Man’s Best Friend Doesn’t Want To Hug It Out

Wanna hug it out?  We hear the phrase a lot now in pop culture, most often on sitcoms and used as a way for guys to get past minor injury or insult by some other guy.  But just because lots of us humans hug our friends doesn't mean you should hug man's best friend.

To us people, a hug is warmth, strength, comfort and support, but according to an article published in Psychology Today, it doesn’t play that way to your pooch.

Canine behaviorist Stanley Coren writes that a dog hug could trigger dog stress and he says the signs to watch for include: the dog turning his head away, closing his eyes, or seeing the eye whites of the dog, and the dog presenting lowered or slicked-back ears.  Coren says if you see a combination of those actions, the dog doesn’t want to hug it out as much as it wants you to knock it off!

Another phrase you may have heard is that you’re "cramping my style.”  If dogs could talk, they might say you hugging it out is cramping their style because a dog’s natural style is to be physically free to run away if necessary. Animal experts say dogs are "cursorial" animals, which means they are biologically designed for swift running, and in times of stress the dog’s first line of defense is to dash.

By hugging your hound you're effectively immobilizing him, which can increase his stress level, and may even cause the animal to bite.

(Today)