This is what your dog hates when you do to him, new study finds

If you have a dog it’s likely that you’ve hugged him several times to show him your affection. And even if you have the best intentions in the world, a new study revealed that This wouldn’t be the best way to show your affection, since everything indicates that dogs don’t like it.

It is more, This type of physical contact would cause stress and anxiety in the person. mascot as reported by the investigation Cork Pet Behavior Center In Ireland.

To arrive at this conclusion, they first carried out a study based on 250 photographs of entwined dogs, where through observation they noticed that 81.6% of dogs showed signs of stress, such as turning their heads away, closing their eyes, lowering their ears and/or licking their lips.

Only 7.6% of them seemed “comfortable.”

And to finish testing this hypothesis, the dog center’s most recent research used videos instead of photos . That’s what they found.

After viewing at least 80 videos, researchers were able to determine that: In fact, most dogs become nervous and uncomfortable when held.

68.25% of dogs avoided eye contact and turned their heads away, 43.75% licked their lips or noses, 81.25% blinked frequently, and 42.5% panted.

Furthermore, 67.5% showed behavior before biting the human who was hugging them.

“A hug may be a normal social greeting for humans, but it’s not for a dog. Subtle signs of stress may go unnoticed when cuddling your pet, which can lead to a negative reaction. It’s about recognizing when your dog is uncomfortable. » explained Claire Matthews, dog behavior expert from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

And that’s it Dogs are not a species that instinctively cuddle. compared to humans and primates.

Additionally, this type of animal is designed to run into dangerous situations. For that, When you hug him, you immobilize him with your arms, which increases his stress level and robs him of his ability to escape.

If the anxiety is very intense, the dog may react by biting people.

This is why the authors of the study urged humans to start recognizing their dogs’ body language and vocalizations, rather than assuming they appreciate human expressions of affection like a hug, because the consequences can be negative for the well-being of the dogs and the safety of the owners.

Instead of a hug that restricts your movements, You can show your dog how much you love him by gently petting him, playing with him, and offering rewards, like snacks, to strengthen the bond.