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Who can resist giving a doggo a tickle when it rolls on its back and looks at us with seemingly pleading eyes?
According to an animal expert, we’re getting it all wrong.
Dr Jill MacKay, from the Royal School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh, said people have the best intentions but we can easily misinterpret what a dog really wants.
When a dog rolls over on to its back and exposes its belly, it is a behavioural signal to communicate with other dogs. However, it’s not necessarily an invitation to reach down and tickle its tummy.
“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,” Dr MacKay said.
“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,” she said.
So think again next time you go for that playful pat.
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