Does Hugging Your Dog Stress Them Out?

Hugging your dog stresses them out if you believe Dr. Stanley Coren; he's a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia. He claims to have studied 250 random photos of people hugging their dogs, with 8 in 10 of the dogs showing signs of stress.

Could it be that they hate posing for pictures? Could it be this guy is nuts? Or could it be that dogs really hate being hugged? (Say it isn't so!)

He says that dogs display anxiety and stress in may ways -- such as raising a paw, lowering their ears, lip licking, yawning, turning their head away from the stressor, or opening their eyes wide and claims to see these signs in 82% of the photos.

What do you think? Let's assume he's right. If you think you have a hug-loving dog that's in the minority here -- post a pic on our Facebook page, Tweet it to us (@981Country), or throw it up on Instagram using #981DogHug for a chance to win a $25 PetSmart gift card.