7 Things Dogs Hate About You

No one said that living together is easy, and especially when it comes to different species. Dogs and humans are very different beings. Just like dogs do things that you don’t like, there are also a few things that dogs hate about you. Keep them in mind to improve your relationship with them.

1. Dogs hate it when you don’t listen to them

Dogs are very communicative animals. They’re always using different signals to show us what they think or feel. However, we might not be very observant, and we can miss out on most of the canine language.

Dogs hate it when you don’t listen to them. They have to spend a long time telling you what they want from you. They might spend months saying that they don’t like that dog, street, or neighbor, and we still ignore them. That’s why everyone should put in more effort to understand a dogs’ calming signals and stress signals in order to better understand them.

2. Dogs hate being treated like humans

Humans are different because they have needs, languages, and customs that are different from a dog’s. That’s why your dog doesn’t like it when you forget that they have their own way of seeing the world, and you make them do things like a human.

Don’t talk to them like a small child, but like a dog– an intelligent animal that understands words and intention — without using long speeches or scolding. Don’t forget that their strongest sense is their smell, so let them enjoy using it.  Also, don’t forget that their best friends should be dogs. Your dog’s social life is as important to him as yours is to you.

3. Dogs hate being leashed by the neck

Leashes attached to collars hurt and can cause health problems. Whether your dog is big or small, or pulls on the leash or not, they’ll appreciate it if you use a harness instead of a collar. 

Going out is one of the most exciting parts of the day. Don’t spoil it by giving your dog painful tugs by the neck and throat. It’s much better to leash your dog from the strong areas of their body such as the sternum or ribs.

4. Dogs hate getting pulled on the leash

Another thing that dogs hate about you is, in addition to the neck pain and temporary suffocation, you can’t walk him with them gently without jerking the leash sometimes. Pulling on a harness hurts, but it’s much worse from the neck. The pain radiates through the nerves all the way to the hind legs. 

There’s no justification for pulling hard on a dog’s leash while walking. Using a leash correctly is harder than it looks, but if you learn to use it gently. Your dog will really appreciate it.

5. When you use perfumed soap

A dog’s most sensitive and developed sense is their smell. Experts say that their noses are 1,000 more powerful than a human’s. They smell many more odors than we do. Therefore, they sense them very intensely.

When you use scented soap, you’re bombarding and attacking your dog’s nose. When you clean the house and leave a trace of chemical perfume, you’re also interfering with their sense of smell.

Dogs hate it when you don’t smell like a human, and instead, you smell like a bunch of different perfumes. Try to use less potent detergents, cologne, or creams. You’ll be creating a more pleasant environment for your dog to live in.

6. When you punish them

Humans have the tendency of being very fond of punishments. We constantly punish children, our employees, and sometimes, although we certainly shouldn’t– we punish ourselves. However, dogs don’t punish each other. They teach and guide a puppy when they misbehave.  

A punishment is uncomfortable and unpleasant, both for the punisher and for the one who is punished. Besides, most of the time when you punish your dog, they don’t know why you do it. Stop punishing your dog, because it’s another one of the things that your dog hates about you. Learn to use positive reinforcement to teach them new things.

7. When you don’t respect their fear

Our homes and cities are human-sized. For dogs, everything is huge. The streets, schedules, and customs are made for humans, and some dogs might not understand some things, or be scared of them.

There are many different things to be afraid of while living among humans– unexplained street noises, cars, neighbors, elevators, etc. Also, returning to the first point on this list, humans are not always able to see that dogs are afraid of such everyday things. 

This really escalates when you confuse a dog’s fear with funny attitudes like grunting, showing teeth, fleeing, hiding, etc. With small dogs especially, people think it’s funny than rather a sign of a petrifying fear.

If you don’t want this to be another one of the things that dogs hate about you, then learn how to identify and respect your pet’s fear. Respect them like you would want to be respected when you face something you don’t like, and protect them from everything that feels like a threat.

Although dogs have been living with humans for thousands of years, there are still many things about them that we don’t understand. This is why we do so many things that dogs hate. Fortunately, it’s easy to learn and correct them, to make your pet happier.