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I lived with a roommate who had a dog for six months, and it was probably the best thing to ever happen to me. Since I never had a pup growing up, the joy of coming home to a wagging tail was almost too much for my deprived ass to handle. I cuddled that animal like there was no tomorrow, but apparently Tote wasn’t enjoying the hugs as much as I was.
According to the worst study in recorded history, hugging a dog actually raises their stress and anxiety levels.
Dogs are technically cursorial animals, which is a term that indicates that they are designed for swift running. That implies that in times of stress or threat the first line of defense that a dog uses is not his teeth, but rather his ability to run away. Behaviorists believe that depriving a dog of that course of action by immobilizing him with a hug can increase his stress level and, if the dog’s anxiety becomes significantly intense, he may bite. For that reason, certain websites, which try to educate children and parents in order to reduce the incidence of dog bites (such as Doggone Safe), make a point about teaching children that they should not hug dogs.
The article’s author, Stanley Coren, proved this by collecting photos of people hugging dogs and noting how many of them showed signs of stress, such as downward ears and lack of eye contact. He found that in 81.6% of photos, dogs had these indicators that they were not happy.
It sucks, I know. But instead of smothering your furry friend with affection, they’d probably prefer a good rub down, scratch behind the ears, or smooch on the head. See? Everyone’s happy.
