Beeing polite to our dogs

In addition to my last post I want to add some lines.
Actually I already did this following my godfeeling but reading it in a book reminded me, that this might be interseting for others as well.
Most of us love to pet our dog's, but not all dogs love to be touched. But we can simply asked our dogs if they like our touches or not.
Pet you dog for a short time, then stop and wait for a response.
Does your dog show any calming signals or does he even stand up to leave or is he crawling near hoping to be touched again.
I use to ask my dog because I think petting should be enjoyable fo her - try to be polite and to the same!