Hugging your dog stresses it out, study finds

[A girl hugs her dog on March 5, 2015 in Birmingham, England. Carl Court/Getty Images]

You may want to think twice before deciding to wrap your dog up in a big loving embrace.

That’s because new research suggests that while we may appreciate a good long hug with man’s best friend, they may not return the feeling.

That’s according to a new study by University of British Columbia professor and canine behaviour expert Stanley Coren who determined that intimate physical contact can actually stress dogs out, reports New York Magazine.

In a piece published in Psychology Today, Coren determined through studying 250 random online photos of people hugging dogs that clear signs of discomfort can be seen being displayed by the animals.

Body language showing dog anxiety like turning their head to break eye contact, displaying the white of their eyes, slicking back their ears and other indicators could be seen in almost 82 percent of the pictures studied.

Coren explains that the reason canines respond negatively to a hugging embrace is due to the simple fact that dogs aren’t hard-wired to respond to hugging in the same way a human would.

He argues by eliminating a dog’s ability to defend itself by running away will cause an increase in its overall level of anxiety, possibly leading to biting or lashing out if it becomes stressed out enough. He also doesn’t blame pet owners, but feels the problem lies more in many people’s inability to correctly read animal facial expressions for signs of stress.

For anyone who would still like to show a little love to their four-legged friend, Coren instead suggests a kind word and a good pat on the head is enough for your dog to know he’s being appreciated.