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Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Bogle bam here. If you are

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Speaker 1: enjoying some quality time with a dog or a cat,

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Speaker 1: odds are that the option to rub their belly will

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Speaker 1: at some point present itself, and the results may be

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Speaker 1: pleasant or unpleasant for both parties. But have you ever

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Speaker 1: wondered about the psychological, physical, and even neurological underpinnings of

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Speaker 1: this interaction. A belly rob can be good for your

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Speaker 1: dog on many levels. Not only does it feel great,

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Speaker 1: but it mimics important socialization between dogs, which are high

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Speaker 1: touch creatures. When dogs play, they are definitely paused on

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Speaker 1: and this means that they crave frequent physical interaction from

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Speaker 1: the people who make up their pack. And aside from

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Speaker 1: the behavioral boost a belly rob can offer, there is

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Speaker 1: neurological component to a belly rob session too. Dogs have

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Speaker 1: specific neurons in the brain that light up when their

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Speaker 1: hair loocles are stimulated, and that provides a satisfying sensation

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Speaker 1: during belly raps. Plus, giving that good boy a belly

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Speaker 1: rub is so psychologically soothing that it can manifest physical

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Speaker 1: benefits for the dog. Petting a dog goes tummy can

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Speaker 1: lower his heart rate and blood pressure. This pet effect

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Speaker 1: also shows up in people who may experience a reduction

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Speaker 1: in blood pressure while petting a dog, and this affection

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Speaker 1: connection with your pet acts as a feel good drug.

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Speaker 1: When you and your furry beloved stare into each other's

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Speaker 1: eyes during a belly rub, you'll both experience a hefty

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Speaker 1: spike in oxytossin the same hormone that creates a love

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Speaker 1: chemical feedback loop between mothers and their babies. So how

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Speaker 1: do you know whether a dog wants a belly rub?

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Speaker 1: The dogs often make it really easy to tell, but

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Speaker 1: that doesn't mean you should just dive into a vigorous

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Speaker 1: tummy rub with great abandon. Check the dog's posture. Is

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Speaker 1: it relaxed, tongue lolling out, excepting of head pats or

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Speaker 1: ear rubs. Start with the head and you'll discover that

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Speaker 1: relaxed dogs will melt to the floor and roll over

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Speaker 1: to give you better access to their bellies. If a

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Speaker 1: dog is anxious, which can manifest as a rapid and

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Speaker 1: submissive flip to expose the belly, and then it's not

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Speaker 1: a good idea to give them a pet because this

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Speaker 1: can reinforce the nervous feelings they're experiencing. And of course,

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Speaker 1: while most breeds love a little bit of a massage

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Speaker 1: on the tummy, there will be dogs of any breed

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Speaker 1: who just aren't comfortable with that kind of vulnerability and

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Speaker 1: exposure will let the dog lead the way, And this

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Speaker 1: brings us to cats. Dog behavior can be a bit

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Speaker 1: easier to decode than cat behavior, partially because, as some

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Speaker 1: research shows, cats are only partially domesticated. Our relationships with

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Speaker 1: our cats are often less of an owner pet thing

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Speaker 1: and more of a mutually agreed partnership, and it's important

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Speaker 1: to remember that they're not dogs. In the wild. Cats

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Speaker 1: do express affection through touch with other cats, for example,

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Speaker 1: when they haven't seen each other in a while, a

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Speaker 1: behavior that you can observe if your wines around your

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Speaker 1: legs when you get home. But touch among cats is

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Speaker 1: perhaps less important for socialization than among dogs. Plus, the

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Speaker 1: sensitive hair follicles on the feline's stomach are easy to overstimulate.

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Speaker 1: This may explain why cats sometimes appear to want a

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Speaker 1: belly rub by exposing their belly, but then suddenly bite

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Speaker 1: or rabbit kick their back legs to stop the rub.

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Speaker 1: Cats are big predators in little bodies. If they roll

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Speaker 1: over and show your their belly, they're not generally showing

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Speaker 1: submission or the desire to have you touch their belly.

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Speaker 1: It's actually a defensive position that gives them the ability

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Speaker 1: to use all of their claws and teeth to protect

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Speaker 1: themselves from predators. If you touch this delicate spot, even

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Speaker 1: if they're feeling relaxed, it can trigger defensive moves. That said,

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Speaker 1: there are some cats who absolutely adorebelly rubs. It tends

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Speaker 1: to depend on how the cat has been socialized with people,

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Speaker 1: especially when it was young. You can encourage touch positive

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Speaker 1: behave if you're in a cat by working with it daily,

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Speaker 1: letting it come to you and direct you where it's

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Speaker 1: okay to be touched, and letting it walk away if

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Speaker 1: it wants, but rewarding friendly behavior with gentle pets, scritches

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Speaker 1: and treats. Today's episode was written by Loarie all Dove

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Speaker 1: and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and

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Speaker 1: lots of other heck and good topics, visit how stuffworks

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Speaker 1: dot com. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio. For

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Speaker 1: more podcasts to my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio

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Speaker 1: app Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.