狗奴們注意了：你的汪星人不喜歡被抱

It may come as a shock to owners, but dogs hate being cuddled, a study has shown.
聽到這個消息，狗奴們也許很驚訝，但狗狗們討厭被擁抱，這是有研究證實了的。

Animal psychologists say dogs feel stressed and unhappy when they are embraced by their owners, because it stops them being able to run away.
動物心理學家說，當狗狗們被主人擁抱著的時候，它們會感到壓力和不快，因為這樣會妨礙它們跑走。

In a study which analysed 250 pictures of dogs as they were being hugged, eight out of 10 animals looked visibly uncomfortable.
一項研究分析了250張狗狗被擁抱的照片，十個里面有八個看上去明顯不舒服。

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.
“養犬俱樂部”和“巴特西貓狗之家”的專家們也認為，主人們不應該把狗當做小孩，因為大多數寵物并不喜歡被擁抱。

The new study was carried out by Dr Stanley Coren, a canine expert and professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia.
此項最新研究由斯坦利·科倫博士負責，他是英屬哥倫比亞大學的犬類專家和心理學教授。

He analysed images of dogs being hugged by adults and children he found on the Internet, looking for signs of stress.
他從網上找到狗狗被大人和小孩擁抱的照片，尋找狗狗感受到壓力的表現。

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.
極端情況下，如果狗狗極度焦慮，就會齜牙，或者咬人，但是科倫博士說還有“更微妙的跡象”表明它也許非常難受。

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.
把耳朵耷拉下來、眼角耷拉或扭過頭避免眼神接觸，都是狗狗感到壓力的表現。如果狗狗閉上眼，或舔嘴唇，也可能是因為焦慮。張大嘴或舉起一只爪子也是警告信號。

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.
科倫博士發現，81.6%的照片上，狗狗都至少有不舒服、緊張、焦慮中的一種表現。只有7.6%的照片上，狗狗看上去很舒服，而剩下那10.8%則反應不明顯，或模棱兩可。

“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.
科倫博士在《今日心理學》雜志發表了一篇文章，他在其中表示：“理論上講，狗屬于走獸，這個術語表明它們天生就喜歡敏捷地奔跑。”

“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.
“也就是說，當狗面臨壓力或威脅時，它們的第一道防線不是牙齒，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.
“行為學家認為，擁抱使得狗難以動彈，剝奪了它的行動自由，會提升它的壓力水平，并且，如果它變得非常焦慮，也許還會咬人。

“The clear recommendation to come out of this research is to save your hugs for your two-footed family members and lovers.
“顯而易見，基于這項研究，我們建議大家還是把擁抱留給家人和愛人吧。

“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'.
“從狗的角度來看，如果你想表達對它的喜愛，輕輕拍一下、說句溫柔的話或者給點好吃的……這些方式顯然更好。”

The advice was also repeated by animal experts in Britain who recommend ‘calm stroking' of pets instead of a cuddle.
英國動物專家也提過這樣的建議——“平靜地安撫”，不要摟抱。

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.
“巴特西貓狗之家”的資深犬類行為學家克萊爾·馬修斯說：“對人類來說，擁抱可能是社會交往中正常的問候，但對狗來說不是這樣的。

“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.
“你在擁抱愛寵時，并不會注意到那些微妙的壓力信號，這可能導致它們的消極反應，因此你應該意識到你的狗什么時候感到不舒服。

“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.
“有些人認為，給狗一個擁抱是好事，但事實是，家養寵物經常不得不忍受擁抱，而不是喜歡。

“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.”
“當你抱著狗狗時，它通常會表現出緊張的樣子，因為你侵犯了它們的個體空間——兩條胳膊繞著狗的脖子會被狗理解為威脅，意味著它難以從不舒服的環境中逃脫。”

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.
“養犬俱樂部”秘書長卡洛琳·基思科補充道：“狗通常被認作是家里的一分子，然而它們并不是人類，所以也許會對擁抱之類的互動有不同的反應。

“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.”
“總的來說狗是喜歡交際的動物，喜歡與人交流，但任何限制它們活動的行為都會讓他們感到難受，所以主人能識別出壓力或焦慮的信號就顯得十分重要。”

Vocabulary
cuddle: 擁抱，摟抱
canine: 犬科的
half-moon: 半月的；半月形的
stroking: 輕撫
intimidate: 威脅，恐嚇

英文來源：每日電訊報
譯者：實習生孫美真
編審：杜娟