When is it okay to pat someone else's dog?

Post Reply New Topic

That seems strange. I have friends who have guide dogs. If they've got their harness on, they're working and you can't make a fuss of them. If there's no harness, the owners are happy for you to make a fuss of them.

I've never had a problem with making a fuss of other peoples' dogs.

I just don't usually pet dogs.

For some reason I don't really like being touched by humans or animals.

If they let their dog get close to you and touch you it is ok to touch it. If they think the dog might get aggressive towards you or that you might get aggressive to the dog they shouldn't have it that close to you.

In my opinion, if someone take a dog out in public for a walk they should expect that people may want to pet it. I would probably ask first because they it may be a vicious dog but it should be okay.

Most owners I've encountered are happy for people to make a fuss of them. I've never had problems with aggressive dogs. I usually smell of dog (parents have dogs) and do tell the owners that's why their dog is excited.

Maybe these people were just jealous? I had a problem like this before and was told afterwards that the owner was annoyed because the dog made such a fuss about me and not the other way around.

I usually ask the dog itself if it wants to be petted.

It's kind of weird that the person was just standing there and the dog was acting really friendly to you and he was annoyed. Now, usually if I want to pet someone's dog I usually see if the person is busy or walking slowly or just standing around. If they appear to have time on their hands I approach them, ask them if I can pet their dog and if they say yes I let the dog sniff me and then I'll pet it if the dog seems friendly. I run a home daycare and I teach my children to do the same thing. They know that they're supposed to ask me first and then ask the owner if it's okay.

You said they wanted to talk to you about an administrative matter, so I'm assuming it was someone from work. If thats the case, they may have assumed that even though they were talking to you in a non-work envirnment that you would both slip into "work personality" for that and that petting their dog was more social than work.

My opinion is that if someone from work other than your boss approaches you outside of work, then the encounter should be somewhat more relaxed than at work, and a bit of social conversation should be made as well just to be polite. Petting the dog would be appropriate but not while they are talking to you. If it's your boss then you do not initiate social conversation but after he is done talking to you you can commit on the dog, such as "Nice dog". If your boss doesn't seem in a hurry and just say "Thank you" and turn to walk away, or if he tells you the breed or something about the dog, then you can ask to pet him, but otherwise it wouldn't be appropriate.

For petting other people's dogs, it's always best to ask.. Something like "Nice dog, can I pet him?" or you can ask "Does he bite?" with your hand extended a bit to show that your intent is to pet him if the owner says he doesn't bite. It's impolite to pet a strangers dog without speaking to the person first. It's actually impolite to pet anyone's dog without speaking to the person first if the dog is on a leash or walking beside them without one. You always acknowledge the person and speak to them, then the animal. It's the same as if you know a child who is out with their parent. Unless the child is a teenager you always speak to the parent first before you talk to the child although you can say hello to the child first and then introduce yourself to the parent.

When the dog has it's head smashed into your crotch?

I always ask and have taught my kids to always ask before they pet anyone else's dog.

Growing up with them, I've always petted dogs that want attention ( unless they're the hi vis seeing eye ones.), especially if the owner has tied them up outside a shop * RAGE!! *

I get why some owners don't like it tho it encourages them to jump up people, and not everyone likes it.

If someone's dog is friendly toward me, i.e. pulling on the leash to sniff me and wagging its tail, then I do the following: say hi to the owner, compliment their dog, and ask permission to pet it. (When referring to the dog, I use a "him/her" pronoun, rather than "it", since most owners humanize their dogs.) Out of all the times I did that, only one time the owner said "I'd prefer that you don't", in which case, I listened. All other times, I petted the dog momentarily, and left things at that; the owner had no objections.

Permission issues aside, when petting an unfamiliar dog it's recommended to let it sniff the back of your hand first (fingers toward the ground). Then come in underneath or alongside the face and only then work around to petting on the top. Coming in straight over the stop can appear like a strike, and you never know how an owner has treated his pet.

I had someone ask me "Does he bite?" I said, "Of course he does. He's a dog! How else would he eat?" I knew what the person was actually asking but I always considered it a silly question.

Maybe the owner was more annoyed with the dog than with you. We always tried to train our dogs not to pester people. Some people can be really nice and polite about a dog being friendly when really they're thinking, "Get your dog off me!"

I would ask permission of the owner before petting a stranger's dog. But with someone I know I suppose I'd have to read the situation. With most friends, they usually are fine with petting.

Last edited by SpiritBlooms on 06 May 2012, 11:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If the owner allowed the dog to sniff you, you're allowed to pat it.
That's how I see it and I'll never apologize for such a situation.