Do dogs like hugs? Can hugging cause them stress or anxiety?

Hello, sorry to hear about Quica. It does sound like a form of her anxiety is causing her to whine and run. Its difficult to understand why she gets anxious when this happens, but you can manage the behavior with some training and desensitizing. This would be best done by having a thorough evaluation of her with a veterinary behaviorist whom can then recommend which exercises and how to respond to Quica when she gets like that. In the interim, what you're doing is fine in telling her to go to her bed. Ask your veterinarian for a referral to see a behaviorist. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Molly may definitely be uncomfortable due to her bladder infection, however, a dog's behavior does change with age, and this may be a personality change. For example, puppies don't mind being picked up and cuddled, while adult dogs typically resist. There are certain things I recommend making sure Molly doesn't resist, for example, you touching her ears, putting your hands near/in her mouth, touching her feet, etc - things that are necessary for her care. You should not reinforce aggressive behavior in these situations, and praise her for allowing you to do those things. Other things, like hugs, pulling on the tail, or rough playing, may not be comfortable for Molly, so I would recommend taking her cues and not doing those things to her. I hope this helps and that all is well with Molly!

Poor Bear! It’s so hard to know sometimes what is causing them to be that way. It could be something he heard that caused him to be anxious. You’ll likely never know. Try to distract him with play or a long walk. If you can burn off some energy, that helps the brain to move forward and forget the anxiety. Do watch him very closely for any signs of illness, some dogs can react that way if they don’t feel good. Watch his eating habits and pay attention to any signs of lethargy, vomiting or loose stool. If you see those, then I recommend to have him seen by his veterinarian. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

That’s hard to say, if only Baby Girl could talk! Those are all signs of anxiety but licking the lips and hiding can also indicate an upset stomach. Monitor her eating very closely and watch for any changes. Also watch her for any vomiting, diarrhea or changes in her water intake. If you see anything that appears to be illness, make sure to have her seen by her veterinarian. There are also medications that she can take to help with anxiety and it may be worthwhile to call her doctor. Anxious dogs often respond well to exercise and I recommend a 30 minute vigorous play session every day or a long walk. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question. Your parents are wrong. Hitting a puppy hard enough to make it cry is abuse. This is not an appropriate way to train a dog. It had been the recommendation so time again ago, but has been proven ineffective at best and as you have seen in your pup harmful. Punishing a dog by hitting them makes them fearful of you. It will build anxiety and can cause the dog to act out in aggression. Hitting with the offending object does not teach them anything. Dogs do not make past associations as in they will not remember chewing the object or why you are upset. It is the dog owner's responsibility to keep objects out of reach of the dog. This can be achieved by crate training the dog to keep them and your belongings safe while the dog is unsupervised. I hope this information helps you and Persephone!

Dogs are all different just like people. Some love physical contact and others don't. The following article is about hugs but you could apply the same principles to physical proximity: https://www.petcoach.co/article/do-dogs-like-to-be-hugged/ Always respect Sunny's decision however and make sure he is showing signs he is enjoying the activity. Forcing him into something may cause anxiety and a negative association with his humans. I hope this helps.

Hi. It sounds like sparky has more attachment syndrome/separation anxiety and attention seeking behavior rather then disease related to head-pressing (which is what you were referring to). I would be much less worried about an internal health issue and focus more on his behavior. You can try positive reinforcement for him when you are home and when you leave him alone so he knows you are coming back. You can reward him for good behavior that involves giving you a little bit of space when you need it - like in the kitchen. You can give him activities and things to do while you are home so he can be more self-entertained rather then all of his focus on you. You can also speak to his veterinarian about some medications that can help with anxiety and these types of behaviors if you are interested. Best of luck!