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15 things that humans do that dogs hate!

1-SHOWERING YOUR DOG WITH HUGS!
Hugging is the best way for us humans to express love and gratitude in-between each
other, but it is not the case with our fellow dogs! For them, hugging is a sign of
dominance! Although, you are the dominant force in your house and in the relationship
between you and your dog, still it is not something you want to keep flaunting in your
dog’s face all the time! Hugging brings feelings of confusion and irritation for your dog –
clearly, they will not understand nor enjoy it!
By understanding this, try to avoid hugging your dog whenever possible, if not always!
Your dog does tolerate you, because you are his owner and you are dominant, but it will
never be a pleasant experience! Strangers should stay further away from this practice
as the dog can show signs of unsettlement, and even aggression!
2-NEGLECTING BODY LANGUAGE!
Dogs are the experts at reading our thoughts and feelings before we even organize and
express them! Therefore, the best method of communicating to your dog is by adjusting
your body language and posture before pronouncing a single word! Coordinate your
words with your posture, otherwise, you may be sending mixed signals to your dog!
Instead of understanding your command, you rather confuse the dog and make them
act even worse than in the beginning!
Try practicing body language for a full day, by not speaking a word when communicating
with your dog! See if they understand you better!
3-FOCUSING ONLY ON THEIR HEADS!
Tapping your dog on the head is another wrong way of showing affection towards them!
Although, it may seem a natural, it is one form of interaction that brings uncomfortable
feelings in dogs! Dogs will be dogs, they are not babies – keep in mind!

4-CHAOS VS. STRUCTURE
It may seem like dogs enjoy running around in a frenzy and throw their toys all around
the house, but, they still need structure! They need to know when it is a good time to
run, play, and mess around with their toys and when is a good time to calm down and
be more attentive! They must have a day schedule and and they need to have you as a
leader show them the rules and regulations so that they can properly respect them! As
soon as you develop a structure, you will notice your dog being extremely happy with it
and adjusting accordingly! Dogs need rules! Likewise, children and all humans do strive
in structured schedules and restrictions.
Predictability and organization is the ground of calmness for both, you and your loving
dog! Additionally, your relationship will be trustworthy! Reward your dog positively for
respecting boundaries and rules whenever you notice and be consistent to follow the
same rules in order to not confuse your dog!
5- LONG EYE CONTACT
Staring at your dog for too long is a no, no – especially, with stranger dogs! Eye contact
between dogs is the way by which they set their roles and dominance within the pack.
At often times, eye contact turns fatal – be it a dog fight for position or simply connoting
aggression! Therefore, eye contact may confuse your dog! Although, they will tolerate
you as an owner, do not practice it often! When it comes to stranger dogs, remind
yourself to avoid it altogether as you never know what kind of reaction you might trigger!
6- FORCEFUL PLAYTIME AND SOCIALIZATION
Whenever you notice your dog not playing or socializing much – make sure you handle
the situation with care by taking baby steps into making your dog feel more relaxed and
social – but do not ever force your dog into such situations as, in contrary, it may only
leave him traumatized and more avoidant than before! For happy and calm behaviour
always reward your dog. It will help him become more socially involved and balanced!
7- WALKING BUT NOT SMELLING
It may be a nerve wrecking experience for you to stop and allow your dog to carefully
smell the bushes or the sidewalk grass, when you have already planned the location
you want to take the dog as well as the time you are going to spend outside! Although,
your dog really needs a walk and a play-around at the park, it is also very important for
them to stop and smell whatever they choose to stop and smell while on the way to the
destination! For your dog, this is quality time, where they check out who has been
around! Also, it gives them a better understanding of their surroundings! They gather
information, knowledge and they explore the world through their noses! Rephrase:
through smelling!
8- A TIGHT LEASH
When walking your dog, the leash is a means of communication between you! It is a
means of transmitting energy, and your dog will react accordingly, depending on
whether you are keeping them at a tight or a loose leash! It may seem unimportant how
you put and maintain the leash on your dog, but it does make all the difference! The
mood that will surround us during the walks depends on it! A tight leash means tension,
stress, frustration, alertness! And, a dog that walks on a tight leash is more prone to
barking and making extreme reactions!
It is hard sometimes as you may get aggravated by your dog pulling you! But, it is
important to teach your dog to walk calmly from an early age so that keeping a tight
leash is not a necessity!
When you walk your dog on a loose leash, you will be sending your dog messages of
calmness, not tension! Your dog will feel you have everything under control! Therefore,
their walking will be easier for you to handle and no need to tighten things up!
9- TENSE VS. BORED MOOD
Whenever you are feeling tense or bored, keep in mind your dog is going to go through
the same mood and feelings! We never enjoy having such feelings – dogs likewise! If
you notice your dog seeming bored or tense, just make sure you check with yourself
first as your dog is mostly mirroring your feelings! Having busy schedules, when usually
we just want to relax and unwind when we get home, but this is the most boring and
irritating thing you could do for your dog! They need your attention, some fun time and
obviously a walk around the park! No wonder your dog will start engaging in destructive
behaviour!
10- LOUD ENVIRONMENTS!
A loud tone of voice, fireworks, loud ambient and everything loud will be a great amount
of disturbance for your dog! Next time you feel like you are about to yell at your dog,
think twice! They surely will not understand a word you say, and you will only cause
them trauma, followed by a great cloud of confusion! Adjust your body language to your
command and see the difference! Keep your tone firm, but not loud and always maintain
the appropriate body posture! You will have a great bond and understanding with your
dog! Also, try to spare them from various celebrations, as much as you can!
11- TEASING
Even though this one does not need much examining and explaining as it is selfexplanatory,
still it is worth mentioning just in case you find teasing funny – your dog
really doesn’t!
Barking after your dog, waving, pulling their tails, and other similar things are not the
best options, just as teasing them with a toy or food and never letting the dog have it is
not right! You may also leave your dog with behavioural problems!
12- HOME ALONE
For dogs, being left home alone for long is a devastating practice! They need their
leaders around in order to feel more secure! When home alone, at first they start feeling
bored, then boredom turns into stress, and finally stress turns into deep anxiety or
depression! Especially for dogs like Labradors, Retrievers and Terriers, it is the worst
thing that could happen! They will need their leader around for almost 24/7. And
generally, being pack animals, dogs need the company of their family throughout the
day!
13- BABY TREATMENT
Giving your dog the baby treatment is incredibly irritating! While you may be tempted to
hug your dog and carry them up in the air out of admiration, your dog will have no clue
what the occasion is and will be further irritated! They do not understand such treatment
and they certainly do not like it!
Another very upsetting thing for dogs is a stroller! Do not get them into one while
perfectly fine and capable to walk! Walking and sniffing are one of the deepest instincts
in dogs, and you will prevent them from experiencing their essence! If you carry your
dog around in a stroller, just like a baby, you are depriving him of his ultimate pleasure!
They need walking and smelling just as much as they need exercise!
14- BATHS
Baths are a very uncomfortable experience for your dog! Dogs do not think of hopping
in the shower and getting themselves clean! They do not enjoy the splashes of water on
their skin, and they do not enjoy the noise of the running water! To achieve a calmer
reaction from your dog when you want to bathe them, you should start by using lots of
praise and rewards and being very patient so that they do not get traumatized! Be
sensitive when handling your dog’s fearfulness!
15- PLAYING DRESS-UP!!!
Playing dress-up is a foreign concept in the dog world! They may sometimes tolerate it
out of politeness but do not over-indulge them in this type of activity as it is zero fun for
them! However, it may be okay to dress your lovely dog in order to get a fast cute
picture, but be alert towards their reaction and remove the clothing as soon as you
notice irritation surfacing! You will surely see your dog tearing the costumes off if not
supervised!