This is a question many of my readers have asked. And there is a very simple answer to this question if dogs are ticklish? The answer is no. Dogs are not ticklish.
Research has found that there are two types of tickles. Gargalesis is when certain areas of the body deemed to be ticklish are touched and thus invokes laughter. These areas are generally the neck, feet, armpit, stomach etc. The other kind of tickle is called the Knismesis. This is caused by light motion of the skin. But this kind of tickle doesn’t bring on laughter.  

Dogs are incapable of Knismesis tickle because they have fur which covers the skin. Dogs are incapable of Gargalesis tickle because they do not possess the tickle receptors as us humans do. When you scratch any area of the dog that you think will tickle it, you will notice that the animal simple gets comfortable and may even end up sleeping in your arms. Rubbing the dogs underarm, belly, or neck simply creates a comfortable and pleasurious feeling to the animal.
​
The next reason why dogs are not ticklish is because dogs cannot laugh. Laughter is an emotion which is sacred to us humans no matter the race or color. 

Do You Still Believe Your Dog is Ticklish?
Well, if for some strange reason you scratch under your dog's tummy and you hear your dog begins to laugh hysterically, chances are that you are that special dog owner whose dog is ticklish. So don't let the science of being tickled stop you from scratching your dog's tummy or behind the ear. Chances are even if the dog is not tickled, it really feels good to him or her. So go ahead, go tickle your dog.

Not all people have the advantage of using speech to command their dogs to do whatever they want. This is where basic dog hand commands become quite useful. You instill these types of dog hand commands by simply actioning the verbal command with your hand and demonstrating to your dog what he/she must do when the hand is positioned in different ways. 

Sit Hand Command
Take a look at the first picture in the image above. This is the hand command to tell your dog to sit. Elbow bent in V position, thumb points to chin, index finger points up while all other fingers clenched. 

Stay Hand Command
Face of palm is shown to the dog while the elbow is in a relaxed L position. Kind of like a reclining chair.

Lay Down
This basic dog hand command is really a flip of the stay hand command where the face of the palm faces down  while relaxing the elbow downwards.

The Follow Dog Hand Command
Can be a bit tricky but many dog trainers use what is called the lure at first to make the dog follow. This is basically having something in hand the dog wants or likes. Then use that and call the dogs name while making steps forward. This will encourage the dog to follow.  Many dog trainers use the hand gesture finger call by lowering the hand gesturing at the animal while moving.

Go Home Dog Hand Command
Just as you would point to the exit of your door to a rude guest, it is the same action needed to tell a dog to go home. So what good is this command? Well, dogs simply just love to run after their owners when the owners leave the yard. You can use this command to tell the dog to go home. It can be useful on a dog which has strayed from home, or an assistant dog which you want to tie a a message to to give someone at home that you are in danger and need help.

Speak Dog Hand Command
In other words, you want your dog to bark and make silly of himself. Many trainers use various hand commands for this, but the one illustrated is the basic command where fingers are un-clenched and apart. Some trainers will simply do a simple waive of this and of course encourage the animal to bark probably by mimicking the bark or speaking to the animal. 

​

​