©Scott Sheaffer, CBCC-KA, CDBC, CPDT-KA, USA Dog Behavior, LLC

“I’m always unpopular when I tell people this, but your dog doesn’t like…”

Liver. Seriously. Is there any person on planet earth who really likes liver? Covering it with an inch of gravy does not count as liking it either.

There are only a few things that virtually every dog doesn’t care for either. As you read through the list I’ve prepared below, you’ll probably say “But my dog loves that!” to one of the items. I’m going to counter with one of two possibilities:

Your dog is trying to tell you they really don’t like the thing you think they do. Maybe you aren’t reading their body language correctly. Consider boning up on this topic by seeing my free canine body language video, Understanding Dog Body Language.
You don’t have a dog; you have a unicorn.

I’ve curated the following list from working with thousands of dogs - and having a bunch of my own over the years.

Almost Every Dog Hates These 8 Things

There is not a dog on this earth, this solar system, our galaxy, this universe and all parallel universes that likes getting their nails trimmed. Is this really so surprising? How would you feel if Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre held your finger and came at you with one of his “tools” to trim your nails? You get the idea.
If there is a dog that doesn’t get a little (or a lot) distressed when the UPS, FedEx, USPS or Prime delivery person comes to the front door, I haven’t met them yet. The issue here is one of severity. A few barks, let’s say three to five, is absolutely normal. There is a doggie code that states that three to five barks is required when front door visitors arrive. Dogs that don’t stop barking and/or act aggressively may have something that requires behavior modification (e.g., territorial aggression). For more information see Dog Front-Door Aggression, Myths and Facts.
How would you feel if your server at a restaurant kept putting their hand in your food every time they walked by? I’m guessing that eventually at their mere appearance you would become hostile. Get the picture? Don’t train your dog to resource guard their food by putting your hand in their food bowl. Let your dog eat in peace - just like you prefer to do.
Isn’t it a blast “pilling” your dog? For those of you not familiar with this term, it simply means opening your dog’s mouth and forcibly placing a pill in the back of their tongue. Dogs are smart and many quickly figure out the cheese you’re giving them is hiding a really nasty pill, which is why we end up having to “pill” dogs. Not only do dogs hate this, but owners really hate doing this too. The key to making it less miserable for your dog (and you) is to allow your dog to open their mouth by just touching the front of the inside of their mouth and waiting a second for them to voluntarily open versus forcing it open.
Dogs are really social animals which is why we have them in our homes. However, they are not big fans of having unfamiliar dog company in their home without first doing a proper introduction. When your sister-in-law brings her Labradoodle into your home through the front door for the first time, your dog is unlikely to be thrilled with this. Why is this? Dogs can really be bad about sharing you, their space, their food and their toys with other “unapproved” guests. If you’d like more information on how to properly introduce dogs, please send me a note in the “Contact” tab on this website and I’ll send you an article I have on this subject.
When I was a kid I really hated going to the doctor - it was scary. If I’m being honest with you, I’m not too thrilled about it now. It’s not too surprising that most dogs hate going to the veterinarian. Again, this is an issue of severity. There are dogs who don’t like it, but they manage the experience. And then there are other dogs who absolutely panic and respond with aggression or desperate attempts to escape. If you’d like to learn more about how to make this experience less traumatizing for your dog, see, 10 Ways You Can Reduce Your Dog’s Fear at the Veterinarian’s Office.
I’m always unpopular when I tell people this, but your dog doesn’t like being hugged. Hugging is different from petting, stroking and touching, which are okay with your dog. Hugging feels entrapping in your dog’s mind and they don’t like it. The only animals that enjoy hugging are primates (e.g., humans, monkeys, gorillas, etc.).
Let’s conclude with the dressing dogs up thing. Shoes? Raincoats? Skirts? Scarves? Fragrance? And the one I dislike the most, hats! They might look cute to you, but your dog haaaaaaaaaaates when you dress them up.