Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,
Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Bogle bam here. If you are
Speaker 1: enjoying some quality time with a dog or a cat,
Speaker 1: odds are that the option to rub their belly will
Speaker 1: at some point present itself, and the results may be
Speaker 1: pleasant or unpleasant for both parties. But have you ever
Speaker 1: wondered about the psychological, physical, and even neurological underpinnings of
Speaker 1: this interaction. A belly rob can be good for your
Speaker 1: dog on many levels. Not only does it feel great,
Speaker 1: but it mimics important socialization between dogs, which are high
Speaker 1: touch creatures. When dogs play, they are definitely paused on
Speaker 1: and this means that they crave frequent physical interaction from
Speaker 1: the people who make up their pack. And aside from
Speaker 1: the behavioral boost a belly rob can offer, there is
Speaker 1: neurological component to a belly rob session too. Dogs have
Speaker 1: specific neurons in the brain that light up when their
Speaker 1: hair loocles are stimulated, and that provides a satisfying sensation
Speaker 1: during belly raps. Plus, giving that good boy a belly
Speaker 1: rub is so psychologically soothing that it can manifest physical
Speaker 1: benefits for the dog. Petting a dog goes tummy can
Speaker 1: lower his heart rate and blood pressure. This pet effect
Speaker 1: also shows up in people who may experience a reduction
Speaker 1: in blood pressure while petting a dog, and this affection
Speaker 1: connection with your pet acts as a feel good drug.
Speaker 1: When you and your furry beloved stare into each other's
Speaker 1: eyes during a belly rub, you'll both experience a hefty
Speaker 1: spike in oxytossin the same hormone that creates a love
Speaker 1: chemical feedback loop between mothers and their babies. So how
Speaker 1: do you know whether a dog wants a belly rub?
Speaker 1: The dogs often make it really easy to tell, but
Speaker 1: that doesn't mean you should just dive into a vigorous
Speaker 1: tummy rub with great abandon. Check the dog's posture. Is
Speaker 1: it relaxed, tongue lolling out, excepting of head pats or
Speaker 1: ear rubs. Start with the head and you'll discover that
Speaker 1: relaxed dogs will melt to the floor and roll over
Speaker 1: to give you better access to their bellies. If a
Speaker 1: dog is anxious, which can manifest as a rapid and
Speaker 1: submissive flip to expose the belly, and then it's not
Speaker 1: a good idea to give them a pet because this
Speaker 1: can reinforce the nervous feelings they're experiencing. And of course,
Speaker 1: while most breeds love a little bit of a massage
Speaker 1: on the tummy, there will be dogs of any breed
Speaker 1: who just aren't comfortable with that kind of vulnerability and
Speaker 1: exposure will let the dog lead the way, And this
Speaker 1: brings us to cats. Dog behavior can be a bit
Speaker 1: easier to decode than cat behavior, partially because, as some
Speaker 1: research shows, cats are only partially domesticated. Our relationships with
Speaker 1: our cats are often less of an owner pet thing
Speaker 1: and more of a mutually agreed partnership, and it's important
Speaker 1: to remember that they're not dogs. In the wild. Cats
Speaker 1: do express affection through touch with other cats, for example,
Speaker 1: when they haven't seen each other in a while, a
Speaker 1: behavior that you can observe if your wines around your
Speaker 1: legs when you get home. But touch among cats is
Speaker 1: perhaps less important for socialization than among dogs. Plus, the
Speaker 1: sensitive hair follicles on the feline's stomach are easy to overstimulate.
Speaker 1: This may explain why cats sometimes appear to want a
Speaker 1: belly rub by exposing their belly, but then suddenly bite
Speaker 1: or rabbit kick their back legs to stop the rub.
Speaker 1: Cats are big predators in little bodies. If they roll
Speaker 1: over and show your their belly, they're not generally showing
Speaker 1: submission or the desire to have you touch their belly.
Speaker 1: It's actually a defensive position that gives them the ability
Speaker 1: to use all of their claws and teeth to protect
Speaker 1: themselves from predators. If you touch this delicate spot, even
Speaker 1: if they're feeling relaxed, it can trigger defensive moves. That said,
Speaker 1: there are some cats who absolutely adorebelly rubs. It tends
Speaker 1: to depend on how the cat has been socialized with people,
Speaker 1: especially when it was young. You can encourage touch positive
Speaker 1: behave if you're in a cat by working with it daily,
Speaker 1: letting it come to you and direct you where it's
Speaker 1: okay to be touched, and letting it walk away if
Speaker 1: it wants, but rewarding friendly behavior with gentle pets, scritches
Speaker 1: and treats. Today's episode was written by Loarie all Dove
Speaker 1: and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and
Speaker 1: lots of other heck and good topics, visit how stuffworks
Speaker 1: dot com. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio. For
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