Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'

[BG and Gavin]

A recent discussion brought to light something that I did not know:  dogs do not like to be hugged.  People posted examples and videos showing the stress that dog’s display while being hugged.  I suppose I never thought of it before.  I was raised with horses and my dad taught me to always approach from the side (not head on as they can get a better look at you this way) do not move suddenly, work in close to a horse and maintain physical contact when you are out of their sight so they feel where you are as well as sing, whistle softly or talk to give them further information that you are there. 

I began to think about how Gavin approaches me when he wants physical contact.  The most common thing he does is sit up nice and tall with his back to me as close as he can (sometimes sitting on my feet).  I call this his ear scratch invitation.  Another thing he does is rest his chin on some part of my body (lap, hand or even shoulder when in the car).  I call this the chin scratch invitation.  The third thing he does is put his head down and literally bury it in my chest.  I call this the shoulder rub invitation.  I also give him chest rubs, particularly during training.

When we were in puppy K, the trainer said it was important to “own” every part of your dog’s body so that he knows you have the right to touch it whenever you want.  As a puppy, every evening, when Gavin was relaxed and lying on his bed, I would play the “I own this game.”  I would systematically touch him all over, every toe, tug on his ears, curl back his lip, touch his teeth, tongue, nose, belly, you name it… and softly tell him “I own this, and this, and that and this.”  Some of the spots I touched likely annoyed him a bit, but it became almost like a relaxation exercise. 

So, how does your dog ask for affection?  What is the best way to interact physically with your dog?  How did you socialize him to being “handled,” particularly by children?

[Bonnie and Kona]

Remember we got Owen after Kona... Kona certainly did not prepare us for our whirling dervish! Actually none of our many dogs did not prepare us for our whirling dervish~ ;o) So we've got opposites... nothing about Owen is measured, but he does have a sweetness about him.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

they are all special in their own ways. :o)

[Donna K & Quincy]

There isn't anything that I've discoved yet that Quincy won't let me do. He likes to be hugged shows no signs of any discomfort. He is can be sometimes a little demanding when he wants attention. He will put his nose under your and and give it a big nudge. I never knew that dogs didn't like to be hugged and Quincy never showed any sign that he didn't and he gets a lot of hugs.

Dogs are not supposed to like being pinned down either but apparently I use Quincy for a knee pillow when I sleep. DH said one day when he came home at lunch time to get Quincy when I was doing the night shift I was asleep with my leg thrown over him, even when DH opened the bedroom door, Quincy just looked at him and didn't try to move.

We've just done whatever we wanted to with Quincy since he was a pup, not as in any sort of training but as in we didn't know any better.

 

[Bonnie and Kona]

Donna, It was dumb luck with us too on the hugging. I had no idea dogs didn't like to be hugged and I have owned dogs for 40 years. hmmm? Kona absolutely likes to be hugged. He also loves to be "pinned". First thing in the morning he goes downstairs for his run. As soon as he gets to the family room, he lays on the floor for a belly rub. Then I lay my head on him. He just eats it up. It's his morning lovin' and he initiates it. 

[BG and Gavin]

I was appreciative of Gavin's tolerance today as I clipped his nails, fulled sticky poplar tree seed pods out from between his toes, scissor trimmed all of the fur between his toes and massaged bag balm into his pads.  He looked up from his prone position a couple of times to see if I was done, but that was it.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Chloe does the chin in the leg, and sitting right on your feet also. She also sees us walking towards her and she flips over for a belly rub before you are half way there! She does this to strangers too!

Myla, well she just jumps up and licks away, the only way she stops is if we rub her arm pits! That's her favorite!

[BG and Gavin]

Arm pit rubs?  I will have to try that one Jennifer!

[Shannon and Finn]

Cool discussion!  I found with our last family dog, Fisher, that he was a natural lover and very tolerant and generally submissive, not sure if it was the lab or shepard in him or both.  We are also a family that gives a lot of pets, scratches and kisses to our pets and our pets have always responded to ear scratches as reinforcement.  Not sure if Fisher actually loved that hugging and kissing but he really seemed to.  He would go through our legs repeatedly when we would come home and we saw it as his "hugging" us.  He would groan when he did it, like he was really happy.  Before he grew gigantic he would put his paws on our shoulders and nuzzle and kiss us, we preferred the leg hugs as he grew!  He would encourage our kids to lay on him or yes, ride on him when they were little, by nuzzling them into do it. He was also older and very very patient and social.  He would hide in the laundry room when he was done and everyone knew that was his cue he needed to rest.

With our puppy, I notice the same things you mention with the sitting very close and coming in for "love landings" where he nuzzles our chest or neck wanting to be scratched and kissed.  I agree that dogs seem to be trained along the way to tolerate and then enjoy physical touch if that is how we interact with them.  A lot of dogs pick up on our energy so when the physical touches are given in a loving way, they seem to become trained to seek it out.  I definitely notice that Finn is telling my kids to back off after he has had enough by a growl or getting up and walking away.  But initially he seems to like the attention and is a naturally loving, tolerant puppy.  Growling doesn't scare me, it just means that the kids need to learn that he prefers less smothering!  We focus the kids on giving what we call "gentle scratches" and calling the dog to them instead of going to him and they are learning quickly that he will lay on their lap and snuggle if they do it that way. 

[BG and Gavin]

Love landings!  This is a great description!  I like the idea of teaching the children to allow the dog to come to them.  Very smart idea.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Do dogs NEVER like to be hugged?  Or is this just with some dogs or some situations or maybe some dogs don't like to be hugged by strangers or unpredictable kids?  My dogs can't talk, so obviously I don't know if they "like" to be hugged, but they certainly both (especially Maggie) ask for affection.  They both have to be right with me, and Maggie likes to be all over me most of the time.  Like Adina said, the nose bumping the hand upward is very annoying to me.  I consider Maggie to be demanding this way.  Poor Bexter will just sit all politely behind her as she is constantly shoving herself into me, nose-nudging me, or pawing me for attention.  It is sad sometimes.  I try to go around her & get to Bexter to snuggle, and she just completely gets in between us.  I probably really need to deal with that behavior.  Other than that, Maggie is as good as gold.  I would say both my dogs enjoy being hugged and loved on!  If I thought they didn't like it, I would be really upset.  We are a very affectionate family!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Owen tries to do what you describe Maggie doing... getting between you and Bexter. I do not allow it. Owen has to sit and wait to get his lovin' after Kona gets his. Kona is the oldest and Owen is the most dominant. He still tries it, but as soon as I correct him, he waits patiently either sitting or lying nearby. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A lot of a dog's tolerating hugs has to do with who'd doing the hugging. There's a dominance issue involved. Hugs are not seen as an affectionate gesture, but more as a dominance thing. And the way a dog gets hugged matters, too. Choke-hold kinds of "hugs" are the most threatening.