How to Teach Your Dog to Give Hug | Dog Training | by Pets Planet...

It can be hard to resist giving a dog — yours or someone else’s — a hug. If your dog enjoys being physically close to you, a hug can make you both feel happy and loved. But not all dogs like hugs. For some dogs, a physical embrace may be perceived as an invasion of personal space or even a physical threat, especially when the hug is instigated by a person without the dog’s consent. This can result in a dog who is stressed or scared and can lead to a growl or even a bite.

These 5 Steps train your dog to give hug:

Step 1

Kneel on the floor or sit in a chair and give your dog the sit command. Before you go any further than this, your dog should have a mastery of sit. Meaning that he’s not squirming or attempting to break the position or otherwise overly fidgety. It is imperative that you dog follow commands well to avoid any mishaps.

Step 2

After your dog is pawing your hand consistently, you are going to start introducing objects for her to paw. Bell says a toy, a book or a post-it note are all good items for this. This is to get her more proficient at pawing a target. Present the item to your dog to paw, be sure to reward when she does.

When she is comfortable pawing different objects, you will move onto using something long and thin, like a broom handle, umbrella or dowel. Bell recommends holding onto the top of the items to it doesn’t get batted around too much.

Step 3

Practice until your dog is comfortably wrapping her paw around the handle while you steady it. Once she’s proficient, pull the broom away from her ever so slightly to engage her opposition reflex. In other words, you pulling on it should cue her to pull back on it. This is a way to teach her that you want her to put a bit of muscle into holding the broom.

Step 4

Once your dog is comfortable with wrapping her paw around the handle, you are going to gently and slowly try to pull the object away from her. The goal here is to engage your dog’s opposition reflex, making her grab the toy harder. Bells says this is a good way to teach your dog to put some muscle into holding the broom.

In beginning, just do it this for a second, then steady the item again and reward your dog. Build up length of time in increments, slowly.

Step 5

Repeat the above steps no more than three times per session. Any more than that and your dog will lose interest or start to think you’re getting ready to wrestle.

Now it’s time to impress your friends by asking your dog to cuddle up close for a hug!

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