ground with his butt up in the air stance all the time. I give him a rub then kiss his backside and he's happy with that. He lets' me know when he's done, by getting up and going to his den, which is either the coat closet or his crate.
 
A friend of mine has a dog (maybe part sheltie) who is pretty old and it's hard to read when he's had enough unless he walks away or turns and snaps at your hand. This is a good tutorial for reading a dogs body emotions (I'm used to reading eyes, though Bear may be part sheltie he doesn't have a sheltie's emotional eyes).
Thanks for the video! It will be very useful in handling him.
 
I don't know if it's just instinct, but I never force petting on a strange dog. It's just common sense, particularly when even a small dog can administer a nasty bite, and one never knows what kind of mental baggage a strange dog may be carrying. (Or even a known one, for that matter ... my neighbor got bitten right through his eyebrow by the Cairn terrier he had owned for the past three years, that had never shown any biting inclination.) In a way it's similar to shaking a person's hand. You make an offer of your own hand, and allow the other person to accept that offering on his own terms. One doesn't come up on someone else and simply seize his hand, willy-nilly!
 
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