Dogs Do Not Like To Be Hugged

Dogs are affectionate beings, but they don't like to be hugged. In an article by neuropsychologist Stanley Coren in Psychology Today, he explains that hugging makes dogs feel stressed out and anxious.

He analyzed 250 photos of people hugging their dogs and examined them to identify known signs of anxiety. He picked up the following signals of stress and anxiety:

1. More visible whites of their eyes

2. Turning heads away from the source of worry

3. Closed eyes

4. Ears slicked back or lowered behind head

5. Licking lips

6. Yawning

7. Raised paw

He found that almost 82 percent of the dogs sent signals of stress, and just 8 percent seemed to be happy while the rest looked neutral or gave an ambiguous response.

Coren said that as dogs are "cursorial" animals, their limbs have been created for fast running. When they feel stressed and threatened, their first reaction is to run, not bite.

As the dog gets immobilised and cannot run if you hug him, you are depriving him of the ability to run and increasing his stress. This makes him bare his teeth or bite, said Coren.

Senior canine behaviorist Claire Matthews said: "A hug might be a normal social greeting for humans but it isn't for a dog." Matthews is a member of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, a center for abandoned cats and dogs.

As we miss subtle signs of stress and anxiety while hugging our pets, this might lead to a negative reaction, she added.

Hence, do no hug dogs. Instead, you can give it a belly rub, a good pat on the head, an occasional treat, a kind word such as 'who's a good boy' or a stroke,

As dogs are part of the family, it would help if both sides are cued into what makes the pets happy rather than stressed.