We love our furry ones so much that sometimes we want to hug them as we would any friend or relative, however, for them this is not as nice as you thinkWhile for us it is a gesture of love, for dogs it is a gesture that blocks them and causes them stress.
Surely you have ever noticed that your furry tried to run away or turned his head when you went to give him a hug, at that moment have you ever wondered why? my dog doesn't like to be hugged? On our site we are going to give you the keys so that you can learn a little better about animal behavior and we will advise you how to hug him without feeling overwhelmed.
Learn to interpret (and understand) the language of dogs
Unable to communicate verbally, dogs use appeasement signals, body postures that help them express themselves to other dogs, but that we as owners must also be able to interpret.
When you hug a dog he may display two or more signals shown below. When they do any of these things, they're telling you, in their own way, that they don't like for you to hug me. The problem is that sometimes you can get so insistent that they mark or bite, for that reason it is better to respect their space if they show any of these signs:
- Lower your ears
- Turn Face
- Avoid your gaze
- He tries to turn his back on you
- Turn your body
- Encloses the eyes
- He constantly smacks his nose
- Try to escape
- Yawn
- You open your eyes too wide
- Grumble
- Bars teeth
Is it really good to hug a dog?
Psychologist Stanley Coren published an article in Psychology Today called The Data Says "Don't Hug the Dog!" affirming that indeed, dogs do not enjoy when you hug them In fact, he presented a series of 250 random photographs of people hugging their furry and in 82% of them the dogs showed some of the signs of appeasement that we have detailed previously.
Coren explained that these animals are very quick to react and function, and need to be able to escape by running when they feel in danger or cornered This means that when you hug them, they feel blocked and held back, they don't have that ability to escape in case something happens. So if their first reaction is to run and they can't, it's normal for some dogs to try to score to get free.
Show him love but don't overwhelm him
Giving your dog love is the best thing you can do to strengthen your bond, but do it in a way that doesn't scare him, stress or anxiety is one of the five freedoms of animal welfare.
You can always pet him to relax, brush his hair or play with him to show your love, but there is also a way to hug him that he will interpret as holding back. Follow the steps below to stop constantly asking yourself, why doesn't my dog like to be hugged?
- Approach him calmly and with gentle movements so that he doesn't become alert.
- Let him see how you approach so he won't be scared.
- Allow me to sniff your hand, palms open.
- Sit quietly next to him
- Practice manipulation in different parts of the body, always progressively and helping yourself with prizes if necessary, so that he associates the hands with something positive.
- Gently wrap his arm around his back and stroke him. You can also scratch calmly, without squeezing.
