Dogs are our best friends, but even your best friend can be annoying at times. There are probably things your dog does that annoy you from time to time, like squeaking a toy over and over or whining for treats. As it turns out, your dog might be annoyed by some of your habits, too—beyond just taking them to the vet!
1. They Dislike Being Left Alone
Just like people, dogs form strong emotional bonds with their human family members. When left alone for too long, dogs may become distressed and even act out. To avoid or mitigate separation anxiety, ensure your pup isn’t alone for more than a few hours.
2. Teasing
Dogs love playing with their owners, but teasing doesn’t go over as well. Dangling food in your dog’s face or pulling their tail might seem funny, but your dog doesn’t understand the concept of a joke. Some dogs might pick up on the fact that you’re playing around, but some may bite you as they try to get the treat—maybe you shouldn’t take the chance and find out.
3. Change in Routine
Dogs are intelligent creatures with thoughts, feelings, and intentions. Just like people, having a routine can help provide stability and a sense of security throughout the day. If you constantly change your dog’s schedule, they are probably annoyed with you.
4. Prolonged Eye Contact
In the human world, maintaining eye contact during conversation is considered polite. In the dog world, eye contact that goes on for too long usually indicates that a fight is brewing. This means your dog might confuse your loving eye contact for a sign of aggression.
5. Yelling
Yelling is one of the most annoying things that humans do—according to dogs, at least. Disciplining a dog is necessary to establish dominance over your pup and encourage good behavior, but yelling can make it difficult for them to understand what they’re supposed to learn. It can also make dogs feel overwhelmed and overstimulated, which can lead to other unpleasant behaviors. Try to avoid yelling at your dog at all costs.
6. Playing Dress-up
While most dog owners recognize that dogs don’t need to wear clothes, Fido might still end up in a sweater at least once a year, if only for a family photo during the holidays. I can assure you that he does not appreciate it. Dogs are emotional animals and are capable of experiencing more than just physical distress. Next time you force a tutu on your pup, recognize you might be embarrassing and annoying them.
7. Strong Fragrances
It’s common knowledge that dogs have a stronger sense of smell than we do, but this also means they are more sensitive to offensive odors. Your new perfume might smell like flowers to you, but to your dog, the scent of certain chemicals and artificial fragrances may be overwhelming.
8. Forced Friendships
While some dogs have a blast and make fast friends at the dog park, not all pups are as social as others. Dogs have distinct personalities just like people do, and forcing your dog to socialize when they don’t want to can result in overstimulation, much like more introverted humans experience. Dogs have boundaries, too!
9. Hugging
You may love giving your dog a big squeeze to show your affection, but chances are that your dog is not as happy to receive the hug as you are to give it. Dogs don’t mind being touched and petted, but a restricting hug is an invasion of your pup’s privacy. Stick to gentle touches and pets when it comes to showing Fido affection.
10. Confusing Commands
There’s no question that dogs are extraordinarily intelligent, but that doesn’t mean they have the same level of understanding and comprehension as humans do. Dogs can often identify individual words like “good” and “bad,” but adding more parts of speech may be confusing for your dog. Your pup will appreciate simple and clear communication.
11. Strolling Without Sniffing
Sense of smell is one of the most important senses dogs have, which makes sniffing vital to gathering information and understanding the world around them. If you yank your dog’s leash when they linger for a sniff, not only are you startling them with an unwanted pull, but you’re depriving them of the chance to exercise one of their most basic instincts.
12. When Their Human Is Moody
Your dog is your best friend, but for them, you’re their whole world—from the day you bring them home to the day they cross the fabled Rainbow Bridge. Just like a human family member, your furry friend can sense when you’re down and might even respond by mimicking your emotions. Maintaining a positive attitude will keep both you and your pup in good spirits.
13. Paw Touching
Dogs very strongly dislike when humans grab or touch their paws. You may notice that if you grab your dog’s foot, they will pull it away instinctively, even if you aren’t going in for a dreaded nail trim.
14. Face Touching
Dogs also don’t appreciate having their faces touched excessively. Some affectionate head pats or ear scritches are great, but grabbing and letting your hands linger on a dog’s face is an invasion of their privacy and may cause some dogs to become overwhelmed to the point of aggression. Respecting your pup’s boundaries will go a long way in avoiding a bad interaction between man and dog.
15. Being Ignored
Because dogs aren’t quite capable of the critical-thinking skills we have, they lack the social awareness to understand the thought behind specific behaviors. That being said, if you’re ignoring your pup because you’re upset that they misbehaved, chances are they’re not only confused but also upset by your change in behavior. Don’t forget that your dog is a dog and needs extra reassurance and understanding from their human family members.