Find the Best Petting Spots for Your Pet

Its been proven that petting animals lowers human blood pressure, and calms the soul. Now, it appears that we can do the same for our animal friends. A team of French and Austrian scientists, experimenting mostly on cows, have found that animals express pleasure, and even have lower heart rates, when being stroked in certain areas. They say, the secret is to think like an animal.

The research suggests that animals are relaxed when petted or stroked in areas that are normally covered when they groom each other. The cows relax, and their heart rate lowers, and the same appears to be true for other, more domestic animals.

"This suggests that cows may in part perceive human stroking of body regions often licked similarly to social licking," the researchers wrote in their study, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science. Scientists from The Institute of Animal Husbandry and Welfare at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna set up a test with cows to see how they reacted.

Handlers stroked 30 Brown Swiss and 30 Austrian Simmental cows in three different body regions: the top of the back, just above and below the neck, and along the side of the chest. Cow heart rates were monitored during the sessions. A control cow group experienced a human presence but no stroking.

The researchers observed that the cows stretched out their necks and let their ears fall - signs of deep relaxation - when stroked in parts of the upper back and the neck areas that cows often reach when they lick each other. Lower heart rates confirmed these observations.

Stroking the side of the chest, and simple human exposure, did little to relax the cows, which even appeared slightly agitated with a person just hanging around.

"The results are in line with other studies in different species showing that animals' behavioral and/or psychological responses to human tactile stimulation depend on the body region," the researchers wrote.

Horses tend to stand still with their heads lowered and eyes closed when patted on the upper back, an area targeted by their nibbling. Cats, very social animals, tend to rub their faces in groups. Doing the same with your pet cat would cause the cat to feel calm and peaceful.

Dog experts think that dogs work a little differently. While the same principal applies, short strokes along the spine pleases the animal, dogs also like non typical touches as a result from their years of domestication. Places like the stomach and neck, which are typically defended areas, can have the same affect in dogs who trust their owners.