Your Dog Thinks You’re Being Aggressive
Have you ever gone to hug someone and they flinched or stepped back? It could’ve been because you came at them too fast, your body language was off, or they just weren’t expecting it. The same thing goes for dogs. If you approach your dog too quickly or lunge at him, he may think you’re being aggressive.
To a dog, aggression can take many forms like staring, leaning over, or crowding. It can also be things we do without realizing it, like putting our hands over their head or coming in big for a hug. Naturally, your dog isn’t going to meet your ‘aggression’ with a bite or a fight. He’s still your loyal best friend after all. But he will tell you ‘Not Cool!’ with a growl or a bark.
When you have a dog, you need to pay attention to body language, tone, and everything else going on when you want to learn what your dog means. Just like I can’t say every dog’s bark means it is angry, as they bark a lot when they play too! Similarly, I can’t say every dog’s growl means the same thing.
If your dog lightly growls at your hug and then gives you some kisses or a smile, their growl is more than likely just a way of saying ‘Thank you!’ or ‘I love you!’.
Maybe your dog LOVES belly rubs and you stopped rubbing his belly so you could hug him. Your dog might want to let you know that he prefers belly rubs. Since his options to verbally communicate are limited he might growl to let you know that he’s not happy with the change in attention.
We’ve all experienced that familiar and awful feeling of being woken up by someone unexpectedly. It’s not a pleasant feeling, right? Well, the same goes for dogs. If you try to hug your dog while he’s sleeping, he may growl at you as a way of saying ‘Leave me alone! I’m sleeping!’.
Dogs love to play. It’s in their nature. If you try to hug your dog and he starts wagging his tail or bouncing around, he may just be trying to invite you to play with him. Odds are, if your dog growls in this situation he’s a playful pup who would love to go for a run around the yard or a round of fetch.
Some dogs may have had bad experiences in the past that have led them to associate hugging with something negative. It could be that they were hugged too tightly, someone tried to pick them up when they didn’t want to be, or something else painful happened while they were being hugged.
Additionally, your dog might have spent too much time around toddlers. A lot of times, young children will hurt dogs when they try to hug or play with them. Many dogs understand that toddlers don’t mean to hurt them but if that was the only experience your dog had with hugs then he probably isn’t excited about the idea of getting another one.
Whether it was from kids playing rough or someone else being harsh or mean to your dog while hugging them. Your dog is letting you know that he doesn’t like it with a growl.
Sure, you’re the leader of the pack but that doesn’t mean your dog enjoys you constantly putting him in his place. If you do it too much he might try to assert his dominance. A warning growl that you’re going too far with the hugging might just be your dog’s way of saying ‘Hey! Back Off!”.
If your dog used to enjoy hugs but now you’ve noticed that he growls every time you try to hug him, even if you’re being gentle, it could be a sign that something is wrong. Dogs can’t tell us when they’re sick or injured but a sudden behavior change is usually a good indication.
If your dog suddenly starts growling when you hug him it might be time for a trip to the vet.
Remember though, there are a lot of reasons why your dog might growl when you try to hug him. It’s important to pay attention to the context and your dog’s body language to figure out what he’s trying to say.
Don’t worry yourself sick about your dog being injured if growling during a hug is the only change. Simply call your vet to make sure your best friend is ok.
Dogs don’t hug each other, not in the way we humans do; with a big embrace from both parties. Indeed, they express their love for each other and for us in different ways.
So, when you go to hug your dog it might just confuse him. He may not understand what you’re trying to do or why you’re doing it. For all he knows, you might be trying to attack him, pick him up, or even punish him.
Why Do Some Dogs Like Being Hugged?
Of course not every dog growls when they are hugged. Some dogs (though not many in my experience) actually LIKE being hugged. There are a few different reasons why that’s the case.
With enough work, you can train dogs to do almost anything. Okay, maybe not almost anything but you can train them to do a lot. As far as training a dog to like something like hugs, it usually just means training the dog to associate a hug with something good, like a treat.
Reasons why your dog growls when you hug it
Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog growls when you hug it and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.
It is common for dogs to become stressed when they are being hugged (source). The reason why your dog growls is likely to be that it feels threatened or intimidated when you hug it. This would be especially likely if it does not show any signs of excitement and it shows signs of discomfort such as trying to distance itself from you.
Another possible reason why your dog growls, when you hug it, is that it is confused. This would be more likely if you don’t hug it often and it starts behaving unusually when you do it.
Another likely reason why it growls, when you hug it, is that it wants you to stop. As mentioned above, dogs become stressed while being hugged so the growling is likely its way of saying that it does not like it.
It might also be the case that it is doing it due to being excited. This would be more likely if it shows other signs of excitement such as wagging its tail or licking you. However, even if it does show signs of excitement, it still could be the case that it is actually stressed. So, it would help to be cautious even if you think it is due to excitement.
Below are some things to consider when figuring out what has been causing your dog to do it.
If your dog did not always growl when being hugged, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it might be due to things such as if you started hugging it more forcefully.
If your dog does not always grumble, when you hug it, it would help to consider what is different when it does. For example, if it only does it when you hug it forcefully, it would be more likely that it does it because it feels intimidated.
It would also help to consider the body language of your dog. If it shows signs of stress such as backing away from you, hiding its lips, shaking or being stiff, it would be more likely that your dog does it due to being stressed.
14 Signs Your Dog Doesn’t Love You (Even if You Think They Do)
If your dog growls when you hug it, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about them.
The most likely reason why your dog growls when you hug it is that it feels threatened since research has shown that hugging dogs can raise their stress levels.
There are a number of possible reasons why your dog does it. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main reason and there are a number of things you can do about it.