Dogs don't like being hugged!!!

[autumn]

samirot, sorry, but if your dog is growling when you hug him, chances are he does not like it.

[sophie's-mom]

Originally Posted by autumn

I was trying to explain that there are so many different dogs and different scenarios that one cannot lump every dog and every person under one rule.

I do believe that is why Gretchen quoted the original phrase. What that person wrote is COMPLETELY different than what a few of you have written.

GAZING into a dogs eyes to get him to READ YOUR MIND because the two of you have FALLEN IN LOVE is a freakin SILLY thing to do and a way to get half your face ripped off.

[BostonRott]

Originally Posted by samirot

For the rest who are wondering if DOGS like to be hugged, I say hug your own dog once

I'm VERY glad you clarified your experience ("I am a new Rottweiler owner"), so that no one will confuse this ridiculous statement with sage advice.

I would suggest that you go back and read the links which are published, which are based on scientific study. Please do not give out irresponsible advice on a publically viewed board.

[Skip]

Originally Posted by BostonRott

....
How many of you hug your dogs? And of those of you that do, how many o you would be comfortable letting your vet do the same thing? Or a complete stranger? If you're not comfortable, why not? What does this tell you about your dog and hugging? Dogs and hugging in general?

I hug my older dog occasionally and he seems to really enjoy it. I'm pretty sure about that. If I hug him, he pushes against me for more when I let go. My young dog didn't seem to enjoy it as much, so he doesn't get hugged. As far as letting anybody else hug them...no, definitely not. But if I had kids I wouldn't let strangers come up and hug them either. That's a forced one-sided affection.

[samirot]

Autumn, he was growling the first two days, now he is great. We have so much fun with this little one. I wish there was a way to keep them at this age forever.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by samirot

Autumn, he was growling the first two days, now he is great. We have so much fun with this little one. I wish there was a way to keep them at this age forever.

Your pup is not going to stay this age forever, so I suggest you do some very quick learning as to the respect one should give one's dog for being a DOG, and not confusing it for a stuffed toy, or a human baby. SIGH.

[rottielover2004]

As I stated before, dogs are not teddy bears, you should never force yourself to them. If you want to hug, buy a teddy bear, if you want loyalty, devotion, and respect, train a rottweiler

[frontierrots]

If your dog has a sound and stable temperament and if it has been conditioned since teeny babyhood to understand that huggng is yet another silly human communication method to put up with, then sure your dog may learn to like it

Otherwise your dog is likely to view a hug as a threat or something scarey

There is NO way you'd ever see me hugging a dog I bought/adopted as an older pup or adult

[damp]

Originally Posted by samirot

Bostonrott, i am going to also be blunt, and what I am about to say is also not an attack, its only the "truth", you are very wrong in your extremely generaLized and judgmental statement about an issue that is not as clear as math.

Dog language is definitely as clear as math.
Like math, (some never figure out the logic) so dog language.
Dog language is beyond dispute in a pack, it’s fact for dogs and it’s a damn shame that humans don’t have the time, desire or skills to understand dogs.

So what (some) dogs accept is very different from what they like and when they one day have had enough, it to late.

[samirot]

Originally Posted by BostonRott

I'm VERY glad you clarified your experience ("I am a new Rottweiler owner"), so that no one will confuse this ridiculous statement with sage advice.

I would suggest that you go back and read the links which are published, which are based on scientific study. Please do not give out irresponsible advice on a publically viewed board.

I said ("I am a new Rottweiler owner") I will write in capital letters so that my hand writting is better understood OWNER, I did not say I have no idea about rottweilers.

I would suggest that you go back and read some more, you WILL see that it is not all science, and dogs are not robots. The ONLY reason i am spending this time to reply to you IS because this is a publically viewed board, and people should not only have to listen to scientific engineers when it comes to raising their own dogs, with its own personality in their own homes. Because when you write with such GREAT authority some people might actually believe that ALL DOGS DON'T LIKE TO BE HUGGED all the millions of them, and that a stare is a stare is a stare and it will get your face bitten off by your own dog. If any dog owner, specially educated ones, have the slightest doubt that their own dog might bite their faces off then they should not own this dog.

Finally before I leave this great and fun chat. You do not understand dogs at all, and i just feel sorry for the dog who is owned by a computer (dog) programmer.

[BostonRott]

You should not discriminate against computer programmers, it's as rude as hugging dogs!! And I don't see why engineers would be poor owners either, I'm sure there are quite a few here on the boards (though not I, sorry Charlie).

Being a new owner, one generally learns that the books don't tell you everything and experience is worth its weight in gold.

[MontanaRott]

Originally Posted by samirot

Bostonrott, i am going to also be blunt, and what I am about to say is also not an attack, its only the "truth", you are very wrong in your extremely generaLized and judgmental statement about an issue that is not as clear as math.

You say that DOGS DON'T LIKE TO BE HUGGED, wrong, i know a whole bunch that love a good old hug from their owners and sometimes people they just like. So lets say that some dogs don't like hugs at all and some dogs don't like hugs by certain people or strangers, this could go on quite a while about the likes and dislikes of dogs, because simply dogs are NOT one original dog and the rest are just photo copies, wouldn't you agree. trust me some dogs love and crave hugs. Lucky is one who is like that, and I'll soon find out if ranger is the same. so I know I am not being unfair to them, no matter what some experts might suggest.

Lets now talk bluntly about STARES, what does that really mean, and what exactly are you talking about. Not all eye contact is a STARE, like in a "I am so upset with you, I want to hurt you" look. Eye contact could have a million different looks, trust me dogs understand even the slightest variation, a look that says you are sooo qute at 8 weeks because you are as big as my hand, gets only one reaction, a ton of licks and hugs, and if you don't give them the hug, they will push themselves into your arms. remember this is not only us and our dogs, but almost every other loving dog owner that i have met.

For the rest who are wondering if DOGS like to be hugged, I say hug your own dog once, and if he doesn't like it good, but if he does then its great for the both of you. More importantly, don't allow anyone to judge you as rude, confrontational, unfair or with any big words, because you do what makes sence for you and your dog. Trust me, the best expert on your own dog is you.

quote:
"Quite frankly, if you do all of this to your dog, and it doeesn't bite you, I'd worry about the dog. These are RUDE, confrontational challenges to a dog. Dogs do not understand human emotion or behaviour."
Unquote

Just funny. First, IT will never bite me. second, don't worry about my dogs. Third, not only dogs do not understand human emotion or behavior, I sometime don't, I SOMETIMES JUST DON'T GET SOME PEOPLE.

It is wrong and they do not like it. If you walked up to our boy Steve and hugged him, I can GUARENTEE you would be bitten. A dog will ACCEPT a hug from its family member, Steve would accept it from me, but am I silly enough to think that because he accepts it, he LIKES it? NO. He would not like it, it would be an insult to him, but because he trusts me, he would allow me to do it. And because I love and respect him, I would never ask him to accept such an insult, just because I could.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by samirot

I said ("I am a new Rottweiler owner") I will write in capital letters so that my hand writting is better understood OWNER, I did not say I have no idea about rottweilers.

I would suggest that you go back and read some more, you WILL see that it is not all science, and dogs are not robots. The ONLY reason i am spending this time to reply to you IS because this is a publically viewed board, and people should not only have to listen to scientific engineers when it comes to raising their own dogs, with its own personality in their own homes. Because when you write with such GREAT authority some people might actually believe that ALL DOGS DON'T LIKE TO BE HUGGED all the millions of them, and that a stare is a stare is a stare and it will get your face bitten off by your own dog. If any dog owner, specially educated ones, have the slightest doubt that their own dog might bite their faces off then they should not own this dog.

Finally before I leave this great and fun chat. You do not understand dogs at all, and i just feel sorry for the dog who is owned by a computer (dog) programmer.

Like I said, you have a lot to learn about canine behavior, and respecting and admiring a dog for what it is... A DOG.

[Skip]

Originally Posted by Skip

I hug my older dog occasionally and he seems to really enjoy it. I'm pretty sure about that. If I hug him, he pushes against me for more when I let go. My young dog didn't seem to enjoy it as much, so he doesn't get hugged. As far as letting anybody else hug them...no, definitely not. But if I had kids I wouldn't let strangers come up and hug them either. That's a forced one-sided affection.

I just wanted to say that as a general rule I would not advise people to hug their dogs. I'm not the all-omniscient, all-knowing, mind and body reader of dogs, but I know it's been enjoyable for a couple dogs I've had. We do many things to our dogs that are not part of "pack life". To quote Damp that "So what (some) dogs accept is very different from what they like and when they one day have had enough, it to late." I believe has merit...but if a dog of mine reacted that way years later, then I would REALLY have think I was a real dumbass about reading my dogs likes and dislikes and I would not own another dog. I've never had kids and I've been accused more than once of using those latent paternal instincts on my dogs...but I think I'm a pretty good read of my dogs....but I wouldn't hug somebody else's.

[autumn]

Originally Posted by sophie's-mom

I do believe that is why Gretchen quoted the original phrase. What that person wrote is COMPLETELY different than what a few of you have written.

GAZING into a dogs eyes to get him to READ YOUR MIND because the two of you have FALLEN IN LOVE is a freakin SILLY thing to do and a way to get half your face ripped off.

I agree. In THAT situation she was correct. I posted my experiences as others did.