Data Suggests You Should Stop Hugging Your Dog and Here Is Why

There are a number of things that cause stress in dogs from loud noises to strangers entering the home. But something that people consistently do to their dogs that cause their dogs stress, is hugging them. Of course, if they knew the suffering it was causing their dogs, they wouldn’t be doing it, but most people simply don’t realize how stressful a hug is to a dog.

The main problem is that people know how good it is to hug and show affection to other humans, especially children. But they forget that dogs are not humans, and puppies are not children. Although owners may treat their dogs as human members of the family, the truth is that dogs are animals and still have many of their wild instincts.

One of those wild instincts is to be able to run if there’s danger. Like all animals (and humans, as well), dogs have a “fight or flight” response to dangerous situations. In the case of dogs, their first instinct is always to run away from the danger and only fight when it becomes necessary. Researchers believe that it is having the option of running away taken from them that causes dogs to get stressed when they’re hugged.

It is this increased stress that has led to a huge number of dog bites, especially in children. Which makes sense, as the dog has had its flight option taken away which leads to stress and a stronger “fight or flight” response, but since they can’t flee, they fight and resort to biting to escape the situation. Since a person’s head is typically closest to the dog’s mouth, it’s often their face that ends up getting bitten.

Several years ago, there was a book written for children called “Smooch Your Pooch” which encouraged children to both hug and kiss their dog as often as possible. Fear of this leading to an increase in dogs biting children, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior released an official statement advising parents to not buy the book so their children would not increase their risk of being bitten.

There are also websites and organizations devoted to teaching parents about the danger related to children hugging dogs. Despite this, there is still a huge number of people that believe that hugging dogs is not only completely acceptable but that their dogs actually enjoy it. This was proven recently in this study which looked for signs of stress in pictures of people hugging dogs.

There were 250 pictures that were randomly selected from the internet of people hugging their dogs, and each one was given the distinction of featuring a dog that clearly showed signs of stress, clearly showed signs of happiness, or had a neutral or unreadable expression. At the end of the study, it was found that over 80% of the dogs in the sample showed signs of being stressed.

For those who are skilled at reading canine body language, it’s easy to recognize signs of stress, even when in a photograph. One tell-tale sign is that the dog has turned its head away from what is causing stress which is often coupled with a partial or complete closing of the eyes. Dogs who keep their eyes open in stressful situations often display a “half-moon eye” where part of the white of their eye is visible.

Another common sign of anxiety in dogs is the lowering of their ears. Some dogs may yawn when they are nervous or even raise up one of their paws. Still another sign of stress in dogs is licking, whether they’re licking the person’s face or their own lips or nose. Dogs that are extremely stressed may bare their teeth.

Recognizing a dog is stressed and taking steps to preventing creating more stress for them are both important steps to not only provide dogs with happier lives but to also help prevent dog bites in adults and especially children. Children should be taught from an early age that dogs should not be hugged and can instead be pet to show affection.

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About the Author: Originally from Michigan, Melody now enjoys working as a freelance writer from her home in Nicaragua, which she shares with her amazing husband and their crazy cat that was raised on goat’s milk from the time her mother abandoned her at just ten days old. They’re excited to be expecting their first baby, who they thought was a girl, were told was a boy, and then was told was a girl. She also recently finished her first novel and is working on making a cat coloring book.