Hugs May Be Causing Your Dog Stress
- 8 years ago
Humans may like giving hugs to dogs, but most canines don’t like receiving them, according to a recent Psychology Today article.
Humans may like giving hugs to dogs, but most canines don’t like receiving them, according to a recent Psychology Today article.
In it, University of British Columbia psychology professor Stanley Coren, a dog specialist, argues that the hugging action raises the animals’ “stress and anxiety levels.”
He reasons that dogs are considered cursorial animals, or runners, so when they are confined in an embrace, it can make them feel defensive and possibly even bite.
He set out to test the idea by analyzing the dog’s face and body language in 250 photos showing them being hugged by humans.
As stated in his article, “81.6% of the photographs researchers scored showed dogs who were giving off at least one sign of discomfort, stress, or anxie
Humans may like giving hugs to dogs, but most canines don’t like receiving them, according to a recent Psychology Today article.
In it, University of British Columbia psychology professor Stanley Coren, a dog specialist, argues that the hugging action raises the animals’ “stress and anxiety levels.”
He reasons that dogs are considered cursorial animals, or runners, so when they are confined in an embrace, it can make them feel defensive and possibly even bite.
He set out to test the idea by analyzing the dog’s face and body language in 250 photos showing them being hugged by humans.
As stated in his article, “81.6% of the photographs researchers scored showed dogs who were giving off at least one sign of discomfort, stress, or anxie