H e analysed images of dogs being hugged by adults and children he found on the Internet, looking for signs of stress.
At an extreme end, when a dog is especially anxious it bares its teeth or may bite, but Dr Coren said there are 'subtler indicators' that it may be uncomfortable.
Signs of stress include the dog folding its ears down, half-moon eyes or turning its head away to avoid eye contact. If the dog has its eyes closed or is licking his lips it could also be a sign of anxiety. Yawning or raising one paw is another warning sign.
Dr Coren found that in 81.6 per cent of the photographs the dogs had at least one sign of discomfort, stress, or anxiety. Only 7.6 per cent of the photographs showed comfortable dogs whilst the remaining 10.8 per cent were either neutral or ambiguous.
“Dogs are technically cursorial animals, which is a term that indicates that they are designed for swift running,” said Dr Coren wrote in an article in Psychology Today.
“That implies that in times of stress or threat the first line of defence that a dog uses is not his teeth, but rather his ability to run away.
“Behaviorists believe that depriving a dog of that course of action by immobilising him with a hug can increase his stress level and, if the dog's anxiety becomes significantly intense, he may bite.
“The clear recommendation to come out of this research is to save your hugs for your two-footed family members and lovers.
“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'.
Surely throngs of dog owners and dog lovers will dispute this, but I have a feeling they should give it some thought.
Interesting article. I am not sure if I believe it totally. I have seen dogs jump into their owners arms to be carried. I am not sure if that qualifies as a cuddle or not.
I have only had big dogs, so not so much cuddling but stroking went on. On the other hand, they loved to jump up on us, so I am not sure if this was love or dominance, since in the dog world, this is an important part of their social structure.
I don't believe it. My dogs have always loved hugs. If I don't hug my beagle, he gets really pissed! I can see that some dogs would like it less, but a sweeping conclusion that dogs don't see hugs as comfortable or positive is unbelievable to a 3-time dog owner like me.
Wiki, my mini doxie loves to be hugged. Annie is different, she loves to be petted and have her belly scratched but only tolerates hugs.
If a lot of photos of dogs being hugged were examined, and if 80% of them show that the dogs appear to be uncomfortable, I would give it some credence. That is evidence.
We as human beings assume that the animal likes it because we would like it.
I have never hugged my dogs just because it isn't that practical , but kids have hugged them. I can't say I have payed attention to the dogs expressions at those times.
I have a Corgi mix who loves to have his chest rubbed. I think it is play to him.
I've had a number of dogs, both large and small, and I think it depends on both the breed and the circumstances (and sometimes gender). Dogs like attention but, in my experience, not necessarily hugs. All of them liked sitting on my lap or knowing that they could be close if they choose. Even my 160 lb English Mastiff wanted to sit on my lap like he did as a puppy and was visibly hurt when I said no. Hugging is different. If I pull them in close by the neck (especially larger breeds), I can often feel their neck muscles tensing to pull the other way (even though they might not actually do it). They tend to twist out of hugs and lick me in the face . . . as though to say kisses are fine but don't pin me. I often played tug of war with the larger breeds and, if I pull him toward me (because he lost) and attempt to hug him, he might growl and try to free himself. So my unscientific guess is that a hug, under some circumstances, can be interpreted as dominance to which a dog (especially a male) may not (happily) submit.
I've had four Dogs in my life, all of them from my Belgian Shepard to my Piki-Poo (14 lbs, thought he was gods gift to the dog world, went 22 years) they all gave hugs when they wanted to and all took them. (sometimes tolerating them)
I will have to agree there were probably times when they didn't really want one, just the same as times I really didn't want one. (My Belgian was a trained guard dog, four hands at the shoulder, and could easily rip you to shreds in seconds) And I agree with one, there were times where they would let you know they didn't want one.
The Belgian, I would say "Come Here Bubba"... and he, knowing I wanted to hug him, would hang his head and droop his tail and slowly stroll over next to me to receive his hug. Putting himself into the exact place to make it easiest. Just like you when a loved one wants to give you a hug and you just don't feel like it, you stroll over and accept it anyway.
If you pay attention to your animals, you will learn their behaviors and understand, just as they learn yours.
No, they are not people, even if they have the capacity to act like it at times.
Ma'iingan let's you know when he wants a hug.
Dogs' first line of defence is to run away so they feel trapped when hugged.
I think dogs are very sensitive to the "vibes" of other living beings-- including humans. So if their human and the dog have a good relationship-- why would the dog feel "trapped"-- and need to "run away"?
(IMO, if your dog frequently feels the need to run away from you...perhaps its time to re-evaluate your relationship...???)
Dogs' first line of defence is to run away so they feel trapped when hugged
If hugging makes them want to run away-- I wonder how they'd feel when confronted by a Cucumber!!!