Things Hated by Dogs that We are Guilty of Doing
1. Punishment by Scolding
When your dog engages in behaviors you disapprove of, don’t resort to scolding after the fact. The key is to catch them in the act. You might have seen countless guilty dog videos around the web and determined that dogs are capable of feeling remorse after doing a bad deed. However, the guilty look is not a sign of guilt, rather, it’s a sign of fear. In order to train your dog to ditch a certain bad habit, you have to make a clear association between the behavior and the consequences. Scolding after the fact just confuses your dog, and you’ll see your dog going back to the same old habit if you don’t discipline him/her during the act.
2. Products with Strong Scents
A dog’s nose is extremely sensitive. In fact, they have many more olfactory receptors than humans. Imagine if you grab a bottle of perfume, spray it in your nose and amplify that by 1000 times, it would be a pretty unbearable experience to have right? So, for the precious little button nose of theirs, Keep your products with strong scents away from them.
3. Grabbing or Tickling Their Feet
Have you ever looked at your dog’s feet and decided to tickle their cute little paws because you couldn’t resist? Well, I have. I can tell you from experience the response wasn’t very friendly. My dog returned the action by giving me the get-away-from-me kick and a death stare. It turns out that tickling might be fun for me, but it’s an extremely irritating thing to my dog. The same goes for grabbing their paws. They hate it! It gives them the feeling of being trapped. So stop it, mom and dad!
4. Blowing Their Ears and Face
Ah, this is another annoying habit the owners do in order to get a funny reaction out of their dogs. Once again, the trick gets old if you keep on doing it, mom and dad.
5. Being Inconsistent
Surprisingly, dogs hate it when their owners are inconsistent. Dogs prefer to live in a structured environment because it becomes extremely confusing for them when the structure doesn’t exist. This confusion might lead to disruptive behaviors down the line. Therefore, it’s crucial to be consistent when it comes to discipline and their daily routines.
6. Arguing
Fighting is a distressing experience for your dog especially if you are fighting with a family member your dog also loves. Your dog might react by being aggressive, barking, hiding, or fetching their toys in an attempt to distract you. Isn’t it sweet when they bring you a toy to speed along the reconciliation process? In a sense, it’s a peace offering because after all, why can’t we all get along?
7. Forced Hugs
I find this one a little selfish because what gives you the right to lay on me whenever you want, but I can’t hug you whenever I want? Some dogs are naturally big cuddle bugs, but beware, dogs love to cuddle you, but they hate to be handled with a bear hug. Dogs show their affections in a different way than we do. Therefore, they may view your loving hugs as uncomfortable and restrictive. Hence, this might the reason why they make a run for it when you hold them a little bit too tight.
8. The Head Pat
Some dogs simply do not enjoy head petting, and when it comes to a strange dog, do not pet its head right off the bat!
Petting a strange dog’s head is never a good idea as it could be viewed as a sign of dominance and a threat. So before you approach a strange dog, first, allow the dog to approach you and sniff your hands. Once, the tail is happy, wagging, and relaxed, you can then give them a little scratch on the side of their ears or under their chins. Lay off the head hooman!
9. Surprise Butt Scratches
Butt scratches are okay, but do not touch my rear when I’m not expecting it! A dog’s backside is a vulnerable area because, in the wild, it is definitely an open target to attack.
For pet owners with small children, it is important to teach your kids not to grab a dog from its rear as your dog could react in a negative way and cause harm.
Don’t refrain from the butt scratches. Just remember, no surprise butt attacks please!