Actually the secret is letting the dog sniff your hand first. This way you kinda introduce yourself. This makes it far more likely the dog will be ok with pets. How do I know? I am this meme.

[–] KreekyBonez@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

also works with cats. and, importantly, let them approach you. if a cat thinks it was their idea to be pat, then they will love it so much more.

[–] tdawg@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Yea was going to add that too. A lots of animals base their familiarity off of smell. Let them get comfortable with how you smell and more often then not the pets are welcome

[–] boletus@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This is a myth, no idea where it came from, but dogs will sniff you if they want to come sniff you. Body language is important and it's important to give the dog agency in the greeting. Putting your hand out towards a dog is not good advice for most people as most people don't understand body language, can be threatening to the dog, and it'll probably get someone bit by a nervous dog.

In general, just ask the owner for permission and information, or keep a comfortable distance and leave the dog be. Dogs are still animals, even if they're usually friendly.