We love our dogs, and they love us back.
Where dogs are capable of loving us, many dog owners wonder if dogs are capable of hatred as well.
While dogs are incapable of feeling hate, several dog behaviors might make their owners think that their dog hates them. If you have been wondering, “does my dog hate me?” read on.
In this blog, we will discuss several dog behaviors that might make you think your dog hates you.
Does My Dog Hate Me?
No! Dogs are incapable of feeling hate. They might show aggression towards other pets or persons, but this does not mean that they hate them.
However, just like there are signs that your dog loves you, there are several dog behaviors that make people think that their dogs hate them. But worry not, you may rectify such behavior by knowing the underlying causes.
Signs Your Dog hates You
1. Dog Peeing Everywhere
There is a multitude of reasons why a dog chooses to pee (and even poo) at places where he should not. A common among these is anger – if your pooch is upset with you, he might suddenly choose to turn your home into a toilet instead of using the litter.
Also, such ‘anger lashing’ might not remain limited to stationery items; angry dogs might end up peeing on your bed, prized sofa, hardwood floor, etc.
Caution!
Your angry dog can be dangerous to your lawn. Dog urine contains nitrogen that can kill the grass.
2. Dog Baring Teeth, Biting, and Chewing
It is the canine instinct to chew on everything. However, angry dogs go a bit further and show more destructive behavior. For instance, they just do not chew and leave a pillow but would instead annihilate it.
Similarly, aggrieved fidos may bite their owners unplayfully. Since some dogs have strong bite forces, these madly unplayful bites can result in serious injuries.
3. Growling
Unhappy and less tolerant furry pals normally make various sounds at different animals and people. Growling, one of these, is a common canine way of venting anger. Mostly, growling is associated with dogs in defensive mode. Whenever they feel threatened or alarmed, they make such noise to deter potential dangers and stop them from crossing the line.
4. Hiding
Dogs hide mainly to seek privacy or simply spend some time alone; however, they might also do it to ward off danger. This is a super-defensive mode in canines in which they give up all kinds of reactions to the threat and go to a lesser-known place.
So if you shouted at your dog, threw something at him, or have generally been talking loudly in the house, your dog may perceive you as an aggressor and thus distances himself from you. If this is the case, your dog will go into hiding or away as soon as you enter the house.
5. Cold Shoulders
Unhappy pets retaliated by practicing command disobedience, thinking that it may rectify their owner’s behavior. If your pooch suddenly starts putting your commands on the back burner, know that you have been doing something unpleasant to him, and he expects you to be a good owner again. But before reaching this conclusion, make sure that the age factor and lack of training are not the main culprits here.
6. Insomnia
Fearful dogs may suffer from sleeping disorders. When a fido no longer feels secure in his dwelling or near the person he lives with, he would not be able to sleep peacefully. Feeling anxious, he will often wake up at night and look anxious and fearful.
7. Refusing Treats
Dogs love treats. So, if your dog is refusing to eat treats from your hand, chances are you have done something really bad to make him dislike you. You might have tried to slip your dog some medicine while feeding him treats. Or perhaps the treats are stale or expired. You might have reprimanded your dog or shouted at him.
8. No More Playtime
Dogs that go into depression due to various reasons refuse to play, even with the people they love (or once loved). Not just refusing, your pooch might also run away from the playing field. When you throw a ball at him, he might perceive it as something dangerous and choose to leave its path instead of catching it. It might be that you or someone else has thrown something at the dog that hurt him.
9. Unbroken Eye Contact
Longer eye contacts mean your dog no longer considers you a supreme power in his family. In simple words, you are not the owner anymore or even a pack leader. Unabated eye contact might also mean your dog is deterring you. Whatever the situation is, it is a clear sign he is no longer having a good relationship with you. But as soon as the matters between you both resolve, the eye contact problem may vanish soon.
10. Avoiding
Pets having trouble with their owners ultimately start avoiding their owners entirely. Your pooch will not walk with you, share a roof with you, eat with you, or spend time with you. You would be more or less like an ‘ex’ to him. He will try his best not to come across you, or it could remind him of the bad happening in the past.
Reasons Why Your Dog Might Hate You
If you think that your dog is ignoring you, there must be an underlying reason behind such behavior.
1. Hugs That Squeeze
Hugging too tight causes discomfort in dogs. Embracing your pooch too tight is not a good idea and may cause fear and anxiety in dogs. Resultantly, your little friend will start thinking you are intentionally trying to hurt him, and he will start avoiding you, making you think that he has started hating you.
If your dog starts yawning, barking, or licking his lips, know that the hug was tight enough to make him anxious.
2. Invasion of Privacy
Even though some dogs, such as the Papillon Chihuahua Mix, constantly seek attention, they still need some private time. For instance, a dog needs privacy to use the litter and seek solitude. At such moments, when any person or even other animal passes by, the dog will take it as an offense and start disliking that individual.
3. Restraining Exploration
By nature, canines are very curious and love to explore: they might go after literally anything or even stare at the wall for hours. Therefore, if you try to inhibit this innate ability of your fido, it might backfire.
Dog owners often do it unknowingly. Rushing through the walks, restraining entry into certain places, and not giving enough space to sniff and feel different objects make dogs think that they are being deprived of their exploration potential.
4. Bad Routine
Dogs are naturally inclined to follow routines. Perhaps it is because of their pack and organized nature. In the absence of regular routines and schedules – especially if training is ignored – canines suffer from behavioral changes, which can often lead to hatred, unhappiness, and aggression. Besides, scheduled tasks also lead to a healthier lifestyle, and dogs tend to stay active all the time.
5. Leaving Alone
Unfortunately, most dog breeds are prone to separation anxiety. That is, they become nervous and suffer from behavioral changes when left alone, even for shorter periods. In our daily lives, we might forget our furry friends when we go for our routine work. Back home, they bear the brunt of separation, impacting them psychologically.
Most of us opt for sleeping and relaxing when we get back home instead of spending time with our pooches. Such consistent separation events severely jeopardize the pet-owner relationship.
6. Punishing
Though we often ignore it, dogs feel the punishments deep in their hearts. They are emotional beings and effectively understand through our body language what we are trying to say. If we are being rude and harsh to the point of being physical with our pooches, our relationship can be marred beyond repair. Nothing good comes from punishing dogs.
7. Smells
Dogs have a great sense of smell and can also pick the smells of your perfume or even the cleaning products used on the floor very easily. In particular, dogs do not like the smell of ammonia, pepper, vinegar, and citrus. If you apply any product having a smell based on these in your home, chances are, your dog will suffer in silence which you might only realize when you witness behavioral changes in dogs.
8. Forced Socialization
Yes, dogs are social animals – but it does not mean they welcome forceful socialization and interactions. Dogs undergoing such activities tend to become anxious and worried, especially if they have developed a phobia of strangers.
We think that our dogs are very jolly and interactive, forgetting that they are still territorial and may resist other animals and people they have a hard time bonding with.
9. Inactivity
Dogs need regular sessions of physical exercise and mental stimulation. While lazy dog breeds won’t mind if you don’t take them out for a walk, high-energy dogs would have pent-up energy that they might expend in destructive activities.
When the physical activity and mental stimulation requirements are not met, boredom can ensue in fidos, leading to several behavioral problems other than simple hatred.
Tips to Make Your Dog Love You
A plain-sailing way of reversing your dog’s hatred is to remove all the reasons causing it. Good luck with that, but adhere to the following tips while doing it:
- Stay with your dog as much as possible. Spend your free time with him. This will help forge a good relationship with your dog.
- Always use positive reinforcements whenever your fido does a good job or requits your love.
- Never punish your dog. Nothing good comes out of punishing your dog.
- Give time to raise a well-behaved dog. If your furry pal ever becomes aggressive out of his hatred, doing so will help you a lot in calming him down.
- Offer your dog his favorite food. Like human beings, dogs also have individual preferences when it comes to food. Know the way to your dog’s heart through his stomach, and you will be loved.
- Never forget your furry companion. Even when you are sleeping or on vacation, take your dog with you.
- Do not take your dog’s hatred personally. If he gives you cold shoulders, never freak out and carry on your interactions with him as usual.
Conclusion: Does My Dog Hate Me?
Dogs are incapable of feeling hate, but certain dog behaviors might make owners think that their dogs hate them. Dog using your house as a toilet, hiding from you, not accepting treats, growling, baring his teeth, chewing up your stuff, and running away from you are some signs that indicate that your dog dislikes you.