5 Things Your Dog Hates

You need to stop hugging your dog. I don't care how floppy his ears are or how far his tongue lolls. Shut it down.

For a recent study published by Psychology Today, a researcher examined photos of dogs and their humans and found that 82 percent of dogs display signs of great anxiety when hugged: flattened ears, heads turned away, and whites of the eyes showing. The dogs, no matter how patient and loyal and cute, were obviously distressed. Because of you and your undying need for affection.

Dogs hate hugs for a fairly simple reason: Dogs run—they run towards balls, they run away from danger. But when you hug them, they can't run. You thwart their flight instinct. Its like if someone holds your arms behind your back. It doesn't hurt, but it doesn't make you feel in control, either.

So love your dog, your best friend, your buddy, with everything you've got. He's such a good boy! Just love him from a distance.

Here are five other things your dog may not like as much as you think they do…

1 Petting them on the head

Many dogs dislike this action, as they cannot see where your hand is going, which can make them feel uneasy. Dogs often duck away or turn their neck to try to follow where the hand is trying to pet them, but they can’t follow a hand coming from above with no warning. A dog feeling cornered by a patting hand may often use aggression to get it to stop – nervous specimens may even bite in this situation, if they feel they have no choice.

2 Picking them up

This is most common with puppies and small breeds. Just because you can pick them up all the time doesn’t mean that you should. It is a constant invasion of space and very often dogs that have been over-handled may start to growl when being lifted or moved. Before you go to pick up a dog, ask yourself if you’d do so if it were a large breed such as a Rottweiler. You probably wouldn’t.

3 Staring into their eyes

Eye contact is crucial for dogs and humans, but to stare into a dog’s eyes can feel threatening. Dogs use really subtle signs that humans confuse with our own emotions. Staring straight into his eyes may seem to him like you’re trying to start a fight.

4 Allowing a child to follow them around

When a dog gets up and physically removes itself from a situation, it’s stating very clearly that it needs some space. Parents often confuse this with their dog feeling too hot or wanting to get comfortable elsewhere, and allow their children to follow and pat it, even go under the table to stroke it. Don’t. Your dog’s space needs to be respected. Think of a dog walking away as saying “Leave me alone”.

5 Waking them up

All dogs require a safe place to rest and to be able to retreat to safely. It’s your dog’s own personal space and it shouldn’t ever be invaded. They should never be prodded, moved, picked up, carried or laid upon while sleeping. If you were in a deep sleep and someone jumped on you, would you be able to control your reaction? It is for this reason that we should let sleeping dogs lie.