Behaviorists have cautioned people for years about hugging dogs because dogs don’t like it, says Karen B. London, PhD. It is common for dogs to dislike being hugged, and for people to love hugging them. It should be no surprise that members of two different species have different preferences.
Source: Bark, May 2, 2016.
A recent post by Stanley Coren, Ph.D, called The Data Says “Don’t Hug the Dog!” suggests a general pattern that the majority of dogs are not as crazy about hugs as people are. Coren viewed 250 random photos on the internet of people hugging dogs. For each photo, he determined whether the dog fit one of three categories: 1) the dog appeared stressed or anxious, 2) the dog appeared relaxed and at ease, and 3) the dog appeared neutral or ambiguous.