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Rolling Over For a Belly Rub?
I just met with a client who has a mix named Dusty. In the evening, he likes to snuggle next to his mom on the sofa. When she gets up to head for bed, she says she reaches for Dusty to encourage him to come along. He promptly rolls over to expose his belly, but when she goes to touch him, he grumbles and air-snaps at her.
In this case, Dusty is clearly using a belly exposure as his line of communication to say, “Please don’t disturb me.” Understandably, this is quite confusing for new pet parents, especially when a dog enjoys belly rubs at other times of day.
Have you experienced this with dogs yourself?
What suggestions would you share with Dusty’s mom to help diffuse this situation and get him to come with her upstairs for the night?
The pic is of Fletcher, a guest at my house. He enjoys belly rubs but he is also a very submissive dog, so when I approach him I do so in a curve with my side to him and then crouch before rubbing his belly so as not to overwhelm him.
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1 Reply
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Yikes! This can be a tricky situation too, especially with a dog who sometimes is really asking for a belly rub.
I am looking forward to reading ideas from everyone. I have a few but don’t want to hog the thread. 🙂
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