Finding your puppy is not very cuddly can be disappointing and frustrating. Luckily, with consistent training, you can train your puppy to be more cuddly. This is more likely to be effective with younger puppies.
Four Steps to get My Dog to Like Cuddling
- Try feeding your puppy with one hand rather than from a bowl. Gently pet your puppy with your other hand. Slowly pet its back. If your puppy is showing strong signs of discomfort, start by just hand feeding, then slowly incorporate petting.
- When your puppy is in a calm mood, try to pet your puppy’s belly. If your puppy bites often, use a toy to distract him.
- Sit on the floor with your puppy, and hold it lightly around the shoulders. If your puppy tries to escape, keep holding it until it calms down. Once it relaxes slightly, release your puppy.
- Use treats. Touch different parts of your puppy. If it reacts well, reward it with a treat. Continue this so your puppy learns that cuddling leads to treats and praise.
Tips for Being More Effective
For maximum effectiveness when training your puppy to be more cuddly, make sure you let your puppy decide the terms of cuddling. Never force it if you can see your puppy is visibly uncomfortable.
Another tip is to reframe cuddling as a trick to your puppy. Being consistent and using treats will help your puppy to learn to cuddle, even if it’s not an intrinsic desire of your puppy.
It’s also very helpful to provide your puppy with plenty of exercises. If your puppy is tired out from playing, training, and games, it is much more likely to relax into your attempts to cuddle.
Things to Avoid
If your puppy completely resists being cuddled and struggles to get away or bites, avoid forcing or holding your puppy. In this case, it’s always best to seek the advice of a professional dog trainer.
It’s also essential to avoid reacting negatively or aggressively towards your puppy if they don’t react well to cuddling. These kinds of reactions could lead to your dog displaying behavioral problems as it grows up.
How to Get the Behavior to the Last Long-term
To get this behavior to last long-term, you must establish a regular training routine with your puppy.
It is also important to be consistent in the way you react to your puppy, whether it is responsive to cuddling or not.
Furthermore, it’s vital to keep your puppy well-socialized. This will lead to a more relaxed puppy. Try to get your puppy to interact with as many strangers as possible in a safe way.
Final thoughts on Training a Puppy to Be More Cuddly
It is certainly possible to train your puppy to be more cuddly. However, using treats, slowly introducing more petting, and being consistent are key to success.
By following these steps and letting your puppy set the terms of the cuddling, rather than forcing it, you can teach your puppy to be more receptive to cuddling.