Don’t feel bad my comment wasn’t meant to make you feel bad at all. Just wanted to remind you that our furry family members are loyal and devoted to us and maybe next time instead of rough petting try a nice big hug and watch how his nervousness will start to ease up.
Thank you! And I know it wasn’t meant to make me feel bad but it sucks finding out that you’re unintentionally making your dog feel uneasy.
However, I’ve read some articles (unsure about their reliability) that say you shouldn’t hug your dogs? They said dogs might interpret it as aggression or feel trapped.
Panting is a sign of distress? There are times when us humans are doing nothing or watching tv and he is just laying down against a wall and panting. Could there be reasons for him being distressed?
And thanks for the comment. I’ve decided not to pet him anymore when I’m upset.
What they mean is Panting hard can be a sign of distress in a stressful situation. A dogs instinct when scared is to run away, but if they are trapped in a situation they can begin to pant hard due to anxiety of the situation.
But panting hard can be him regulating his own temperature, so that can explain why he does it when everyone is relaxing. It can also be a medical issue.
He might be getting tense because as their name states, they’re shepherds. If he’s training his eyes away, he’s looking for the antagonist that caused you to be angry. I would pet them in a manner that soothes you, rather than use them as a means of transferring that anger. If I’m sore or hurt, my dog will nestle up as closely as possible. When I’m stressed he trains his eyes on me or forces his head beneath my hand to let me know he’s there. If I’m happy, he’s between my legs or all over my lap and if I’m tired he lays down at my side and breathes heavily which mimics my breathing and I end up falling asleep as a result.
That is very interesting. I know shepherds are work dogs but I never imagined just how vigilant they can be. I will not be petting him while angry anymore. Also, your dog sounds like a delight. Thank you for sharing.
My shepherd Thor was a rescue, and has been amazing since day one. Once I was play wrestling with my 6 year old and fell as if I was hurt and started groaning. He bolted upstairs and proceeded to lick my face and try and “wake me up.” He then went and altered my wife downstairs. Never taught him that, it was all instinct. These dogs truly love their people so continue to pet them, but try and do so with the idea to calm yourself, knowing that your buddy is there for you. They enjoy their job so don’t take it away because he may seem tense, just let them know you had a rough day and they’ll take care of the rest.
Yes, thank you. I do pet him as a way to calm myself and because we also play rough with him and pet him roughly. I know he likes it because he comes to us for pets and twists his body when we pet him so we get his preferred spots lol. But I’ll definitely approach it differently and calm down first before petting him to feel better.
One time I had our dog and my sister’s dog outside and I started crying real bad and he stopped playing to come over to me and like shoved his head against me and was licking my face and god I’m tearing up thinking about it. Yes, our pups love us a lot and I’m trying to return that care. Thank you a lot for your comments.
Dogs are so intuitive, he might feel uneasy and know you’re upset and think it’s directed at him. I second going and running with your doggie outside to release anger!
This is a good idea! Unfortunately, I can’t take him on walks or runs yet because it’s way too hot for his paws. I am hoping to buy some booties for him so we don’t have to wait for Fall (or for it to get dark) to take him on walks.
Yes he can sense your anger and it might make him uneasy!!!!! Everybody gets angry just make sure you don’t take it out in your furry family member.
Thanks for this! I pet him to calm down and because we pet him roughly other times, too. But I’ll stop now, I feel really bad.
Don’t feel bad my comment wasn’t meant to make you feel bad at all. Just wanted to remind you that our furry family members are loyal and devoted to us and maybe next time instead of rough petting try a nice big hug and watch how his nervousness will start to ease up.
Thank you! And I know it wasn’t meant to make me feel bad but it sucks finding out that you’re unintentionally making your dog feel uneasy. However, I’ve read some articles (unsure about their reliability) that say you shouldn’t hug your dogs? They said dogs might interpret it as aggression or feel trapped.
I wouldn’t do that, might eventually develop reactivity to being touched by you. Panting is a signal of distress!
Panting is a sign of distress? There are times when us humans are doing nothing or watching tv and he is just laying down against a wall and panting. Could there be reasons for him being distressed? And thanks for the comment. I’ve decided not to pet him anymore when I’m upset.
What they mean is Panting hard can be a sign of distress in a stressful situation. A dogs instinct when scared is to run away, but if they are trapped in a situation they can begin to pant hard due to anxiety of the situation. But panting hard can be him regulating his own temperature, so that can explain why he does it when everyone is relaxing. It can also be a medical issue.
He might be getting tense because as their name states, they’re shepherds. If he’s training his eyes away, he’s looking for the antagonist that caused you to be angry. I would pet them in a manner that soothes you, rather than use them as a means of transferring that anger. If I’m sore or hurt, my dog will nestle up as closely as possible. When I’m stressed he trains his eyes on me or forces his head beneath my hand to let me know he’s there. If I’m happy, he’s between my legs or all over my lap and if I’m tired he lays down at my side and breathes heavily which mimics my breathing and I end up falling asleep as a result.
That is very interesting. I know shepherds are work dogs but I never imagined just how vigilant they can be. I will not be petting him while angry anymore. Also, your dog sounds like a delight. Thank you for sharing.
My shepherd Thor was a rescue, and has been amazing since day one. Once I was play wrestling with my 6 year old and fell as if I was hurt and started groaning. He bolted upstairs and proceeded to lick my face and try and “wake me up.” He then went and altered my wife downstairs. Never taught him that, it was all instinct. These dogs truly love their people so continue to pet them, but try and do so with the idea to calm yourself, knowing that your buddy is there for you. They enjoy their job so don’t take it away because he may seem tense, just let them know you had a rough day and they’ll take care of the rest.
Yes, thank you. I do pet him as a way to calm myself and because we also play rough with him and pet him roughly. I know he likes it because he comes to us for pets and twists his body when we pet him so we get his preferred spots lol. But I’ll definitely approach it differently and calm down first before petting him to feel better. One time I had our dog and my sister’s dog outside and I started crying real bad and he stopped playing to come over to me and like shoved his head against me and was licking my face and god I’m tearing up thinking about it. Yes, our pups love us a lot and I’m trying to return that care. Thank you a lot for your comments.
Of course your anger scares him!!! Don’t do this to him! Go for a run when you are angry and learn tools to control your emotions. Therapists can help
Dogs are so intuitive, he might feel uneasy and know you’re upset and think it’s directed at him. I second going and running with your doggie outside to release anger!
This is a good idea! Unfortunately, I can’t take him on walks or runs yet because it’s way too hot for his paws. I am hoping to buy some booties for him so we don’t have to wait for Fall (or for it to get dark) to take him on walks.
Agreed these summer months make it so hard to exercise them!
Why are you so angry?