Petting

For petting zoo see Zoo

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Petting is the affectionate act of stroking, brushing or caressing an animal's fur, scratching its ears, rubbing its belly etc., for mutual enjoyment. Grooming behavior in some animals is similar to petting, but generally the verb 'pet' refers to a human petting an animal -- or another human.

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Petting an animal can act as a reward when training an intelligent animal such as a dog, rather than to reward behavior with food. Affection training enthusiasts say that food should be given only at mealtimes. An affectionate ruffling of the neck fur or a scratch behind the ears, or a kind word work quicker and are more humane than using food 'treats' as a reward.