Posted on 04/26/2016 4:26:19 PM PDT by SMGFan
If you love your dogs, you should hug them, right?
Wrong.
In an article published in Psychology Today, psychology professor and neuropsychological researcher Stanley Coren argues that most dogs are actually stressed out by hugs.
The study analyzed 250 Internet photos of people hugging their dogs, scanning for for known signs of anxiety in the dog, including turning their head away, showing the whites of the eyes and slicked back ears.
Coren's data revealed that 82 percent of dogs in the photos showed at least one of those signs of stress. About 8 percent of dogs seemed happy with the hug and the remaining 10 percent appeared neutral or showed an ambiguous response toward the gesture.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Tell that to my chocolate lab. As soon as I sit in my recliner she jumps on to my lap and goes through a head rubbing routine with me while I hold her in both arms. When she’s done with that, she sleeps in my lap until I get up.
Sounds like dog personalities, proclivities, and training/socialization have plenty of diversity to go ‘round...
Well, he is a bit of a snuggler and likes to drape on people.
Bark more, hug less?
Walter the ranch dog loves his hugs. A Schnauzer/Poodle mix with a Schnauzer cut, he’s quite aggressive when he wants that sort of attention. Boundless energy!
Analyzing the scanned photos, does the psychology professor and neuropsychological researcher Stanley Coren actually have knowledge of a live dog?
What about kitties?
My dogs love being hugged!
They do like being carried, fed by hand and having the tummy rubbed.
In my experience, ALL dogs like being scratched behind the ears... that’s my go-to move with a new dog I meet. Usually I do that, and I have a friend forever :)
One thing though, don’t scratch them with your fingernails, cuz you can hurt them, I do it with my knuckles, and they like that better.
My ‘girls’ sleep with me. They do not like hugs or my lying with my arm draped across their torso. They do however, like to lie stretched out with their back against my back or, with their heads resting on my belly or buttocks, depending how I am sleeping. (I could stand to lose some weight!)
My Rottweiler likes to sleep next to me like that.Sheldon gets his back parallel to mine then pushes into me.But he keeps his head toward my feet so he can keep an eye on the bedroom door.Always on guard.
That’s a spoon, not a hug. LOL
But I found that both cats and dogs do enjoy gentle stroking and scratching behind their ears.
People can tell whether an animal likes something or not, just by paying attention to their reaction.
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