You hug them

People tend to hug their pets to show them how much they love them, but this is only a common mistake that should be stopped, especially because dogs don’t like to be hugged. 

“Most dogs just hate to be hugged. It can produce a lot of anxiety in some dogs. [You should] offer contact, not a constraint. If your dog leans into you, she’s OK with it. If she struggles, let her go,” explained Dr. Brown.

Hence, the explanation is that dogs are created for swift running, which means that in times of threat (or they are simply stressed or annoyed by other factors around them) their first instinct is to run away, not to use their teeth. So, if you hug your dog, especially when they are stressed, your dog may think that you are immobilizing them and their level of stress increases, so they can bite you.

This is why it’s recommended to train your dog and educate your children to stay away from hugging your dog. Even if you know your dog well, it doesn’t mean they don’t have natural instincts that can be unpredictable.

You trim their nails

Many pet owners don’t know this, but most dogs don’t like the process of having their nails trimmed. According to Nori Warren, DVM, a veterinarian at Four Paws Animal Clinic in Columbia, South Carolina, “dogs can’t stand getting their nails clipped, their ears checked, and their mouths examined. But you’ve just got to do it. Overgrown nails can be painful, and checking your dog’s ears regularly could catch an ear infection before it gets out of control.”

Nevertheless, you can transform this dramatic habit into a positive experience if you offer them treats or start this process from a younger age. Of course, there are a lot of techniques and tools that can help you trim your dog’s nails, but you should allow a professional to do this work. If you don’t cut your dog’s nails correctly, the claw will bleed and your dog will experience severe pain. 

So, try to cut the claw to within 2 mm of the quick – but you should keep in mind that the quick is not visible in dark-colored dogs, so in this case, you should cut the dark claws in several small parts.

You walk your dog when it’s too hot outside

If you think that it’s a good idea to walk your dog on a really hot day, you should change your mind, because that’s not a good idea. Of course, you need to meet their needs, but you should walk them early in the morning or in the cool evening. 

Walking your dog when it’s too hot outside is not only bad for their internal organs, but also for their paws. Some dogs can suffer severe burns on their paws.

“Dogs cool themselves by panting, but it’s really not efficient, particularly in hot, humid weather,” said Gary Yarnell, DVM, a veterinarian with Rye Harrison Veterinary Hospital in Rye, New York. “Moving your walks and runs to early morning or late afternoon will allow your dog to safely exercise all year long.”

You allow your dog to pull on the leash

We all walk our dogs on a leash when we go to the park, right? Although it seems easy to get your dog to walk on a leash, many people don’t know that they shouldn’t let their dogs pull on the leash. This technique requires a lot of work and research. You need to control your dog because they don’t know how to walk politely on a leash. 

According to Fred Zorn, a New Jersey-based dog trainer and creator of the kids’ video dog-training series Pipe Cleaner Pups, “when your dog pulls on the leash, it means she’s paying attention to something other than you. Your goal is to teach the dog to want to stay with you. That way, the leash goes from being a means of control to a way to communicate.”