I’m a vet and this is why you shouldn’t hug your dog

I’m a vet and this is the main the reason why you shouldn’t hug your dog

After a long, gruelling day, sometimes the perfect remedy for your woes is a big old affectionate hug from your hound.

However experts are now warning Brits should find an alternative way to show their dogs some love.

In fact, professionals claim giving your canine a cuddle can serve the opposite effect, causing the animal to feel stressed and become aggressive.

And according to The Sun, dogs act out when disarmed by a hug, as they feel uncomfortable and anxious.

As their stress levels continue to soar, it could lead to barking, growling and even biting.

Experts have explained how hugging dogs could make them feel stressed and anxious. This could in turn lead to them growling and even biting (stock image)

Hugging is seen as a form of handling, so although a dog may initially lap it up, their primary defence is to run away.

Patricia McConnell, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist wrote in her blog, The Other End Of The Leash, said: ‘Yes, your dog may leap into your lap, kiss your face 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’.

What’s more, Behaviour Vets author Lauren Novack said dogs who do enjoy hugs are actually rare.

The comments come after another British vet revealed the five dog breeds she would not personally buy and the reasons why.  

Cat, from the UK, posted on TikTok – which got more than 450,000 views – about which pets she would not decide to look after. 

She said: ‘I’m a vet and here are five dog breeds I would not personally own.  And as always with videos like this, there’s gonna be loads of you out there who own these breeds and love these dogs and that’s absolutely fine. Just hear me out okay.

‘Number one is the German Shepherd. Absolutely beautiful dogs and bred to be a guarding breed.

‘But they’re not bred to guard, they’re bred to be suspicious and anxious, which makes them really reactive dogs. 

‘If they have a bad experience, they never forget it. They’re beautiful, but they’re big. They’re powerful and they can be really, really challenging. So just not for me. 

‘Next up is any of our flat face breeds. Again, absolutely fabulous little dogs but they do not deserve to suffer as much as they do.  And I absolutely just could never contribute to that suffering by deliberately owning one. 

‘Number three is the working Border Collie. I see quite a lot of these in practice bought from farms and kept as pets. And huge numbers of them have mental health problems because these are dogs who need a job.

‘I just do not have time in my life to put enough into them to make sure that they’re living their best lives with me.’

‘Number four is the Shar Pei just generally a breed that doesn’t appeal to me personally,’ she continued.

‘But also again, lots of health problems and lots of behavioural issues as well, which often relate to the fact that because of their health, they’re in pain and discomfort and that makes them grumpy. 

‘And number five is a St Bernard or really any large breed dog with loads of jowls because quite honestly, I just cannot cope with the slobber.’

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk