Dogs love tummy rubs

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Saturday, June 9th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Many dogs will literally roll on their backs, put their paws up, and demand that you rub their belly. Some dog owners fear that this is an act of submission and should be eradicated. This is not necessarily true.

While it is known that overly submissive dogs who have stress issues do practice this behavior of showing their underside when approached, it is just as normal for a strong and dominant dog to rollover when he is in the company of people he trusts.

The latter scenario is a healthy sign in if you own a dog who gladly rolls over for a free belly rub when he is around you and other members of the family, it simply means that he trusts you 100 per cent.

Now that you can understand how good a tummy rub feels to your dog and that it is actually a positive activity, take note of the following pleasure tips when it comes to giving your dog a warmhearted rub:

1. Give your dog extra pleasure by rubbing his underside areas that he cannot reach by scratching. A dog’s chest is a perfect example. Typically they cannot scratch that area and when they get it rubbed they respond in a very affectionate manner. By rubbing his chest, both you and your dog or exchanging gestures of respect and appreciation.

2. Concentrate your rubbing on his bare belly. A dog’s belly does not usually have much fur, if any at all. Because of this, their tummy area can be extremely sensitive. Your dog will feel such high levels of pleasure when you rub this spot that he may even fall asleep, just like my Chihuahua does when I give him a belly rub for an extended period of time.

3. Don’t be afraid to use a little pressure. While lightly rubbing and soft tickling feels great to your dog, using a little pressure can also be invigorating. Press in with the tips of your fingers with a little added pressure and massage his belly and underside area in a circular motion. You can even use a little squeeze and massage the tops of his legs.