The Canine Smile

My daughter and I recently took a trip to Seattle.  While there, we had the opportunity to walk around the large park near the Space Needle on a beautiful, sunny day.  Was so nice to see lots of people out walking their well-behaved dogs in a public setting.  We spotted a couple walking a young husky and commented to each other about how calm and happy the dog appeared on leash, exploring all the smells.  At one point, they started walking in our direction.  Both of us made brief eye contact with the dog and were delighted to see the dog "smile" at us (mouth had been closed following a good sniff, then the dog raised her head, softened her gaze, and her mouth opened in a big grin, in case you are wondering what I mean!) and walked over to us doing a full body wag for some sniffs and love.  We were delighted to pet her.  She was so gentle, friendly, and amenable.  The owner commented that the dog always seems to know "dog people."  That got me to thinking about "dog people."

So, sometimes I come across people who label themselves as "dog people," but then behave in ways which indicate that while they may like/love dogs, they really don't "get" dogs or understand them.  Running up to a dog they don't know, patting that dog on the head, getting in the dog's face, or squealing at the dog all seem like very poor behavior on the part of said "dog people." Dogs are so forgiving, most of the time, holding their ground when rushed, tucking their ears away from those head pats, gaze averting and lip licking in response to humans' in their face stares and squeals. Frankly, I think the husky we met was just thrilled to not see any of those things with us.  We took turns petting the dog under her chin, made soft, happy sounds to her, and waited to see if she wanted more attention.  She came back one more time for attention before moving on with her owner.  She glanced back at us over her shoulder once almost as if to say," You two are pretty cool. Nice to meet you both!" We were happy to have made her acquaintance as well.

So, what's my point here? My point is that we all need to try to be better "dog people." Let unfamiliar dogs CHOOSE to approach you or not.  Make yourself approachable by not staring, not squealing, and engaging the owner in a friendly manner. If the dog chooses not to approach, don't take it personally.  But if the dog does approach, give them a gentle scratch or rub under the chin and see if they'd like more from you.  Let them sniff you...it's a dog thing.  And thank the owner for letting you engage their dog.  This seems like common sense to my daughter and me, but then again, we are "dog people."

As always, if you have questions about dog behavior, you know where to find me.  I will likely be teaching another seminar on canine body language and how to speak dog in the near future. Hope to see you there!