Johnson: Dogs may need personal space, too

Surrounding people like a force field, the personal bubble is the space around them that is theirs. Invisible, everyone has one and pretty much everyone understands, or at least should, that it’s there and its boundaries are to be respected.

The safe place, the comfort zone and the insulation that exists between people as they interact with one another — proxemics is the concept that people create and expect distances to be observed between themselves and others — these are distances which can range anywhere from 18-inches to

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25 feet depending on the scenario.

While there are variables from person to person, in general, it is understood that everyone has a boundary around their person that should only be crossed with permission. If someone enters the personal bubble of another, for instance standing too close or unexpected contact, discomfort and aversion will likely follow for the violated person.

Pretty much everybody gets the way the personal bubble thing works. Bottom line, you hug a stranger, and good intentions or not, there’s a chance you’ll get slugged.

While humans get the personal space requirements of other humans, we have no personable bubble meters for the critters — we adore animals; they’re cute, fuzzy and bring out our wuvy sides, so we take it as an invitation to cuddle.

“Don’t Hug the Dog!” is advice issued recently by animal behaviorist and columnist Stanley Coren. Citing a lack of research on how dogs feel about hugs, Coren found 250 photos of people hugging dogs online and did an informal analysis.

Based on commonly accepted signs of stress in dogs — Coren looked for things such as the whites of the eyes showing in a half-moon shape, lowered or slicked back ears, lip licking, yawning, raised paws — he determined 82 percent of the dogs showed signs of unhappiness and stress at being hugged, while only about 7 percent showed signs of happiness.

In addition to determining most dogs do not like hugs, Coren concluded people shared the photos of themselves hugging their dogs online because they believed the photos showed others they had a bond of love and affection with their dog, confirmation that people misread signs of stress and anxiety in their dog’s expressions.

The problem comes into play, Coren stated, in the fact that humans like hugs but dogs have an ingrained need to preserve their ability to run in times of stress, something which the restriction of hugs prevents.

Coren’s opinions have caused quite a stir ranging from outrage by those who support dog-hugging to challenges that his “research” is not scientific.

While Coren’s informal study does not meet the criteria of scientific research — something even he has acknowledged — maybe it should inspire some.

Perhaps it is a “dog-thing” to become uncomfortable if held restrictively while someone makes goo-goo faces at you, or maybe it’s something close to the way humans feel about personal space invasions.

Certainly having science weigh in on the issue could lend clarity, but then again, maybe common sense can shed a little light of its own.

As caretakers of our animals, it can be easy to forget they still need their own space, and yes, we can actually love them too much.

Go ahead, hug a dog — but never hug a strange dog, give surprise hugs, invade their space in a way that makes them feel restricted or worse yet, attacked, and always teach children the same — therapy dogs are trained for this and maybe your dog does love it.

Until science presents something irrefutable one way or the other, however, let’s just pretend dogs have a personal bubble, too.

Sharna Johnson is a writer who is always searching for ponies. You can reach her at:

[email protected]