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Just because the dog is exposing her belly doesn’t mean she is inviting someone to bend over her and rub her belly. She could in fact be offering what’s called a TAP OUT. Just like the wrestling move, she’s calling “mercy!”, offering a moment of submission meaning “please don’t hurt me, I’m no threat.” Subsequently asking the person to back off.
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You can tell the difference of whether it’s an invitation or a warning by the way in which the dog offers the belly up position. If the dog’s body is wiggly and the face looks relaxed and has an open mouth, the dog is likely inviting a belly rub. If the dog’s body is tense, licking lips, yawning, tucked tail and the mouth is closed, she is likely asking for space. A dog performing a TAP OUT will likely also have wide eyes or squinty eyes(squinty eyes mean stress). Dogs tend to TAP OUT when they don’t want to be touched. As soon as this dog has space from the human, she will likely move away.
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Tap out - does not want to be touched and is asking for space
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Bending over and petting a dog that feels threatened will make them feel even more unsafe. If you think a dog you’re interacting with is doing a TAP OUT and not wanting a belly rub, simply give the dog some space and allow them to time to flip back over. Only pet them when they’re not flipped and when they come over to you. Practice the 3 Second Pet Rule, disengaging and engaging with the dog to find what makes them most comfortable.
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Tap out
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Happily rolling
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In the video below you’ll see a dog doing a TAP OUT, not asking for a belly rub. You can see the dog has a lot of theatrics.. lip licking, exposing belly while sitting, tail tucked, ears pinned, lots of slinky movements. When she wants to engage, she comes in close and sits. If this person would have rubbed her belly, the dog would have most likely tolerated it while losing trust in the human, thus the relationship this person is trying to build. It’s clear in this video, exposing belly means “give me space” and sitting close means “pet me please!”
In the video below you’ll see a dog doing a TAP OUT, not asking for a belly rub. You can see the dog has a lot of theatrics.. lip licking, exposing belly while sitting, tail tucked, ears pinned, lots of slinky movements. When she wants to engage, she comes in close and sits. If this person would have rubbed her belly, the dog would have most likely tolerated it while losing trust in the human, thus the relationship this person is trying to build. It’s clear in this video, exposing belly means “give me space” and sitting close means “pet me please!”
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Written by Jamie Ianello, IAABC-SBA