11 Things That People Do That Dogs Don’t Like

Dogs want to be our best friends, but sometimes we make it hard for them to do so. We all sometimes do things that dogs hate. Here are some common things that people do that scare, upset, stress, or confuse dogs, making them want to stay away.

 

 

1. Showing more with words than with actions

 

Dogs might be able to figure out what words like “walk,” “treat,” “toy,” and “off” mean, but they can’t understand what people say. They figure out what we mean by watching how we move. Unfortunately, we can easily send mixed messages if we only pay attention to what our mouths are saying and not what our bodies are saying.

 

If you go to a beginner dog training class, you’ll often see people saying one thing but doing another, and a confused dog trying to figure out what to do. For example, if you tell a dog to “stay” while leaning toward it and holding out your hand like a traffic cop, your body language is telling the dog to come toward you. But when the dog does it, she gets in trouble for not staying still, which is confusing.

 

Spending a whole day with your dog without saying a word to it is a great experiment. You’ll see how much your body “talks” without you even realizing it, and you’ll learn how to use your movements and body positions to get your dog to do what you want.

 

2. Hugging Your Dog

 

Even if you love to hug your furry dog friend, most dogs don’t like it. When one primate puts its paw or foreleg on the back of another primate, it is a sign of friendship and support. When a dog does this, it shows that it is the boss.

 

Many dogs won’t mind, but some will be scared, mad, or feel threatened. Also, keep in mind that the same dog may react very differently to a hug from one family member than from another.

 

Watch how your dog moves when you go to hug her to find out if she doesn’t like your hugs. Does she tighten up? Lean her head away from you? Avoid eye contact? Lick her lips? Move her ears closer to her head? These are all signs that a dog is sad. So, if you want to give your dog a hug, look for these signs to see if it’s OK.

 

3. Petting or patting a dog’s face or head

 

If someone touched your face, you would probably pull your head back and lean away. You might also feel tense because they were in your space. Still, most people believe that dogs like it when you pat their heads.

 

In reality, most dogs don’t like this, even though many dogs will let someone they know and trust do it to them. Even the family dog, who loves to be petted, might lean away a little when you reach for her face. It’s important for dogs to have their own space, just like it is for us.

 

You can pet your dog by stroking her back or bottom lightly. Don’t touch her or try to grab her face. If you really want to reward your dog, rub its backside where its tail is.

 

4. Walking up to a strange dog and looking it in the eye

 

People think that steady eye contact is an important sign of trustworthiness or focus, but for many species, including dogs, it is a way to show who is in charge.

 

You might be trying to be friendly when you look a strange dog straight in the eye and don’t blink. But the dog probably thinks it’s a sign of dominance or even aggression. They might act submissive by looking away, doing a little wiggle for pets, rolling over onto their backs, or backing up and barking. Most dogs don’t like it when a stranger walks up to them and looks them straight in the eye, no matter what.

 

If you want to meet a new dog in a way that is comfortable for both of you, approach it with your shoulders slightly turned away, your eyes slightly turned away, and your voice soft and quiet. All of these friendly gestures will show a dog that you don’t want to hurt it. Even if the dog still doesn’t like you, at least you didn’t scare it or make it angry or defensive.

 

 

5. Not giving rules and structure

 

You might think that having rules makes your dog’s life boring or sad, but dogs really want to know what their leader thinks is right and wrong. Rules help us do this. It’s like how kids do better when they have rules and structure. Rules make life easier to plan for, less hard to understand, and less stressful.

 

When setting these limits, it’s important to be consistent, since dogs don’t understand when rules are broken. They don’t understand that they can jump on you when you’re dressed casually but not when you’re dressed for work. They don’t understand why they can sit on the couch after taking a bath but not after playing in the mud.

 

Also, telling a dog “No” when it breaks a rule but not doing anything to help it stop and learn the rule is not an effective way to enforce it. Dogs do best when they know what is expected of them. When you spend time setting clear limits and rewarding good behavior, you also build your dog’s trust in you as a leader.

 

 

6. Forcing your dog to interact with other dogs or people she clearly doesn’t like

 

Like people and other social animals, dogs have friends and enemies. It’s easy to tell which other dogs (and people) a dog wants to hang out with and which ones she doesn’t. Still, a lot of dog owners either don’t notice this or can’t figure out what their dog is trying to say. Dog owners often make their dogs play with other dogs at dog parks or let strangers pet them, even if the dog is showing signs that it wants to be left alone.

 

True, it can be helpful to take dogs out of their comfort zones so they can learn how to act around other people. But you need to know the difference between gently pushing your dog’s limits and forcing them to interact for their safety and mental health.

 

Dogs are more likely to bite when they are pushed too far in social situations. After making a lot of other signs, using their teeth is the last thing they can do to get their point across. Worse, they stop trusting you as a leader who will keep them safe, and they start to dislike parks, a certain dog or person, or social settings in general. So watch how she acts around people she doesn’t want to be around, and don’t force her.

 

7. Going for walks without stopping to look around or smell

 

When walking a dog, it’s important to let her have a few moments to look around. Dogs see with their noses, and their sense of smell is just as important to how they understand the world as ours is to us. Too often, we don’t let them have that experience because we only take them for walks when we have to go to the bathroom or get some exercise, rushing along the same old route without any sense of leisure.

 

One of your daily walks should be a “smell walk,” where you walk slowly and let your dog smell everything around her. Go somewhere completely new, like a new neighborhood or trail, and let your dog sniff around until she’s had enough, even if it takes a few minutes.

 

Give your dog a special backpack or harness for smell walks so she can tell the difference between walks where she needs to stay close to you and walks where she is free to explore. Make sure it looks different from the collar and leash you usually use, so your dog knows that this walk isn’t like the others. These walks are a great way to keep your dog’s life interesting by giving her the mental and sensory stimulation she needs.

 

 

8. Literally Keeping a Tight Leash

 

Dogs are very good at reading our body language, and they can also tell how tense we are by how tight the leash is. By letting the leash hang loose, you’re telling your dog that there’s no need to worry or be tense. Because you are calm and in charge, your dog can be calm, too.

 

On the other hand, a tight leash tells your dog that you are tense, nervous, and on guard, and your dog responds by getting even more tense, frustrated, and excited. Also, it doesn’t feel good for your dog to be pulled and put on guard all the time, and they know they can’t get away from you even if they think they should.

 

This is why it is so important to teach a dog to walk with a loose leash. Most dog owners will agree that it’s hard to get good at, but it’s important if you want to go for walks with a calm dog.

 

9. Being Tense

 

The way you hold the leash isn’t the only way a dog can tell how you feel. You can tell when someone you’re with is feeling tense, even if they don’t tell you. The same thing can be done by dogs. The more tense and anxious you are, the more tense and anxious your dog is. And dogs, just like us, don’t like stress.

 

You might roll your eyes, but the next time your dog acts angry and tense, ask yourself if you’ve been feeling the same way for the past few minutes, hours, or days. Your dog might show what you’re like. If you need a reason to meditate, you could do it to help your dog calm down.

 

 

10. Being Boring

 

Dogs hate it when their owners are boring, just like kids can get bored when their parents take them out to run errands. Remember that your dog has been waiting all day for you to come to play with them, even if you’re busy or just tired. If your dog gets into boxes or closets, eats shoes, or chews on table legs, it’s because she’s bored and wants to show you.

 

Training games are a quick and easy way to handle this. You can keep your dog’s mind and body active by teaching it a new trick, practicing old ones, playing “find it” with a favorite toy, or going for a walk and using it as an opportunity to practice urban agility. When it comes to making a dog tired, an hour of training is like playing fetch for two hours. Even though exercise and walks are important, giving your dog something to think about will make him happy and tired. Even if you only spend 15–30 minutes a day practicing tricks, it will make a big difference.

 

11. Teasing

 

Many people think it’s funny to tease dogs by barking at them as they walk by, waving or talking to them from behind a window while they’re barking at them, or pulling on their tails. You could keep going, but the important thing is that you shouldn’t do something to a dog that you know will make it angry just to make yourself laugh. It won’t be funny to the dog. And it can cause people to act in very bad ways.

 

Source: Treehugger.com