By Steve Dale, CABC
Before petting an unfamiliar dog, we are taught to ask, “Can I pet your dog?” That’s excellent advice, but we forgot something: ask the dog.
Dogs are ALWAYS communicating with us, yet we often don’t pick up on their cues. Clients can miss these cues even with their own dogs. This is why I authored the book Ask the Dog.
Yes, it’s a children’s book, but I did that on purpose – knowing that adults often read to kids. While this is a lesson for children, it’s also an important issue for veterinary professionals.
Admit it – sometimes you might even be guilty of approaching a dog that is clearly asking you not to, but that pooch is so darn cute that you ignore what you know. Or you’re running behind schedule, and you’ve just got to “get it done,” so you disregard the dog’s signaling.
There’s no reliable national data on dog bites within veterinary practices, but they do happen. Veterinary professionals need to take the time to ask for a dog’s cooperation or consent when performing routine care and examinations. Even more importantly, veterinary technicians often have the most hands-on interaction with the patient and are in the best position to recognize a dog’s signals and educate clients about those signals.
Dog bites remain a significant public health issue. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, more than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs in the United States each year. The true number is undoubtedly higher because not every bite is reported.
Insurance is another indication of the scope of the problem. According to the Insurance Information Institute’s Triple-I, insurers paid $1.86 billion for dog-related injury claims in the United States in 2025, an 18.6% increase from 2024. There were 28,450 dog-bite and related injury claims, a 25.6% increase from the previous year.
Absolutely, we must continue to ask, “Can I pet your dog?”
However, it’s not uncommon for the handler to say “yes” and the dog to say “no.”
That’s when we need to listen to the dog.
A subtle lift of a paw, turning the head away, avoiding eye contact, licking their lips, yawning, or moving away can be among the many ways a dog communicates discomfort or a desire for more distance. Of course, no single behavior tells the whole story. We need to look at the dog’s overall body language and the context.
You may know that a yawn from a dog can be a stress signal – but how many clients know this? And, in particular, how many children are aware of this?
It’s downright amazing how tolerant dogs are. Most of the time, despite clearly indicating that he or she doesn’t want to interact, the dog will still tolerate it.
But that isn’t always the outcome.
We often assume a dog who has never bitten anyone won’t bite. We assume a dog who loves its family will automatically love strangers. We assume that because a child has played with the family dog hundreds of times, nothing can go wrong the next time.
Most of the time, these are reasonable assumptions. But occasionally – however rare – those assumptions turn out not to be true.
Children are particularly vulnerable. The AVMA says children account for at least half of dog-bite injuries. That makes teaching children to recognize canine communication especially important.
This is also a welfare issue. Aren’t we at a point where we can recognize dogs as the sentient beings they are, and give them the ability to say “no”?
If the dog – a dog we’ve never met or, for that matter, our own dog – doesn’t want to interact, shouldn’t that dog have the right to just say “no”?
How often have you scooped up your own pup onto the couch, even though you understand that, at that moment, the dog really doesn’t want to snuggle with you?
Go to Google Images, as I did, and type in “hugging a dog.” While many dogs learn to tolerate hugs, most dogs don’t enjoy being hugged, particularly when they cannot easily move away. Look closely at the dogs in those images and pay attention to their signaling. Often, it’s pretty clear that the dog would prefer not to be hugged.
That’s the point.
We need to stop thinking only about whether we have permission from the person holding the leash. We also need to pay attention to what the dog is telling us.
And this is particularly important in veterinary medicine. We ask the client for permission to examine the dog. But permission from the client doesn’t necessarily mean the dog is comfortable with what we are about to do.
We have an opportunity – and I would argue a responsibility – to teach clients that dogs communicate continuously. We can help them recognize when a dog is comfortable, when a dog is uncertain, and, importantly, when a dog is saying, “Please give me some space.”
I hope that you teach your clients to Ask the Dog.