Dogs make great companions and loyal friends, which makes it hard for us to imagine our lives without our lovely furries. But, there are times when dogs don’t like some of the actions where they either hold back or express their feelings. Even they too have limitations and going beyond that causes stress and worry to your pooch.

So, make sure that you don’t aggravate feelings of distress, frustration, and anger unknowingly. As a pet owner, you must know what it is that your dog likes or dislikes, or what hurts it. To make your work easy, here we are with five common human behaviours that dogs don’t approve of.

Let’s begin!

5 Things You are Doing that Your Dog Hates

For dogs, walking is more of a leisure activity than just exercise as it allows them to explore more. As they take a walk, they get plenty of signs that they experience either through scents or noises. But, not letting them explore their surroundings is something they don’t understand.

We know your dog is not less than a toddler, but understand that you must protect it from any possible harm due to sharp objects, plants, street dogs, or other deadly things. But, don’t make it a habit to intrude in everything that your dog does. Let it roam around freely and explore things on its own.

Being left alone

Dogs hate being left alone and they love interacting with others. This is the reason they make great companions. Most dog owners don’t know about this trait of their dogs and they just leave them alone as they also have their part of duties to fulfil. Either they are busy earning food for their pooch or are on a vacation. But, dogs are dogs, they need someone by their side and thus they hate being ignored or left alone.

So, what can you do?

Try to spend as much time as possible with your dog. Set a routine, take walks, play with them, and exercise together. Leave them with a trusted pet sitter if you are a frequent traveller.

Poking and prodding

Do enjoy being poked or prodded? Probably no is your answer and so, does your dog think! Poking and prodding make for a negative experience in your dog’s memory. It could be as a result of an unsettling interaction at the vet’s office or a painful time with children when they unknowingly hurt dogs by pulling the tail, stealing toys, or grabbing the handful of fur. Some dogs tolerate it, but for some, it can give mental setbacks.

However, you cannot stop your dog or people from interacting with each other. The best thing you can do is to manage your dog’s fear and make it socialize with others as early as possible. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to force your dog to socialize, which is one of the things that dogs hate and we have discussed it in our next point.

Forced socialization

As we talked about socializing, dogs are already social animals and they love to be in the company of people. But, forcing them to socialize with certain people may affect them negatively. Like we humans, dogs have choices about whom they want to interact with and whom not to. Observe with who your dog likes to interact, understand its body language, and speak the way it does, surely it will have a positive effect on its mind, and would love to be with you always!

Yelling and harsh punishment

Would you like to be yelled at and reprimanded? No would be your answer! Dogs are also sensitive to their surroundings and their people. Yelling on them and giving them harsh punishments is going to evoke the feeling of fear and stress. It is similar to a boss at the company who is yelling at you every time and you better understand how it impacts your mind.

Thus, we should be compassionate and sensitive towards everyone who is around us including the lovely family of canines. And, indulge in positive reinforcement during the training session. Observe what your dog likes and try to direct it to its preferred behaviour and avoid yelling and smacking. Teach your dog to obey you by making hand gestures for commands like come and watch me. Try to get its attention this way especially at the time when it is doing something wrong.

Still, if they don’t listen try to prevent them from doing certain actions through training equipment such as a harness or a dog collar. It will help you control your dog and monitor its behaviour. 

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