Both Shiba Sephy and Siberian Shania like being scratched on the tummy. Often, they will roll over and look at me with an expectant grin. Then, when I go over and scratch their bellies, they will sometimes make a kind of purring noise.

I love scratching their bellies!

Where does your dog like being scratched?

Shiba Inu Sephy showing his beautiful grin during a scratch session.

Siberian Shania enjoying a head scratch.

Many dogs also enjoy being scratched on the head. Shania likes being scratched on the top of her muzzle and between her eyes. Sephy likes being scratched around his neck area at the back of his head.

Another secret scratch spot is on their back, right behind the shoulder blades of their front legs. If I get it just right, Shania will start thumping her back legs. It is awesome when she does that!

The inner part of his back leg is another Sephy favorite. He especially likes being scratched on the soft area where the back leg first connects to the body. He will often roll onto his back and orient his back leg so that I may better serve his scratch requests.

Other favorite dog scratch zones include the chest and the base of the tail. However, Sephy and Shania seem less interested in those areas.

Other secret scratch spots include the area where the back leg first connects to the body and behind the shoulder blades of the front legs.

Scratch, Pet, Rub, or Massage

In addition to favorite scratch zones, there is also the issue of technique.

We may scratch, pet, rub, or massage.

Petting usually refers to a gentle tap applied with an open hand. Often, a dog is petted at the top of his head. Both Sephy and Shania do not enjoy head petting, they will usually duck and avoid.

Some dogs may also see a hand reaching over their head as a threat, and they may get fearful and/or aggressive when approached in this manner by a stranger. When meeting new dogs, it is important to first ask permission from their owner before approaching the dog. Always stand a good distance away so that the dog does not feel hampered in or trapped.

Instead of tapping the dog on the top of his head, it is less threatening to reach from below his head and scratch his chest. It is especially important to teach children the right techniques for greeting a dog.

It is less threatening to reach from below his head and scratch his chest.

Usually, I give my dogs scratch sessions when we are at home. Scratching is a more rigorous action, and it can sometimes cause a dog to get more excited. As a result, I do not usually do scratching when we are outside for our walks, because there is already a fair amount of excitement in the great outdoors. I find that scratching is best practiced in calm and quiet areas.

When we are out on our walks, Shania will sometimes get very tense when she spots a squirrel or a cat. She is so excited that she is practically quivering with anticipation for the chase. To help her relax, I will sometimes give her a very slow massage. This helps to relax her muscles, and ultimately it also helps her to relax.

I only do this if she is still in control of herself and is able to hold herself back. If the prey stimulus is too strong, it is best to remove the dog from the environment and from the stimulus.

There is also the TTouch method which focuses on massage through a specific circular motion with the fingers or hands.

Based on trainer advice, I tried this method briefly on Sephy in his early puppy days, but it did not have a big effect in calming him. Perhaps it would have worked better on a dog like Shania, who does not escalate as quickly as a high-strung Shiba.

Fierce Shiba Inu Warrior - High-strung, stubborn, and wonderful!

Dog Scratch Zones

Did I miss any favorite scratch zones? Where does your dog like being scratched? Which scratch technique does your dog enjoy most?

Feel free to share them with us below.

Where does your dog like being scratched?

We hug in greeting, and we hug in parting. We hug to show love, support, happiness, and much more.

However, dogs do not have the same language for hugs that we do.

Dogs are built differently, and communicate in a different way.

Dog Hug – Teach Your Dog to Enjoy Hugging

Do Dogs Like Hugs?

According to experts (Turid Rugaas and Patricia McConnell), the closest thing a dog knows to a hug, is mounting or placing a paw on another dog’s neck and back. Both of these gestures can be used in play between familiar and trusted dog friends, but they can also be used for dominance, especially between unfamiliar dogs.

Therefore, when we try to hug a new or unknown dog, he may misinterpret that gesture as threatening, and will either run away, submit, or return the challenge.

Many people naturally find it disturbing when dogs shy away from their touch, or worse, respond with aggression. This is not surprising, because when a person shies away from our hug or responds with violence, we can quite rightly surmise that the object of our affection, may not feel the same way as we do.

However, when dogs do it, it is not from lack of love or dislike. The dog is just misunderstanding our gesture, because he speaks a different language than we do.

My Shiba Inu used to dislike any kind of hugging, but now he tolerates it, and will sometimes even come over and ask for some hugs.

Shiba Inu and Siberian Husky enjoying a wonderful hug session with their person.

Can a Dog Learn to Like Hugs?

Can a Dog Learn to Like Hugs?

Most definitely!

All we need to do, is teach him that when we hug, it is not an attempt at domination. Instead, we want to show him that hugging means something positive, including dog play, dog toys, and yummy dog treats.

I start handling exercises with my dog as soon as possible. With proper positive training, we can improve both our young or older dog’s tolerance, for hugging and handling.

First, I get my dog to go into a Down position. Then,

• I touch his body briefly, and treat him.
• I touch his paw briefly, and treat him.
• I touch his ear briefly, and treat him, and so on.

Once my dog is comfortable with brief contact, I slowly lengthen the duration of my touches. I keep handling sessions short, fun, and positive.

I use a soft touch, and make sure not to jab or poke. I go slowly and increase the challenge in small increments, so that I do not spook my dog.

Teaching my Shiba Inu to enjoy, or at least tolerate hugs.

Touch exercises get my dog comfortable with people touching him.

Touch exercises also help to build trust and establish pack leadership.

Dogs are usually more sensitive about handling on their paws, ears, and muzzle. Therefore, make touching very rewarding, stay calm, and go at a measured pace, while petting those areas.

Touch exercises get our dog comfortable with people stroking him, and is extremely useful during teeth brushing, dog grooming, body examinations, or vet visits.

Touch exercises also help to build trust, and establish pack leadership.

By repeating these exercises, and pairing them with food and other rewards, our dog will soon learn to enjoy hugging, because it means getting attention and treats.

Note – If our dog is aggressive, or if he has a bite history, then it is best to address the biting issue first. Make sure to always keep things safe, for both people and dogs. Get a professional trainer if necessary.

By pairing hugging with food, our dog will soon learn that hugging can be fun and rewarding.

Buying Our Dog’s Hugs?

Buying Your Dog’s Hugs and Licks?

Some people may object to pairing hugging with food. Using food, they say, is bribing or paying for our dog’s love and affection. Therefore, it is not real.

However, remember that our dog is not a human. To a dog, hugging is not a sign of love or affection, but rather a sign of dominance. We are merely teaching him to re-associate hugging with something good, like food, rather than something stressful, like dominance.

Research also shows that dogs, like most animals, respond to conditioning. They will repeat behaviors that get good results (e.g. food), and stop behaviors that get bad results (e.g. time-out). Using food rewards, is just an effective means of getting them to repeat behaviors that we like.

Nevertheless, we already feed our dog every day. Instead of giving him his food for free in a silver bowl, we give it to him more slowly, for working with us on hugging exercises. In this way, he gets to work for his food, we become a better pack leader, and we also get some nice furry hugs.

Food helps a dog associate hugging with something positive rather than with dominance.

Dog Hugging Dos and Don’ts

Dog Hugging Dos and Don’ts

Do not hug our dog for too long.

• Do not hug our dog too tightly. If we hug him too tightly, he may feel physical discomfort. He may also get stressed, because his freedom of movement is being limited, and he can no longer run away if he needs to.
• Do not hug unknown dogs. An unknown dog may not have had the touch exercises described above, and may view hugs as threatening. In addition, some dogs may not generalize hugging across different people. They may only allow their owners to handle them, and no one else. People have different social boundaries depending on trust, and so do dogs.
• Do not hug our dog for too long. Some dogs actually like hugging, whereas others may only tolerate it. In addition, a dog may sometimes want to be alone, to rest or sleep. Never force a dog hug. If our dog wants to move away, let him do so. Humans are not always up for a hug either.
• Keep track of the environment. Sometimes, our dog may decide that hug time is over, because of changes in the environment. For example, a dog or person may come into view, there may be a new unfamiliar sound, or a squirrel may appear on a nearby tree.
• Protect our dog from unwanted hugs. If he does not enjoy hugs, especially from strangers, then make sure to keep strangers away. This is also important for dogs who are sensitive about their personal space. When attempting a meeting, educate people on how our dog likes to be greeted. In addition, it is best to stay away from people with bad energy (afraid of dogs, too excited, or too nervous).

Teaching My Dog to Enjoy Hugging

The Good Dog

Television shows have helped to establish and perpetuate the myth that a good dog must love all people and all dogs. Certainly, any proper dog should love hugging.

Therefore, when our dog –

• Objects to being picked up by our nice neighbor,
• Snaps in warning when a child pulls or steps on his tail, or
• Becomes fearful of our tall friend and his booming voice,

Our first instinct is to assume that our dog is doing something wrong.

The truth is, dogs have greeting rituals and social tolerances, just as we do. We do not allow strangers to invade our personal space, grab us, or inappropriately touch us. Similarly, we should try to understand and protect our dog’s social boundaries as well. Remember that temperament, breeding, history, training, environment, and more, will affect our dog’s comfort level, which may also change based on current mood and context.

In addition, dogs do not come with ready-made knowledge on how to meet people, just as we humans, do not come with ready-made knowledge on how to meet dogs. It is our job to teach our dogs, how to meet people safely and successfully, so that they can live well in our human world. It is also our job to teach people, how to properly meet our dogs.

Dogs do not come with ready-made knowledge on how to meet people.

The good dog television representation is not only inaccurate, but it can also be harmful to dogs.

We often throw our dog into as many social situations as possible, regardless of how unpleasant they may be, in the hopes of showing others that our dog is good and friendly. We become embarrassed when he fails to perform according to the friendly dog myth, and punish him for being bad.

However, the more negative social experiences a dog has with people and other dogs, the more afraid, stressed, and socially intolerant he will become. By following the good dog myth, we may ultimately push our dog to using aggression to protect himself, since his previous repeated warnings have fallen on deaf ears.

The key to teaching my dog to enjoy hugs and enjoy people, is to carefully manage his social encounters, so that I can maximize successful and positive greetings, as well as minimize stressful and negative encounters.

To do this, I need to listen to my dog, understand his social boundaries, as well as teach him how to relax in a controlled and structured way. My focus should be on my dog, on his friends, and on what is he trying to say, rather than on myself, my friends, and my neighbors. I should be protecting him from rude dogs and rude people, rather than feeling embarrassed and punishing him, for trying to express his social discomfort.

To me, a good dog is happy, healthy, safe, and relaxed in his environment. A good dog is loved, trusted, and capable of deciding when he feels like a hug, who he wants to hug, and who he would rather avoid.

Husky dog hug!