You Shouldn’t Hug Your Dog!
Every living being expresses feelings in very different ways. It’s normal for us to hug people we love , but your dog doesn’t have to like it.
Today we explain to you why you should n’t hug your four-legged friend.
Why not hug dogs?
They don’t like it at all, maybe you’ve noticed that yourself. Hugging your dog will only piss him off! Just observe how he behaves as he looks at you and puts his ears up.
A study by psychology professor (and dog expert) Stanley Coren at the University of British Columbia shows that dogs don’t like being hugged at all.
This doesn’t mean that they don’t love their owners or enjoy being around them, but they are uncomfortable with a hug. Every living being has its own way of expressing affection.
Dogs don’t understand hugs
Dogs do not understand that a hug means affection, they see their freedom and movement restricted, which could mean danger.
As Coren explains in an article published in Psychology Today Magazine , pets feel stressed and unhappy when we hug them.
The reason for this is simple: If we hug our dog, we rob him of any possibility of escape in a possible dangerous situation. He feels trapped.
To come to this conclusion, the team of experts analyzed around 250 photos from the Internet of dogs being hugged by their owners.
The researchers found that 8 out of 10 animals feel absolutely uncomfortable in this situation. More specifically, on 81% of the pictures, the dogs show at least one sign of fear, discomfort, or stress. 8% appeared satisfied and the remaining 10% responded equivocally or neutrally.
Remember that dogs are always on the alert for danger and need freedom of movement to run away in an emergency. Hugging makes them feel stressed and locked in.
How do I know if my dog doesn’t like my hugs?
Studies can provide very detailed results, but you should supplement and compare them with your own experience. Perhaps you’ve never noticed that your four-legged friend feels uncomfortable with a hug.
This is because animals often do not express their feelings as clearly. An unmistakable sign would be if your dog shows its teeth, tries to bite, or starts barking. But only very rarely are dogs so evident in this situation.
It is important to pay attention to small gestures, subtle signs that can tell us more about the feelings of the four-legged friend. Signs of stress or danger are:
- The dog puts its ears back and pulls itself down.
- He closes his eyes or squints
- turns his head away from the person and
- avoids eye contact.
- He licks his snout excitedly,
- sticking out your tongue
- is in an escape position,
- clamps the tail between the legs or
- panting excitedly.
- The dog stretches its legs forward to free itself from the embrace,
- he holds his muzzle up to gasp for air.
If you want to show your dog your affection, it is better to scratch him, play with him, or go to the park instead of hugging him.
