I’m a psychologist by training, and a dog training (and dog sport!) enthusiast in my spare time. Although my family had dogs when I was a kid, I didn’t get a dog on my own as an adult until my mid-20s. Since then I’ve been on a mission to continue evolving my understanding of dogs, their behavior, and what I can do to improve my relationship with my pups.
Maybe 5 or 6 years ago I came across this video that introduced me to the concept of “consent testing” in dogs... and it totally changed my day-to-day interactions with my animals. My Sheltie has become 1000x more cuddly now that I recognize and respect that he prefers his cuddles to come without pets – he almost never chose to curl up against me or in my lap before I started consent testing, but these days he’s snuggled in against me a good portion of the time we’re hanging out at home.
I’m curious if others here are familiar with the concept of consent testing. If so, do you consistently test for “consent” when petting/touching/interacting with your dog(s) or others' dogs? Did you find implementing this strategy changed how you interact with your dog, and/or how your dog(s) choose to interact with you?
If you've never heard of consent testing... watch the video linked above, then give it a try and report back! Did what you find surprise you, or is it about what you expected?
Maybe 5 or 6 years ago I came across this video that introduced me to the concept of “consent testing” in dogs... and it totally changed my day-to-day interactions with my animals. My Sheltie has become 1000x more cuddly now that I recognize and respect that he prefers his cuddles to come without pets – he almost never chose to curl up against me or in my lap before I started consent testing, but these days he’s snuggled in against me a good portion of the time we’re hanging out at home.
I’m curious if others here are familiar with the concept of consent testing. If so, do you consistently test for “consent” when petting/touching/interacting with your dog(s) or others' dogs? Did you find implementing this strategy changed how you interact with your dog, and/or how your dog(s) choose to interact with you?
If you've never heard of consent testing... watch the video linked above, then give it a try and report back! Did what you find surprise you, or is it about what you expected?