Hug Your Hound Day: Labradors & Cockapoos Are the Most Huggable Hounds
by James P. Outreach & PR ExecutiveNow, we’re pretty certain we don’t need a day to tell us to
hug our hounds; we do it multiple times a day. But at the same time, we’re very
excited a day like this exists so that we have an excuse not to let go of our
furry friends. The second Sunday in September is Hug Your Hound Day—a whole day dedicated to
displaying affection to our dogs.
Hug Your Hound Day was created by Ami Moore, dubbed the “Dog
Whisperer of Chicago”, to reinforce the importance of having a long and
affectionate bond between you and your pet, and how both of your health and
happiness can be improved. The day encourages ways you can make your
environment safer for your pet and to stop for a moment and truly appreciate them
and how they impact your life.
Women adore Labradors
We collected 296 answers around which dog breed respondents
think are the most huggable, and the verdict is in. The majority of
respondents, equating to 16%, agreed that Labradors are the most huggable
pooches, with 18% being female and 14% male. According to the data, it seems
that there are gender differences in which sort of dogs we think give the best
hugs. The majority of men (17%) answered that Cockapoos were the most huggable.
Both dogs are big and fluffy, so it seems those are the characteristics we
value the most from a hug with our four-legged friend.
Source: Shutterstock, by 4 PM production
The runner ups are a variety of sizes and texture of fur,
with Bichon Fries, Boxers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, German Shepherds,
Huskies, and St Bernards all coming in a joint second.
How to celebrate Hug Your Hound Day
First, no matter what breed or size they are, give your
pooch a hug and let them know how much you love them—tell them, too! If your
dog is displaying any negative behaviours, try to put yourself in their paws and
think of ways to remedy anxious or destructive behaviour. We know that modern
life can be busy, but when you get in from a long day back at work, they may
just be wanting more attention and affection off you.
Most negative behaviours are signals of
unhappiness, so use Hug Your Hound Day the way it was intended—to display
affection and recognise how we can create a safer and happier environment for
our dogs.
If you don’t have a furry friend in your life, why don’t you
spend the day visiting local animal shelters to see if you can bring a forever
friend home—but only if you’ve been thinking about it seriously. Try to avoid
bringing a dependent animal into your life because of lockdown. There are many rescue dogs that have been left without a home
after owners realised that they weren’t ready for the responsibility. If you’re
not prepared for a four-legged companion, then spend the day volunteering or
donating money to your local dog shelter!
If you own a business, you could put measures into place to
make your business dog friendly, so owners can bring their dogs when they
venture outside. This can have tremendous effects for emotional wellbeing in
work, with research showing that canine colleagues can
improve both staff wellbeing and productivity—a win for everyone.
Why does hugging your hound feel so good?
Research reports that as well as tremendous emotional
benefits hugging your dog can improve both your physical and mental
health—reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, preventing heart disease, and
helping fight depression. Physical affection also helps soothe your pet, so it
is a mutually beneficial relationship!
So, celebrate the best day of the year with your dog. Why
not take them for an extra special walk or feed them their favourite treats
too?
Sources
Dotson, M.J. and Hyatt, E.M., 2008. Understanding dog–human companionship. Journal of Business Research, 61(5), pp.457-466.
https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/6-ways-pets-improve-your-health
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Created on Sep 28th 2020 06:08. Viewed 212 times.