Training your puppy to cuddle is important for several reasons. First, it will make vet exams, teeth-cleaning, and grooming much easier and safer. Luckily, it is definitely possible to train your puppy to cuddle and be handled without biting.
Teaching adolescent and adult dogs to cuddle without biting can be more difficult and time-consuming, so starting as early as possible is better.
Four Steps to Get my Dog to Cuddle Without Biting
- Put your puppy on your lap, keeping him still by holding its collar. Slowly stroke along the top of its head to keep it calm. If it is not responsive, try massaging its chest or the base of its ears.
- When your puppy has relaxed, lay it on its back and stroke its belly with repetitive circular motions.
- As your puppy relaxes more, periodically pick it up for a short hug. Gradually increase the length of the hugs. This gets your puppy used to being restrained.
- If your puppy is resistant to this, hold your puppy against your stomach with its legs pointing away from you. You should hold your puppy low down on your body, so it cannot turn around and bite your face. When in this position, massage its ears and chest. At this point, offer your puppy lots of praise.
Tips For being More Effective
To make these exercises more effective, practice them in a calm and soothing environment that is familiar to your puppy.
If you have trouble getting your puppy to relax and stop biting during the exercises, the best thing to do is to call a professional dog trainer to help you.
Things to Avoid
When training your puppy to cuddle without biting, it’s important to avoid any sensitive areas your puppy may have. These hot spots can be highly sensitive to the touch and are commonly the ears, muzzle, paws, and rear end.
Touching these areas will be unpleasant for your puppy and will lead to them becoming more agitated, which could be dangerous.
It is also important to avoid being overly aggressive towards your puppy if they do bite when cuddling.
How To get the Behavior to Last Long-term
You must quickly establish a consistent routine to get your training to change your puppy’s behavior in the long term. Train your puppy on a daily basis and be patient as it is a process that takes time.
It’s also important to be consistent in the way you react to your puppy if it does bite you. Make sure your puppy knows this is wrong without being aggressive, and ensure you don’t ever reward this behavior.
Final thoughts on Training Your Puppy to Cuddle Without Biting
You must be highly sensitive to your puppy’s body language to train your puppy not to bite when cuddling.
First, make sure you know the areas that are sensitive to touch and avoid them. Then, encourage your puppy to relax and reward them when they react positively to your affection.