Love Hugging Your Dog? Here’s Why You Should Stop Doing It
Dogs may be man’s best friend but they don’t like being hugged by their humans, according to some new research.
The study found 81% of dogs express discomfort and signs of stress when hugged by their human counterparts.
The study contests that dogs’ first instinct when held is to run away - but your arms wrapped around its body, no matter how lovingly, mean it’s stuck.
The research was led by dog expert Dr Stanley Coren, who is a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia.
He analysed photos of 250 dogs being hugged by both adults and children for signs of anxiety. He used pictures where the dog’s face was visible and did not use photos of dogs in situations which might be independently stressful - worth bearing in mind that the research is based only on photos and not live observations.
Stress indicators include lowered ears, half closed eyes, lip licking, yawning or raising one paw, as well as more serious signs like growling, baring teeth or biting.
Dr Coren says only 7.6% of the photos he looked at showed comfortable pups, while 10.8% were neutral.
In an article in Psychology Today, he wrote, “Dogs are not human children.”
Rather than a hug, Dr Coren advises you to show your affection with a friendly pat on the head or a treat.
Coincidentally, that’s also what most Brits prefer as well.
Image: Alessandra Sarti / imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock
