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Don’t Hug Your Dog
I reprint this, from the NYTimes, without comment:
To the average dog lover, the animals’ floppy ears and pudgy paws are simply cute. But there is actual science behind their design: They are cursorial animals, which means that they have adapted to run as their first line of defense, said Stanley Coren, a psychology professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and a dog-training expert.
So when a human, however well-meaning or needy, moves in for a full-body embrace, it immobilizes the dog and increases the animal’s stress level, he wrote in a Psychology Today blog post this month.
Dr. Coren’s recommendation? “Save your hugs for your two-footed family members and lovers. It is clearly better from the dog’s point of view if you express your fondness for your pet with a pat, a kind word and maybe a treat.”
Well, I meant “without comment” until now:
This is madness. My dog, Illy, loves to be hugged. She actively maneuvers herself into that position. Here she is, looking elegant:
On the other hand, the dog I had before her, Cohiba — and yes, that was his name: when he was a puppy he was totally brown and had a bright red nose — he didn’t like it so much. He liked to be scratched behind the ears and on the top of the head and then sort of left alone. Here he is looking regal:
Maybe it’s because Cohiba was a dude and Illy is a lady. (I’m probably guilty of all sorts of cis-gendered normality bias for that.) Maybe it’s because Illy is 100 percent Labrador, which means 100 percent sweetness, and Cohiba had a lot of German Shepherd in him, which means at least 50 percent “Let me do me-ness.” Or maybe there’s something else in it.
This line of reasoning, though, struck me: “They are cursorial animals, which means that they have adapted to run as their first line of defense.”
So have we. That’s what humans do, too. And we still like the odd hug now and then.
On the other hand, dogs do not like sweaters or silly sunglasses. I say, hug away. But forget about the cute outfits.
Here’s Illy again, looking ready for action:
That last picture is utterly gratuitous. So, please: let’s see some dog pictures now. No sense in pretending we don’t want to do it.
Published in General
Biscuit, our Chihuabrador (or, if you prefer, Labrahuahua) on his favorite faux fur blanket.
He’s not much of a hugger – or a kisser, for that matter – but he demands to be petted and scratched, which he initiates with a cat-like pawing of one’s hand.
We inherited dog Cash from my sister when she had to move into an apartment. A good arrangement for all. For years Son #3 said “Cash is the only one in this family who gets me.” Cash died sitting with Sam and his buddies and cousins the day after Thanksgiving last year. (we can’t get through a Thanksgiving without a funeral)
As this picture proves, when it came to hugs, Cash was the initiator.
Warning: The images below contain nearly fatal levels of cuteness. Proceed at your own risk…
This is our Border Collie, Merry. She’s the 4th Border Collie we’ve had, and this was taken just after we got her.
When puppies get tired, they crash hard…
Merry trying to look dignified, but still just too cute:
Merry the teenager, frolicking in the snow with our old Border Collie, Katie. I call this one “The Dynamic Duo”. Sadly, Katie had only a few months to live after this was shot:
When Merry was a young adult, she began ‘shoe stacking’. Every time we’d leave her alone, we’d come back to find that she had carefully organized our shoes into some pattern. Sometimes a straight line, sometimes a square or something else. This one was strange – there’s clearly a pattern to it which she found pleasing. I’m guessing it is some herding/organizing itch she’s scratching:
Merry, finally reaching regal adulthood:
She’s 4 now. One of the best dogs I’ve ever owned, and I’ve owned some really good ones. She may be an adult, but like most Border Collies she’s still a puppy at heart. Always playing, always enjoying life and just having a grand time. She reminds us that life is supposed to be fun.
Sadly, I was forced to give this guy his last hug yesterday….
We have five, of which two are happier when not being hugged. However, all five are firmly in favor of Fritos dipped in peanut butter:
That’s ‘Rizo, half long-haired dachshund and half Chihuahua, so a Mexican-Weiner, so Chorizo.
This is a microcosm of politics and society in general. We surrender the field to the obsessed and crazy, then are surprised we live in a crazy world….
Just kidding.
Sorry to hear that Kozak.
I’ve had two dogs and seven cats. Hugging is an individual preference. Some like it, some don’t, some tolerate it for brief periods. You know your pet, act accordingly.
Golden hug:
Hugs, scratches, rubs… Casey loves it all.
My two favorite hug subjects, in one photo.
Good idea not to hug a strange dog, but ones own dog loves it. My dog used to hug me when I’d return. He’d wrap his front paw around my leg press his head against me and whine happily. But this was the dog who would pick the burs out of my neoprene wadders as I picked them out of his fur.
In the old days with Amber, our step-dog.
This post sealed the deal for me re: joining Ricochet. Clearly I am among like minded people. I tired to upload a pic, but had a problem. Sharing a link instead re: lessons I learned from my dog with pics.
Thanks for all the pictures that made me smile
Tao of Darby
Rob is one great marketer….
Boo definitely does not want to be corralled, but in the morning she does love to snuggle after a long night of no attention.
Our boy Grady.
My BFF (Big Fuzzy Fella) probably prefers cuddles to outright hugs, but that doesn’t always stop me.
Hi, AM. have a Knowledge Base on Ricochet, but it might just be for members. It will tell you how to do EVERYTHING. Once you join, go to the Knowledge Base and search for Add Media. It’ll show you how to upload pictures.
Your heart will mend . . but never forget. It’s so danged tough :(
yeah… once you start psychoanalyzing the dogs.
Mind loves to be hugged.
And our 2 y/o loves to hug dogs, but not our Jack Russel [correction, he hugs our JRT plenty, and they cuddle on the couch, but he can’t lay on her like the bigger dogs]. We went to visit friends with a Golden Retriever, who would just lay patiently on the floor while Kieran crawled up on top of him to use him as a giant pillow.
It’s the worst, Trink. So sorry.
Just in case Western Chauvinist is too busy shoveling snow
to post this picture. It’s their beloved pups Pepper and Honey!
Harry, the Blind Beagle
That dog belongs in the United States Marine Corps! A real jar head if I’ve ever seen one!
This dog is clearly in agony. Maybe the research actually proves that dogs don’t like being hugged by strangers in lab coats.