A vet has warned how a ‘hug’ can make a dog feel, and it’s not necessarily what you would expect
A vet has warned that it could be a bad idea to ‘hug’ your dog, as it could have the opposite effect on them to what us humans feel.
There’s nothing nicer than coming home from a long day at work to your furry friend scurrying as fast as they can to the door to greet you.
Your natural reaction is usually to bend down and give them a big cuddle, and whilst it might look like they’re loving every second – it might not be what they’re really feeling.
Dog experts are now warning owners to find different ways of showing their love.
According to a vet who spoke to Psychology Today, a hug can actually make a dog feel quite anxious and trapped – this is because a dog’s primary defence is to run away.
Psychologist Stanley Coren explained: “Yes, your dog may leap into your lap and kiss your face, cuddle against your neck, and beg you to rub her belly.
“But that’s not ‘hugging.’
“In my experience, many dogs don’t enjoy having a human move one or two arms around their shoulders and squeeze.
“That’s the hug we are talking about.”
Behaviour Vets author Lauren Novack believes dogs who do enjoy hugs are a complete ‘exception’, reports Daily Paws.
She said: “When dogs don’t like something and politely ask for space over and over again to no avail, they’re likely to escalate their communication to growling or biting.
“I don’t want dogs to be stressed, and I don’t want humans to get bitten. For most dogs, hugs are stressful.”
Stanley previously analysed 250 photos of dogs being given hugs, and he found that in 80% of the images, the dogs showed signs of looking stressed.
And he noted that this can be indicated by a dog lowers their ears, closing their eyes, or turning away from the source of anxiety.
And the psychologist has now revealed some much better alternatives.
He said: “The clear recommendation to come out of this research is to 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.”
And the last thing we want to do is upset our furry babies, so we’re definitely going to take this advice on board!
Here’s when Kate Middleton is going to appear
The question of what is going on behind closed doors at Windsor is one of the most asked questions during the last couple of months, or better said since Kate Middleton‘s last public appearance.
The Princess of Wales had undergone a “planned” abdominal surgery in mid-January and ever since, her exact health state or whereabouts haven’t been discussed by the Palace except for the statement which came as a for of reassurance that she was “doing well,” and that they won’t be sharing any details except when they feel something truly significant takes place.
The people of Britain, as well as those from around the world who closely follow the situation involving Kate and the rumors surrounding her state, were given a glimpse of hope when the Minister of Defense confirmed that she would be attending the Trooping the Colour dress rehearsal ceremony on June 8, ahead of the main event on June 15.
However, it later turned out that it was a mistake and that Kate’s potential return to royal duty event has been deleted from an Army website. As per GB News, Kensington Palace was “not consulted” regarding the Princess of Wales’ appearance.
“It seems the MoD jumped the gun with this announcement and that Kensington Palace was not consulted…we will have to wait to see if the PoW will be well enough to attend,” Telegraph royal reporter Victoria Ward posted on X.
What’s most, the event’s overview mentioned Kate’s presence multiple times.
“Trooping the Colour reviewed by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales is identical to Trooping the Colour reviewed by His Majesty The King,” “Trooping the Colour reviewed by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales also includes 250 soldiers from the Foot Guards,” and “The soldiers will be inspected by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, Colonel Irish Guards.”
The site removed every information related to Kate and the event as well as her photo on the site’s landing page.
Kate hasn’t been seen in public for a long period of time, which is very unusual for a royal of her rank.
The public could last see her on a photo taken by TMZ, which some claimed was staged.
She also posted a photo herself on Mother’s Day on which she could be seen together with her children, but it was later determined the photo had been edited at parts which led to the news agencies to issue “kill notices,” which are advisory notices to remove or not use a specific photo.
“It appears that the source has manipulated the image,” the Associated Press notification read.
They also released a statement, saying, “The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.
Although the Palace didn’t comment on the edited photo, Kate herself decided to explain why the image had “flaws.”
On her and William’s official X account, she wrote, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”
Kensington Palace has later confirmed it “would not be reissuing the original unedited photograph of Kate and her children.”
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