A controversial opinion from an American psychologist has sparked debate on social media in the United States. He suggests that you should not hug your Shih Tzu anymore. Stanley Coren is a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of British Columbia in Canada and the author of several books on dogs, including “The Intelligence of Dogs.”
According to the psychologist, Shih Tzus are cursorial animals, which means they are built for running. Therefore, in situations of threat and stress, a dog’s first defensive reaction is not to use its teeth but to run.
Because of this characteristic, he argues that hugging your Shih Tzu can immobilize it, leading to stress and anxiety.
He also mentions that the advice not to hug Shih Tzus is given on websites that help pet owners and their children reduce pet bites, such as Doggone Safe.
The author also points out that a few years ago, when the children’s book “Smooch Your Dog” recommended that children hug and kiss their dogs anytime, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, an American organization that investigates animal behavior, issued an official statement advising parents not to buy the book because its information could lead to children being bitten.
Not finding many references in the veterinary literature, Stanley Coren decided to list the signs of anxiety and stress in Shih Tzus and then analyze photos posted online and on social media of children and adults hugging their dogs.
According to him, the most common sign of anxiety is when the Shih Tzu turns its head in the opposite direction of what or who is bothering it, sometimes squinting its eyes. Another sign of discomfort is the so-called “whale eye” or “half-moon eye,” where the white part of the eyeball can be seen in the corner of the eye. Other signs of stress or anxiety include the Shih Tzu’s ears being tightly pressed to its head and pointing downward, licking the owner’s face, yawning, or raising one paw.
After analyzing 250 photos of dogs being hugged, Coren found that 81.6% of the images showed at least one sign of discomfort, stress, or anxiety among the animals. Only 7.6% of the photos could be classified as showing dogs in a comfortable state. The remaining 10.8% of the photos showed neutral or ambiguous reactions from the dogs to the hug.
Coren concluded that “the clear recommendation we draw from this research is that hugs should be reserved for your lovers and the two-legged members of your family. From a dog’s point of view, it is clearly better if you express your affection for your Shih Tzu with a pat, a kind word, and perhaps a gentle stroke.”
It’s worth noting that the psychologist’s study is not based on scientific evidence, and the results were entirely based on his perceptions.
On social media, Shih Tzu owners responded that the specialist cannot guess or interpret their dogs’ feelings. Many people posted photos of themselves hugging their Shih Tzus and said, “I will only believe that Shih Tzus don’t like hugs when a Shih Tzu tells me that.”