Petting Dogs At A Dog Show.

[Jed]

Always ask before touching.

Blackdog

She told me that the dogs were not there for my 'personal amusement', they were there to be shown and that no one should be asking to pet any of the dogs. She told me I shouldn't be touching other people's property and instructed me to leave the dog alone.

So. Am I missing something here? Is this the typical attitude of showies towards people who want to inteact with their dogs? Are they just generally too polite to tell the public to piss off when they ask to pet their dogs? Was this a terrible faux pas on my behalf?

Don't worry about it. Someone was obviously having the menopause that day!!

Most exhibitors would be ok with the public patting the dog. Those who want to showcare their breeds and purebred dogs, and are exhibiting dogs of sound temperament who enjoy being patted, will say "yes".

Edited April 25, 2012 by Jed

[Bjelkier]

I"ll admitt I said no to a lot of people at the Royal this year. My first thought is the comfort of my dog and it was his first royal and the Samoyeds were on last, I wasn't about to have him sitting on a trolley for hours on end being called this way and that for the constant photos people want taken with the big white teddy bear and patted by people because they seem to think they have that right and getting worn out.

We also had a lot of trouble getting the dogs groomed because people just kept reaching over the fence and patting them. But I was polite and often explained why they couldn't pat him.

Royal are stressful but there is no need to be rude to people about it.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

It's a bit tricky.

I think as long as you ask - and wait for the owner to give permission and supervise - it's ok. But it gets a bit tricky if the owner walks away and leaves her dog with someone the regulars don't know.

Last weekend I went to our local pet expo, cos some of my friends were doing dances with dogs. I watched some of the routines and then went to find my friends and their dogs. One team came out of the ring and the dog promptly came up and schmoozed me and I just patted under the chin and on the chest without thinking about it. The owner said I must be a doggy person because her dog doesn't normally do that. Oops. I apologised for not asking first. I think we'd all met before though.

And later I saw someone walking along an "isle" behind all the dog crates - with dogs in them - the backs of the crates making the edge of the isle - just unzip that dog's crate and reach in. And I said - I wouldn't do that without asking and she said - "it's my dog" - I said you don't look like the person who just did the dance routine with that dog. She said "that's my mum". I felt a bit embarrassed then, but I also said "you probably want to go round to the front of the crate, so you look like part of the team otherwise General Public might think it's ok for anyone to do what you're doing.

And the "if one person pats the dog - anyone can pat the dog" - did follow me and some of my friends round a bit. Ie I'm friends with some quite anxious dogs who seemed very pleased to see me in the busy environment but if I patted the dog - little kids would rush up to pat the dog too... and mostly their parents intervened and things were supervised and friendly but it could have been bad.

So I imagine at a busy show - dog owners have to be quite wary that strangers don't think it's ok for them to do what friends can do. Unless everyone who is a friend is wearing a team uniform - it's a bit hard for the general public to know the dog is only friendly with some people and not everybody - or likes a formal (slow and careful) introduction with new people.

Also at the expo - there were some stations for hand washing and disinfecting - and signs about being careful with puppies etc. I can imagine it might be difficult to control germ exposure with puppies. Though all the animals looked clean and healthy to me.

What there wasn't at the expo - were nice public free escape routes for dog people to take their dogs out for pitstops and etc, without running the gauntlet of people who aren't sure the difference between a cuddly dog shaped toy and a live dog.

[AnimalMad]

I have no issues with it. My dogs get very put out if someone walks past without acknowledging them first! As long as i am not about to walk in the ring then people are more than welcome to have a pat or a cuddle of the monsters if they ask first (i do warn them that they are very kissy dogs and they will end up soaked haha)

[mumtoshelley]

I went to a dog show here in red cliffs I enjoyed it altho some of the breeders didn't want to talk about there dogs or answer any questions, But I guess it could be that they were busy at the time. I did get to interact with some alaskan malamute puppies, a liver spoted dalmatian,a border collie,a irish wolfhound,shetland sheepdog,a flat coated retriever. I also got to cuddle a tibetan spaniel puppy he was so cute I feel in love straight away, The tibetan spaniel breeder was so friendly and willing to answer any questions I had. His tibetan spaniels were so friendly even the dad of the puppies lap up for pats. I did ask permission before touching the dogs, I can understand people not wanting there dogs touched specially the coated breeds where it takes forever to get ready for the show.

[BigDaz]

I think it is polite to ask if there is someone around.

Years ago I went to the Melbourne Show and they had Great Danes there. There was a dog sitting in the boxes they sit in and there was no one around, so I gave him a nice chest rub.

I turned to walk off and someone grabbed my shoulder, I looked over my shoulder to realise it was a pig paw sitting there, apparently the Great Dane hadnt quite had enough of the chest rub.

[Rebanne]

I think it is polite to ask if there is someone around.

Years ago I went to the Melbourne Show and they had Great Danes there. There was a dog sitting in the boxes they sit in and there was no one around, so I gave him a nice chest rub.

I turned to walk off and someone grabbed my shoulder, I looked over my shoulder to realise it was a pig paw sitting there, apparently the Great Dane hadnt quite had enough of the chest rub.

I think it is polite to wait until someone is around before touching their dog.

[WreckitWhippet]

I think it is polite to ask if there is someone around.

Years ago I went to the Melbourne Show and they had Great Danes there. There was a dog sitting in the boxes they sit in and there was no one around, so I gave him a nice chest rub.

I turned to walk off and someone grabbed my shoulder, I looked over my shoulder to realise it was a pig paw sitting there, apparently the Great Dane hadnt quite had enough of the chest rub.

I think it is polite to wait until someone is around before touching their dog.

I came back to one of my dogs in it's trolley going off it's brain, because some numpty had decided ( while I went to the toilet ) to come under my tent, wake my dog up and proceed to stare it in the face and crouch down to get a closer look...

[Greytmate]

It's a bit tricky.

I think as long as you ask - and wait for the owner to give permission and supervise - it's ok. But it gets a bit tricky if the owner walks away and leaves her dog with someone the regulars don't know.

Last weekend I went to our local pet expo, cos some of my friends were doing dances with dogs. I watched some of the routines and then went to find my friends and their dogs. One team came out of the ring and the dog promptly came up and schmoozed me and I just patted under the chin and on the chest without thinking about it. The owner said I must be a doggy person because her dog doesn't normally do that. Oops. I apologised for not asking first. I think we'd all met before though.

And later I saw someone walking along an "isle" behind all the dog crates - with dogs in them - the backs of the crates making the edge of the isle - just unzip that dog's crate and reach in. And I said - I wouldn't do that without asking and she said - "it's my dog" - I said you don't look like the person who just did the dance routine with that dog. She said "that's my mum". I felt a bit embarrassed then, but I also said "you probably want to go round to the front of the crate, so you look like part of the team otherwise General Public might think it's ok for anyone to do what you're doing.

And the "if one person pats the dog - anyone can pat the dog" - did follow me and some of my friends round a bit. Ie I'm friends with some quite anxious dogs who seemed very pleased to see me in the busy environment but if I patted the dog - little kids would rush up to pat the dog too... and mostly their parents intervened and things were supervised and friendly but it could have been bad.

So I imagine at a busy show - dog owners have to be quite wary that strangers don't think it's ok for them to do what friends can do. Unless everyone who is a friend is wearing a team uniform - it's a bit hard for the general public to know the dog is only friendly with some people and not everybody - or likes a formal (slow and careful) introduction with new people.

Also at the expo - there were some stations for hand washing and disinfecting - and signs about being careful with puppies etc. I can imagine it might be difficult to control germ exposure with puppies. Though all the animals looked clean and healthy to me.

What there wasn't at the expo - were nice public free escape routes for dog people to take their dogs out for pitstops and etc, without running the gauntlet of people who aren't sure the difference between a cuddly dog shaped toy and a live dog.

These sort of problems could be avoided with better space planning and management. You make some really good points about why problems can happen.

When you think about the chaotic and stressful environment at some ag shows, it is a credit to the dogs and handlers that most of the time there are no negative incidents.

There is a lot more that could be considered in the planning of dog shows to meet the needs of various exhibitors and the public. Everyone should go away from a dog show with a positive feeling about the interactions they had. They certainly don't need to pat every dog at a show to have a great time, the important thing is to make it clear what public can and cannot do, without exhibitors having to act like a security guards constantly protecting their dog and belongings. The story Diva told of the public being encouraged by show officials to go into gazebos that the owners have set up as private areas isn't fair on anyone, and could even be dangerous. Things like that don't have to happen if they are planned for in advance and the various needs of different exhibitors are taken into account.

[murve]

OMG what a sour cow we have had our guys at the Royal a few times, the funny thing is they prefer to mingle with the public than being on their benches :laugh:

I do have extra smooth coat so not a prob with grooming :laugh:

Edited April 25, 2012 by murve

[Esky the husky]

Not at a show but the pet expo in Adelaide everyone thought it was their god given right to pat all the dogs.

Esky is very very good with strangers and being handled, I made a point that we did a lot of that as a pup and it's really paid off.

It annoyed me that some parents didn't ask, "of course you can pet the dog sweetie"

I guess it's fair enough because everyone else was.

I was a little annoyed when I was sitting a bit further back in the display letting Esky have a drink and a break and people were still coming up to pat her. There were still other dogs to pat .

I was using a lot of positive reinforcement on the children " That was very good of you to ask :) Yes Esky is very friendly she loves being patted"

I was also showing some of the kids where to pat Esky when I could see she wasn't enjoying being touched on the head.

I'm not sure if I would feel differently if I was at the expo for another purpose though *shrug*

[ness]

I had my guys at the pet expo over the weekend and yes one of my dogs is an anybody can pat me type and that was the reason I took her. She is an absolute veteran at expos - not really phased by a lot and use to coping with the unexpected.

My other youngster can be timid of strange people so she was taken to demo her routine and then mostly left in her crate rather than walked around the expo. What I couldn't believe was I was standing maybe 2m away with my other dog out chatting to a member of the public and my young dog was closed in her crate at the back of our area and I turned around and found a kid who had ducked in between a super narrow gap between our stand and the stand next door and had proceeded to open my girls crate and stick her head in there.

Boy was I ropeable. I literally hurled the kid out of the crate and tore strips off the parents for allowing it. NOT amused. It might have ended in disaster if I hadn't been standing right there and happened to catch a glimpse out the corner of my eye.

ETA. Actually Esky I had the opposite experience at the Adelaide expo I found most (aside from the kid in crate incident) did ask whether it was ok to pat the dogs and parents ensuring that they had in fact asked.

I won't say much of the adults who thought it was cool to try and peer into the back of crates as they went past though - erm maybe they could use a little bit of educating to.

Edited April 25, 2012 by ness

[Greytmate]

I'm not sure if I would feel differently if I was at the expo for another purpose though *shrug*

People go to dog shows and expos for their own reasons, which may conflict with the show organiser's reasons for having the show.

When I was doing GAP displays, we would always have to organise our own private space for dog time-out, and storage of personal belongings. Our displays were designed to attract people to come right into the stand and engage with the dogs rather than have people stand back and watch from outside. We would position the dogs, objects, and ourselves within the space to encourage or deny access depending on how crowded it was and how people were behaving with our dogs.

So when you say that you were annoyed at people coming into the back of your expo display to pat your dog while it was drinking, it appears that your own expectation of what the public will do is different to the message the public received when they visited your stand. Whether it is an ag show or an expo, the public will act the same. They are there to have a fun experience with dogs. They don't think about what else is going on that day, they usually only think about their own immediate experience. But whether you have an exhibitor like Bjelker who has white fluffy dogs that should not be touched, or an exhibitor like AnimalMad who wants people to touch her dogs, there will be times when any dog might need a break from being on public display, so thought needs to be put into how this is going to happen. The public don't know when they see a dog going past whether it is having a break, going to the toilet, going into the ring, or out to socialise with everyone.

[GeorgieB]

..

My other youngster can be timid of strange people so she was taken to demo her routine and then mostly left in her crate rather than walked around the expo. What I couldn't believe was I was standing maybe 2m away with my other dog out chatting to a member of the public and my young dog was closed in her crate at the back of our area and I turned around and found a kid who had ducked in between a super narrow gap between our stand and the stand next door and had proceeded to open my girls crate and stick her head in there.

Boy was I ropeable. I literally hurled the kid out of the crate and tore strips off the parents for allowing it. NOT amused. It might have ended in disaster if I hadn't been standing right there and happened to catch a glimpse out the corner of my eye.

..

I won't say much of the adults who thought it was cool to try and peer into the back of crates as they went past though - erm maybe they could use a little bit of educating to.

I'm still shocked by the number of adults I see doing things like this, its unbelievable. I've seen people walk up driveways past the front door to stick their hand through a gate or fence to pat a strange dog. Or through a cracked open car window.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Kahlua

[Ons]

I always ask to pat a dog at a show

but never when the people look extremely busy - sure sign they are about to go in the ring or when they are sitting back half asleep and the dog is too

I've even learnt not to pat poodles on the top of their head - whoops - that lady did get a bit snarly but having a short coat myself I forget how long it takes for that beautiful top knot look. Now i just pat the coated dogs gently on the side.

[mita]

Yes, a good idea is to set up things so that members of the public know what's expected. In a perfect world (which it's not!), everyone would ask first, 'May I pat your dog?' But, as others have said, some people just step up & start petting. Tho' as ness posted, sometimes most people DO ask.

So maybe figure out ways that can let the public know....like a sign on an exhibit space that says....'Please ask....' or reminders over the PA...'Remember to ask....' Same behaviour as would be expected towards any dogs in public.

[Starkehre]

I am all for letting the public interact with my dogs if the time is appropriate. I am not offended if they ask and hope they are not offended if I decline, but that would be rare ocurrence.

Several years ago I had two of my dogs at the Royal, benched for the agility trials. I was there with a friend, we would take turns to keep an eye on each others' dogs when we had to walk away for a short time.

It was amazing how many of the public felt it was their right to pat our dogs without asking. They would walk under the rope to reach them.

Anyway on one particular occasion, I left the bench to relieve myself and came back to find that my friend had become distracted talking to someone (I was not happy) and a family of overseas tourists had not only climbed under the baracade, but had strategically sat themselves on the double bench my dogs were tied to, leaned in towards my dogs with their arms place around their necks, whilst someone else was photographing

I could not believe what I was seeing. I promptly asked them to move away. They finished their shots, then cuddled a bit more before leaving. Incredible. Lucky my dogs are friendly and thought it was wonderful.

[ness]

I agree with Greytmate about making it clear to the public the expectations. All our dogs had crates and even though my oldest actually spent bugger all time in it if she had needed a time out it was available. Also since the weather wasn't overly hot when I wanted to go for a bit of a look around I moved both dogs back into the car (mine are use to spending time in there when training or at trials) in the exhibitor carpark where they were a lot safer and away from potential issues with the public.

Our stand also had a grooming table out the front where one of the dogs who was suitable for the crowd to pat was stationed and we rotated the dogs so there was normally somebody available for people to pat.

Edited April 25, 2012 by ness

[Greytmate]

Yes, a good idea is to set up things so that members of the public know what's expected. In a perfect world (which it's not!), everyone would ask first, 'May I pat your dog?' But, as others have said, some people just step up & start petting. Tho' as ness posted, sometimes most people DO ask.

So maybe figure out ways that can let the public know....like a sign on an exhibit space that says....'Please ask....' or reminders over the PA...'Remember to ask....' Same behaviour as would be expected towards any dogs in public.

I think it is always polite to ask first. It's manners and the safest thing to do. Most people will ask, and many are too scared to ask and so will miss out. Signage is great, in inviting people to ask to pat dogs as well as not to touch without asking, but the same rule doesn't hold true for all dogs all of the time. There are always areas that the public should never need access to. The ring entrance and marshalling area, the dog toilet area, the show secretary desk, or exhibitors handbags.

I think we have to idiot-proof things if we set up an event and then invite the public to attend. Some exhibitors will tire of being asked and having to say no, especially if people are being encouraged to ask. If all this is considered in the event planning stages, we wouldn't need to ask is it 'right or wrong' to pet dogs at shows, the shows themselves could often be better arranged so it is clearer where the public is allowed to be and what they can or cannot touch.

[Luke W]

The public should be aware that until judging is completed, they should keep their grubby mitts off the entries.

"Grubby mitts"?

I'll have you know my mitts are usually pretty clean. Why do you have so low regard for Mr and Ms Pubic and their 16 screaming children?