狗奴们注意了：你的汪星人不喜欢被抱

It may come as a shock to owners, but dogs hate being cuddled, a study has shown.

听到这个消息，狗奴们也许很惊讶，但狗狗们讨厌被拥抱，这是有研究证实了的。

Animal psychologists say dogs feel stressed and unhappy when they are embraced by their owners, because it stops them being able to run away.

动物心理学家说，当狗狗们被主人拥抱着的时候，它们会感到压力和不快，因为这样会妨碍它们跑走。

In a study which analysed 250 pictures of dogs as they were being hugged, eight out of 10 animals looked visibly uncomfortable.

一项研究分析了250张狗狗被拥抱的照片，十个里面有八个看上去明显不舒服。

Experts at The Kennel Club, and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, also agreed that owners should not treat their dogs like children, because most pets did not like to be cuddled.

“养犬俱乐部”和“巴特西猫狗之家”的专家们也认为，主人们不应该把狗当做小孩，因为大多数宠物并不喜欢被拥抱。

The new study was carried out by Dr Stanley Coren, a canine expert and professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia.

此项最新研究由斯坦利·科伦博士负责，他是英属哥伦比亚大学的犬类专家和心理学教授。

He analysed images of dogs being hugged by adults and children he found on the Internet, looking for signs of stress.

他从网上找到狗狗被大人和小孩拥抱的照片，寻找狗狗感受到压力的表现。

At an extreme end, when a dog is especially anxious it bares its teeth or may bite, but Dr Coren said there are 'subtler indicators' that it may be uncomfortable.

极端情况下，如果狗狗极度焦虑，就会龇牙，或者咬人，但是科伦博士说还有“更微妙的迹象”表明它也许非常难受。

Signs of stress include the dog folding its ears down, half-moon eyes or turning its head away to avoid eye contact. If the dog has its eyes closed or is licking his lips it could also be a sign of anxiety. Yawning or raising one paw is another warning sign.

把耳朵耷拉下来、眼角耷拉或扭过头避免眼神接触，都是狗狗感到压力的表现。如果狗狗闭上眼，或舔嘴唇，也可能是因为焦虑。张大嘴或举起一只爪子也是警告信号。

Dr Coren found that in 81.6 per cent of the photographs the dogs had at least one sign of discomfort, stress, or anxiety. Only 7.6 per cent of the photographs showed comfortable dogs whilst the remaining 10.8 per cent were either neutral or ambiguous.

科伦博士发现，81.6%的照片上，狗狗都至少有不舒服、紧张、焦虑中的一种表现。只有7.6%的照片上，狗狗看上去很舒服，而剩下那10.8%则反应不明显，或模棱两可。

“Dogs are technically cursorial animals, which is a term that indicates that they are designed for swift running,” said Dr Coren wrote in an article in Psychology Today.

科伦博士在《今日心理学》杂志发表了一篇文章，他在其中表示：“理论上讲，狗属于走兽，这个术语表明它们天生就喜欢敏捷地奔跑。”

“That implies that in times of stress or threat the first line of defence that a dog uses is not his teeth, but rather his ability to run away.

“也就是说，当狗面临压力或威胁时，它们的第一道防线不是牙齿，而是逃跑的能力。

“Behaviorists believe that depriving a dog of that course of action by immobilising him with a hug can increase his stress level and, if the dog's anxiety becomes significantly intense, he may bite.

“行为学家认为，拥抱使得狗难以动弹，剥夺了它的行动自由，会提升它的压力水平，并且，如果它变得非常焦虑，也许还会咬人。

“The clear recommendation to come out of this research is to save your hugs for your two-footed family members and lovers.

“显而易见，基于这项研究，我们建议大家还是把拥抱留给家人和爱人吧。

“It is clearly better from the dog's point of view if you express your fondness for your pet with a pat, a kind word, and maybe a treat'.

“从狗的角度来看，如果你想表达对它的喜爱，轻轻拍一下、说句温柔的话或者给点好吃的……这些方式显然更好。”

The advice was also repeated by animal experts in Britain who recommend ‘calm stroking' of pets instead of a cuddle.

英国动物专家也提过这样的建议——“平静地安抚”，不要搂抱。

Claire Matthews, Senior Canine Behaviourist at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, says: “A hug might be a normal social greeting for humans but it isn't for a dog.

“巴特西猫狗之家”的资深犬类行为学家克莱尔·马修斯说：“对人类来说，拥抱可能是社会交往中正常的问候，但对狗来说不是这样的。

“Subtle stress signals can be missed when you're hugging your pet and this could lead to a negative reaction, so it's about recognising when your dog is uncomfortable.

“你在拥抱爱宠时，并不会注意到那些微妙的压力信号，这可能导致它们的消极反应，因此你应该意识到你的狗什么时候感到不舒服。

“Some people think that giving their dog a hug is a nice thing to do, but the reality is that a family pet will often tolerate a hug but doesn't like it.

“有些人认为，给狗一个拥抱是好事，但事实是，家养宠物经常不得不忍受拥抱，而不是喜欢。

“When you hug a dog it usually show signs of stress because it invades their personal space – a person putting two arms around the neck of a dog can be interpreted as being intimidating and means that it can't move away from the situation it is uncomfortable with.”

“当你抱着狗狗时，它通常会表现出紧张的样子，因为你侵犯了它们的个体空间——两条胳膊绕着狗的脖子会被狗理解为威胁，意味着它难以从不舒服的环境中逃脱。”

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary added: “Dogs are often considered part of the family, however they are not human and may therefore react differently to certain interactions such as hugging.

“养犬俱乐部”秘书长卡洛琳·基思科补充道：“狗通常被认作是家里的一分子，然而它们并不是人类，所以也许会对拥抱之类的互动有不同的反应。

“On the whole dogs are sociable animals and love interacting with people, but any action that restricts a dog's movement could make them uncomfortable and it is important for an owner to recognise the signs of stress or anxiety.”

“总的来说狗是喜欢交际的动物，喜欢与人交流，但任何限制它们活动的行为都会让他们感到难受，所以主人能识别出压力或焦虑的信号就显得十分重要。”

Vocabulary

cuddle: 拥抱，搂抱

canine: 犬科的

half-moon: 半月的；半月形的

stroking: 轻抚

intimidate: 威胁，恐吓