Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Cuddlers

Some dogs are sort of aloof, and others are lap dogs or real "cuddlers". What is it in their personality that makes them different? This is somewhat of a mystery. What makes one dog standoffish and another dog extremely affectionate? It probably has a lot to do with their genetic make-up as well as their socialization skills. From an early age, your dog's breed and socialization skills (both pet-to-pet and pet-to-human) have an impact on his behavior. This makes sense when you think about people - no two are alike. Some families and cultures are more "touchy-feely" than others. Some people like to cuddle and others don't. The reason a dog likes to cuddle with you or with his toys probably has a lot to do with both bonding and comfort. Puppies cuddled with their mothers and littermates for warmth, and undoubtedly this gave them comfort. Dogs that are submissive are often more apt to cuddle and be near their gentle leader.

Do your dogs cuddle with you?

Alice England
Makingstuffwithlove.etsy.com
From Dr. Jon @ Petplace.com

4 comments:

Three Wishes Collective said...

Velvet thinks that anything affectionate is pure torture, lol. To be petted is totally beneath her and hugs are too constricting. But, if I lay on the couch, she will use me as a pillow. On the totally opposite side of the spectrum, Julia is the most affectionate, loving dog in the world. When her parents came back from a little trip, she jumped up on them and snuggled her head on their bellies. She will offer you her behind to scratch, and if you don't, she'll sit on you until you do :) And then there's Frau. When she was a kitten and I wasn't allergic to her, she would have nothing to do with me, but as soon as she reached the age that I start having allergic reactions, suddenly she wants to snuggle. She puts her little paws out, like 'pick me up' and its just so incredibly cute!!!

Art and Sew Forth said...

I was going to say that dog size probably has a lot to do with it until I thought of Toby and Haylee! They both cuddle and are not small! I do think people curtail larger dogs from being cuddlers for obvious reasons, but there are always exceptions and you will see the Great Dane or Rotweiler all snuggled up by their owners. Believe it or not, piggies also have tendencies to cuddle. Tooey will just settle in on my lap and be totally comfy and happy while Violet wouldn't even THINK about being still, and Thea just barely tolerates it. CG will cuddle somewhat, too. Good question to ponder!

Giupetto and Gianna Tails said...

I love the post and that we get to share our stories. Shari, loved reading about the difference between Velvet and Julia.
Patty, so interesting about the piggies and their differences as well.

My boy Giupetto is a snuggler. No matter where he is he knows as soon as you sit down and runs to sit on your lap. He also loves to be picked up and leans back like a baby and gives me hundreds of kisses.
He likes me to hold him so he can look out the window from a higher perspective.

My girl Gianna, at 6 1/2 is trying to get the hang of it. She is finally sitting on my lap, but does not lay down. She does love to snuggle up against Giupetto though, and he usually moves away. (Typical siblings) LOL

She LOVES giving kisses though.
Diana

Tisha said...

Dinky loves to cuddle or sleep alone. He's extremely easy going, anything goes kinda dog. Toby like to snuggle or sit on you. He'll curl up on your feet, lap, shoulder, where ever he can fit. He has anxiety issues and is constantly following me around everywhere. If I make him stay in another room, he whines. My other 3 dogs, Goob, Lucky, and Lady, all prefer to be outside running, playing, and digging. They enjoy petting but that's about it.