Whenever I raise my hand to pet my dog, she flinches...?

Question

Why is that? I've never hit her in my life...:(

Answer 1

It could be that someone has been hitting her :-(. Did you have her from since she was a puppy? If she flinches, just go slow and eventually she will learn that when you raise your hand to her, you are only petting her. Look out for how she responds to other people. If she all of a sudden starts running away from any frequent guests you might want to look into it.

Answer 2

Oh no...sorry to bust your bubble, but even if you aren't hitting her, someone may very well be. Dogs aren't naturally skittish of people like that, esp all of a sudden.

The only other reason I can think of...is that she is guarding an injury. Guarding is the tendency for animals to be jumpy and defensive when they are in pain...people do it too. If you ever had an injury, think how you got when there was any chaos around you, your anxiety goes up thinking that you could get hurt worse? You would flinch or try to move out of the way, or try to tuck your injury away somehow...if it was a broken arm, for instance, you might bend over a little and try to protect it with your other arm, or turn away from other people. That's guarding...you don't want people messin with you!

How long has it been? Is there anything else weird? Is it just you or everybody? Does she do anything different when you touch her head, her belly, her rump, her tail, or her feet? Or if she knows you are there vs by surprise?

I would take her to the vet, see if they can find any cuts or bruises, get some Xrays to see if there are any broken bones.

In the meantime, you can approach her palms up from underneath her face, as a submission thing, (opposite of a slapping movement which is palm down from overhead) so she knows you don't want to hurt her, and let her snuggle you instead. And be gentle with her in case she is hurt.

If the vet says she is fine, ask if he knows any other reason your dog is doing this. If she is hurt, see if you can get the vet to tell you what likely happened, first whether she is sick or injured...doctors can tell the difference between say, blunt trauma with something dull and heavy as opposed to being slapped over and over, and usually can tell you how much force it took to cause the injury. You might be able to put some things together about how it happened.

Sadly, if she is being abused, she very well could be scared AND injured.

Answer 3

Have you had her, her entire life? If she has been owned by someone else she might have been mistreated by them. I had a dog that I got at 6 wks old and she flinched for a long time after my neighbor's kid accidently hit her with the door on his way out. It doesn't take much sometimes to make them extremely cautious. Just love her and call her name before you pet her so that you have her full attention. Let her smell your hand before you pet her, then start petting her under her under her chin and work your way to the top of her head. That way she knows your intentions. Good Luck.

Answer 4

SOMEONE HAS BEEN MEAN TO YOUR DOG. THEY HAVE RAISED THEIR HAND IN ANGER TO YOUR DOG, OR THAT IS MOSTLY WHY THEY FLINCH WHEY SOMEONE TRIES TO PET THEM AND THEY FLINCH AWAY FROM YOU. BE VERY GENTLE AND TALK QUIETLY ALL THE WHILE MOVING YOUR HAND GENTLY TOWARD YOUR DOG AT EYE LEVEL. ONCE HE/SHE GETS USED TO THAT IDEA, THEY WON'T MIND YOUR HAND COMING FROM ANY DIRECTION.
ANOTHER REASON THAT A DOG FLINCHES IS THAT SOME DOGS ARE JUST BORN VERY TIMID, ESPECIALLY DOGS LIKE CHICUAUAS(SP) AND OTHER TINY BREEDS. FOR SOME REASON THEY FEEL WE ARE GIANTS AND ALL GIANTS ARE DANGEROUS. AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO WORK ALWAYS ON EYE LEVEL UNTIL THEY ARE VERY COMFORTABLE AND THEN WHEN THEY ARE COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE, YOU CAN MOVE TO PETTING THEM WHEREVER AND WHENEVER. IT REALLY TAKES TIME. QUITE AND SOFT AND GENTLE ARE THE ANSWERS. I HAVE FOUND THESE THINGS OUT THE HARD WAY.

Answer 5

Just make sure no one else is hitting her, or she might have been abused before you had her..... Stop raising your hand to your dog before petting her....open your hand and outstend it slowly and speak nicely to her at the same time and smile. Dogs are the best at sensing feelings and emotions...

Answer 6

When you go to touch your dog use an open hand and an underhand motion toward the chin. Then turn your hand over and touch his head. This will get him used to the action and soon you will be able to touch him without the flinch.

Answer 7

So where in your dogs life it had a human or something abused it in someway its not your fualt just let the dog know that she/he can trust you!!!!!! Like give it treats for no reason every once in a while that will make it hapier aroung you and start to make a good connection if you want more deatails contact me [e-mail]

Answer 8

It is possible someone has hit her when you were not present, or that she was mistreated before you got her.

Rather than reaching out for her head, extend your hand lower than her head and come up under her chin to scratch it. They like th is, and you can work your way around her head slowly and to the top. When you take your hand away, take it right away and do not let it hang or hover over top of her.

Answer 9

No idea.

But to get rid of that, do stuff like move your hand fast towards her like you're going to hit her, but then pet/stratch her on the head and say high happy things and get all excited. Do this like 10 times in a row and do it everyday and you'll see her getting less and less handshy.

Answer 10

Are you the original owner? If so, you probably just have an overly nervous dog... Is it a smaller breed? My friend had a small basset hound and it was very "skiddish" and seemed afraid of everything--even her owner. If your dog is still young it may grow out of it. Good Luck!