"Dogs don't like hugs", according to a new study

[Deleted]

Dogs don't like hugs, according to a new study

http://www.nbc12.com/story/31857449/...to-a-new-study



Those with dogs know the warm, loving feeling that opening the door and giving your canine companion a welcoming hug can give the owner but, new research suggests those hugs might be stressing dogs out.

Dr. Stanley Coren, a professor at the University of British Columbia, penned an article for Psychology Today that suggests hugging your dog increases its stress levels.

In his research, Coren used a random sampling of 250 pictures of people hugging dogs from various online image repositories, such as Google Image Search and Flickr.

"I can summarize the data quite simply by saying that the results indicated that the Internet contains many pictures of happy people hugging what appear to be unhappy dogs," Coren writes.

According to Coren, "81.6% of the photographs researchers scored showed dogs who were giving off at least one sign of discomfort, stress, or anxiety."

Only eight percent of the photos Coren evaluated showed dogs that were comfortable with being hugged while the remaining eleven percent of dogs exhibited either "neutral or ambiguous responses" to the hug.

In Coren's post, he noted there were several telltale signs of stress in the canines, including their ears being down, "half-moon eyes," and the dog's head being turned to avoid eye contact.

"This means that the people who were doing the Internet posting probably chose photos in which they felt that both the person and the dog looked happiest," Coren's post explains. "Nonetheless, around 82% of the photographs show unhappy dogs receiving hugs from their owners or children."

For the researcher, he suggests a less-stressful way to show your canine affection.

"It is clearly better from the dog's point of view if you express your fondness for your pet with a pat, a kind word, and maybe a treat," he closed.

----------

Original article from Psychology Today:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...nt-hug-the-dog

[Koji2k11]

maybe the felt discomfort because some dumbass was shooting a photo of them getting hugged ? also judging by photos alone is a stupid thing to do it's not a reliable source of information

[Deleted]

His "research" only proofs that the poeple posting the photos can't tell whether their dog is happy or not.

[kail]

Well my dog always waged his tail when I hugged him.

[Vanyali]

This.. really isn't new?

Most animals (yes, your fluffikins is an animal, not a child) don't like contact the way humans do. A well socialized dog (esp. around kids) generally don't hate it to the point of attacking or running away, but most dogs aren't running around pleading for hugs.

Same with the idiots that think fluffikins loves it when they kiss him on the face or put their face in his.. no, your dog reallyyyyy doesn't see that as a good thing in most cases.

[Tommy T]

My dog jumps into my arms and puts his paws around my shoulders and then falls asleep.

They have to come to you. If you pick them up randomly and start squeezing them, of course they're going to be pissed.

[Deleted]

https://www.facebook.com/staffan2/po...08090933584107

this is my brothers dog, absolutely loving hugs!

[Yunru]

You can clearly see that dog is looking at the guy who is making a photo. Dogs dont like cameras. (mine runs away from them)

[monkmastaeq]

My dog pushes his jaw down on my shoulder as hard as he can when i hug him to return the affection and runs into my arms when i drop to one knee

[Deleted]

My dog is neutral for hugs but gets uncomfortable if you make him wait for a photo.

[Hooked]

My yorkie hates hugs or being picked up, she is like 1 in a million because only 1 person in a million wouldn't have brought her to the pound already. My dog is wild, she doesn't like pets, hugs or following rules. She has had all kinds of medical complications because of her feral nature, she eats snails in the backyard when ever she finds one, they are everywhere now because I'm scared to poison the snails because she will eat them. Unless you got thousands of dollars to waste on a dogs self induced medical emergencies, pick a nice dog. I sent my wife to get her and I think she basically just said "give me a puppy", because my puppy wasn't healthy from day one. Never let your wife pick out the dog, never.

[Thetruth1400]

maybe the felt discomfort because some dumbass was shooting a photo of them getting hugged ? also judging by photos alone is a stupid thing to do it's not a reliable source of information

That's exactly what I thought too. Even in their example picture, the dog is clearly showing that it is looking at the camera more so than worrying about the child hugging it.

My dogs will run up to people and force themselves on the person until they're given attention, including hugs. If that's their way of showing, "No I hate hugs don't do it!" then there is something wrong with them.

[Deleted]

Totally has nothing to do with the fact that they are being photographed...

My mums dog loves hugs, it's the first thing he wants whenever I go to her house.

[Super Kami Dende]

It seems more likely the Camera and Flash of the Camera is discomforting for them. Most Dogs I've known loves to get hugs.

[Wildtree]

That "study" isn't news. It's established knowledge about dogs.
But it doesn't apply to all dogs whatsoever.
The correct answer and knowledge is: (Some) dogs don't like hugs. (Some) dogs love hugs.
If one tries to judge from one animal onto the entire race, they have no clue what they're talking about. Just like we humans, every dog is different from the next.
My one dog does not like to sleep on the bed at night, he prefers to stay on the floor in his dog bed, while the other one doesn't just wanna sleep in bed, he's completely submerged under the blankets all night, and seeks body contact.
So, what am I calling my study now?
Dogs hate bedrooms? or Dogs like to snuggle?

[Hooked]

Never ever send your wife or any friend/family member to pick out your dog, Never!. That puppy needs to lick you and make a bonding before you bring them home.

[Irian]

This is obvious information for anyone with half a goddamn brain. Of course dogs don't like hugs, it's a human emotion-based action.

A lot of dogs like hugs simply because it shows that you're giving them attention, so it's clearly wrong. Of course the dog doesn't care about the physical side of hugging, because when a creature wraps its arms around a dog it usually means its trying to kill them. But the dog enjoys it from someone they like when they're happy because it shows that you're giving them affection and dogs can process that.

It feels pretty stupid to explain this, but no more stupid than this study.

[Hooked]

This is obvious information for anyone with half a goddamn brain. Of course dogs don't like hugs, it's a human emotion-based action.

A lot of dogs like hugs simply because it shows that you're giving them attention, so it's clearly wrong. Of course the dog doesn't care about the physical side of hugging, because when a creature wraps its arms around a dog it usually means its trying to kill them. But the dog enjoys it from someone they like when they're happy because it shows that you're giving them affection and dogs can process that.

It feels pretty stupid to explain this, but no more stupid than this study.

Puppies are hugged by their mothers all the time, they love hugs. Puppies and dogs in general love hugs as many as they can squeeze out of you.

[Archonite]

This study seems to pop up a lot, but its not really a study.

“This is a set of casual observations,” Coren told The Washington Post, adding that his findings weren’t part of a peer-reviewed study."

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...b0b49df6aa270d

[Rennadrel]

My dog likes hugs and when you try to cuddle with her, she constantly paws at you or licks you if she can.