Hugging Your Dog Causes It Stress

New research suggests that dog lovers should stop cuddling their pets because the animals tend to find it uncomfortable and stressful. According to Dr Stanley Coren a canine behaviour scientist at the University of British Columbia, pet owners who regularly hug their pets are mistaking signs of anxiety for affection. Dr Coren said owners were blindly posting photos on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram of themselves hugging their dogs without understanding their pets are displaying clear signs of discomfort.

Clear signs of distress

Dr Coren looked at 250 images and found that in 80 per cent of the pictures he looked at, the animals were displaying obvious signs of distress. In a paper published in Psychology Today, the researcher said that people posting such pictures online, tend to do so to demonstrate the love they feel for their pets, however it is clear that the dogs are looking into the camera and thinking they would really rather not participate.

Stifling evolution

The Canadian university professor says dog gestures such as raising a paw, yawning or even licking an owners face are often mistake for being affection when instead they were really signs of stress. Dr Coren adds that dogs feel uncomfortable when they are cuddled because the act prohibits their natural response to escape from danger. The basic animal response to situations which are considered stressful or threatening is to run away. When owners hug their dogs, they are taking away the ability of the animal to respond in the fashion that evolution designed them to respond, the professor said.