Dogs try to be our best friends, but we don’t always make it easy for them. Every now and then, we all do things dogs hate. Here are some of the common human actions that push dogs away by making them upset, nervous, stressed, or confused.
1. Using Words More Than Body Language
2. Hugging Your Dog
While you might love wrapping your arms around a furry canine friend, most dogs hate hugs.
3. Petting a Dog’s Face or Patting Her Head
Yet most humans think that dogs like being patted on the head.
The reality is that while many dogs will put up with this if it’s being done by someone they know and trust, most dogs don’t enjoy it. You may notice that even the loving family dog might lean away slightly when you reach for her face to pet her. It’s a personal space issue for dogs just as much as it is for us.
Interact with your dog by gently petting her back or rear, but don’t pat, and definitely don’t go for the dog’s face. If you really want to reward your dog, give them a rub on their rear end right by the tail; that’s their favorite place to get petted. A belly rub, a little ear massage, and a scratch on the underside of the chin, front of the neck, or sides of the thighs are sure to make your dog happy.
Petting releases the feel-good hormone oxytocin in both dogs and humans, so be sure to do it—just do it in the right places, with the right approach. It is also a form of bonding and it reassures the dog that you are his or her beloved owner.
4. Walking Up to a Strange Dog While Looking Her in the Eye
While we humans view steady eye contact as an important sign of trustworthiness or focus, it is part of establishing dominance for many species, including dogs.
The dog might still want nothing to do with you, but at least you didn’t approach in a scary way that could cause a defensive or aggressive reaction.
5. Not Providing Structure and Rules
You might think having strict rules makes life boring or unhappy for your dog, but dogs really want to know what’s right and wrong according to their leader.
When establishing those boundaries, it’s important to be consistent; dogs don’t understand exceptions to rules. They don’t understand that they’re allowed to jump on you when you have leisure clothes on but not when you have work clothes on. They don’t understand that they’re allowed on the couch after a bath but not after coming in from a romp in the mud.
Additionally, saying “no” for breaking a rule but not actually doing something to help the dog stop the behavior and learn the rule is not effective enforcement. Dogs thrive when they know where the boundaries are, and when you spend time enforcing consistent boundaries with positive rewards, you also are building up their trust in you as a leader.
6. Forcing Your Dog to Interact With Dogs or People She Clearly Doesn’t Like
Yet, many dog owners ignore this or simply fail to read the cues their dog is giving them. It is common for enthusiastic owners to push their dogs into social situations at dog parks or allow strangers to give them pets despite the dog clear signs of wanting to be left alone.
True, there is value in encouraging shy, fearful, and reactive dogs out of their comfort zones so that they can develop necessary social skills, However, knowing the difference between gentle boundary-pushing and forcing an interaction is vital to your dog’s safety and sanity.
When dogs are pushed too far in social situations, they’re more likely to lash out; after giving multiple cues, their last resort for sending a clear message is to use their teeth.
7. Going for Walks Without Giving an Opportunity to Explore and Smell
8. Keeping a Tight Leash, Literally
By keeping a slack leash, you’re letting your dog know that there’s no reason to be worried or tense—that you are calm and in control so your dog is free to be calm as well.
9. Being Tense
Tension on the leash isn’t the only way a dog can pick up how you’re feeling. The more stressed and wound-up you are, the more stressed and wound-up your dog is. And dogs, just like us, don’t like stress.
10. Being Boring
Just like children can be bored while running errands with their parents, dogs abhor when their owners are boring.
11. Teasing
Many people think it’s funny to tease dogs: barking at one as you pass it on the street, waving or talking to one that is barking at them from behind a window, pulling on a dog’s tail. The list can go on, but the important thing is that you shouldn’t do something you know makes a dog mad for the sake of a laugh; the dog won’t find it funny. And, it can lead to some serious behavioral problems.