Does your dog *want* to be petted by your kid?

Sometimes our kid really wants to pet our dog. But does our dog want pets?

If our kiddo just walks up to our dog and starts petting, we don’t know if the dog wants those pets. It is scarier for most dogs to be approached than for the dog to choose to approach or not.

There is a way to find out if a dog wants to be petted, and it’s called a petting consent test.

In this puppet show (video), we’ll pretend this rabbit puppet is our kid. The dog puppet is our dog. And I’m me, the dad.

Kiddo: I’m going to pet Trixie.

Dad: It makes me happy that you love Trixie. My job is to keep you both safe. Call her over and see if she comes.

Kiddo: Trixieeeee.

Dad: Let’s see what happens.

Trixie: raises head a sec then down again; stays put.

Dad: Oh Trixie doesn’t want pets right now. That’s disappointing. Do you want to make a treat puzzle for her instead?

Kiddo: Yes

Trixie didn’t want pets at this moment. Stay tuned for more of my puppet shows to see how Trixie could say “pet me”.

If you are struggling with dog plus kid, you’re not alone. I see you. You’re a good parent. I’m here to help. Reach out for a free call.