Unexpected Cuddlers

[Chelsea and Bailey]

Does anyone have a number one trait that they want in an animal? Mine was always a dog/cat/w.e that would like to cuddle.  I am a homebody and like to spend my time reading and watching movies. So in highschool, when I was not allowed a dog, I decided to bring home a farm kitten and see if my parents would let me keep him. I was allowed to, and boy was I excited to spend my days "cuddling" with this little furr ball. Little did I know this cat was an animal form of the devil and liked to spend its time on top of the fridge or cabinets sleeping. My dreams were dashed when he would not play any attention to me...   

 

When looking for a Goldendoodle breeder I searched countless sites all around the country and the common message was "smart, calm, cuddly "hypo-allergenic" furballs".  Bailey was my first dog and I had wanted one my whoooole life, someone to "cuddle" with. I thought, hmm looks like a Teddy bear, they must be good snugglers (of course I chose her for many other reasons then cuddles but that was the trait I longed for).  When we picked her up at 8 weeks I tried to carry her in my lap for the 2 1/2 hr car ride, she would have none of it and wouldve rather sat at my feet in the slush and snow. That shouldve been my first clue. As the weeks passed I thought that maybe she was just too young and playful to want to cuddle.  She hated the crate as a pup but even as we tried to get her to sleep on the bed, she chose the floor. Now at a year old she has settled down quite a bit. She barely wants to get up in the morning and is in her crate sleeping by 8pm.  Wait, did I say crate..? YES, she goes in there by herself rather then sleeping at our feet. The odd morning when I am up at 6am will she cuddle with me for 10 minutes on the couch- oh how I relish the moments. Again, my dreams are dashed. She is still my baby, but it hurts my feelings when she ignores my requests for love, LOL.

 

My friends brother, with whom she lives with adopted a pit bull from the humane society.  Hes 2 and a pretty nice boy. So one day I brought B over to play with him while us girls hung out. Sloan played with her a bit, but when they were done he jumped right onto the couch, and threw his whole body onto my lap (almost crushed me).  All he wanted was some loving, and he layed there for hours while I stroked his bony, muscular body, all the while Bailey layed in the middle of the hall by herself.  I have to say it was quite unexpected, considering the breed myths.  My friend said he is always like that, a HUGE cuddler.  Sigh... who  wouldve thought a SCARY breed of a PIT BULL would be so loving like this. I never had a problem with this breed before but now it has reassured me that they are misunderstood. Sure hes big and scary when were out walking, his barks are deep, and he struts with an arrogance about him, but its all show. 

 

I dont really know what my point of this post was, just wanted to share a story and thought it was kind of funny that the two types of animals that I thought would be cuddly turned out to not be and the one I thought would never cuddle turned out to be the biggest baby!

 

Does anyone have a story like this? Does your doodle like to cuddle, or do they ignore you like my girl here?

 

 

Who says Im not a cuddler?

 

[Melissa & Porter]

LOL.  That's funny and ironic.  Love it. 

My SIL's pug was over for 2-3 days this past weekend and boy is he a cuddler.  (But no one is afraid of pugs :-)

[Deb Stanton]

I'm lucky - Wakefield is a real cuddler - gets up in my lap in the recliner, climbs right up on the bed and snuggles tight up against me. My other dog - mix of beagle, lab, shepherd and probably something else - has always laid in the crook of my knees. So when I change sides, he walks across me to the side where my knees are bent and settles in. When this happens, then Wakefield gets up and goes on over to the other side and lets the older guy have the side he prefers. We go thru this all night long :)

 

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Sedona's a winter-only cuddler - and then only for short stretches at a time.  She'll lay with me for awhile, then move to a cooler spot on the floor, then lay with my husband, then back to the floor.  The choreography goes on like this all winter.  

[Becka]

Thanks for sharing this! I hate how misunderstood (and mistreated) pits are--the ones I have known have all been the biggest love pigs and want nothing but approval and affection.

I wanted a dog that was cuddly but not clingy, and Sadie seems to understand that perfectly, especially the older she gets. She prefers to sleep on the floor (she only likes the bed when she can have it to herself) except in the morning, when she hops onto the bed and snuggles up to me (and then eventually whacks me in the face or head with her big paw to wake me up).

[Chloe, Finley & Mama Shelley]

My Chloe is getting more cuddly, but she is still only 4 1/2 months, so its hard to tell. Still, all her cuddling is on her terms, when she wants it. The mornings is when she is most cuddly. After my DH leaves for work at 6:30 am, she gets on the bed with me, and my other dog, my golden who has ALWAYS been a cuddler, and she snuggles, but still moves all over the bed, never on one place very long. I love when I wake up to her nose right in my face! = )

I know lots of people who love & snuggle with their pits, or pit mixes, and love them!

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

my friends pit bull is a huge cuddler. Cooper will come for cuddles, but it only lasts for a few minutes. My MILs dog does not cuddle at all.

 

I have 3 cats too, all of whom are big cuddlers!

[Carol and Banjo]

I'm right there with you!   Banjo jumps up on the ottoman in front of my chair each morning for a brief cuddle session and that's IT!

He loves to be close to us....on the floor at our feet....or the other end of the sofa....he's NOT a cuddler either.   I'd give anything to get a little more cuddle time with him but at almost 2 years old....I don't think it's happening.

[Linda, Guinness, Molly, Snickers]

Don't give up on Bailey, my Molly was just like that when we got her.  I love to cuddle and we have two doodles.  Guinness is 3 and very cuddly, always has been.  Molly is 2 and I was dissapointed when we got her because she wouldn't cuddle much at all!  She is so cute and I wanted to cuddle but she just wasn't interested.  But sometime after she turned a year old she settled down a bit and has really started to love to snuggle.  Not all night like Guinness but she will hop in your lap while you are watching TV or snuggle when you go to bed and then hop up first thing in the morning for some snuggle time.  She has even occasionally slept between us all night, but we actually discourage that because having both of them in bed all night means no room for me and Guinness won't sleep anywhere but in our bed!  Just keep encouraging her and maybe she'll come around :-)

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

I'm lucky that Sasha is a BIG TIME CUDDLER :)  you would think that she is a small lap dog.  When I am on the couch she is right there next to me.  Oliver likes to cuddle too but for only about 10-15 minutes, I think he gets too hot then lays on the floor.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Oh-I feel bad for you. Chloe is a snuggler but at the same time she leaves us from the loving room and goes on our bed by herself

at like 6pm!! Myla has to be extremely tired and out of it to snuggle with you more than a couple minutes-she would rather lick your face all day.

[Adina P]

Haha...Bailey you were meant to cuddle with all that soft fur!  Yeah some dogs are and some dogs aren't.  Rosco started off very independent and aloof. It wasn't until after considerable time in training after the age of 1 that he quit trying to bite me and started becoming a cuddle bug.  Maybe that would help Bailey too...all that time in obedience training, perfecting skills and working together just might make him more affectionate.  Can't hurt to try!

 

Funny about the pit bull story.  It's such a huge myth that dogs are either ALL aggressive and mean and scary or they are ALL sugar and snuggles.  I hear it a lot from people whose doodles suddenly develop bad habits like lunging at other dogs or resource guarding or getting into fights with dogs or fence fighting, barking, etc.  "He's such a sweeeet dog most of the time...I just don't understand why he'd suddenly lash out like this!" 

 

But most dogs, like people, have more than one side to them.  And the same with pits.  Most are very affectionate, people loving dogs.  They were bred to work well with and cooperate with humans.  They are just ALSO likely to be scrappy with other dogs given the right genetics and circumstances.  And because they are incredibly tenacious and driven once they start a fight they don't give up easily.

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Wilson is the cuddliest, snuggliest dog ever!  Murph? Not so much.  Murphy has to be "near" me all the time, but likes his personal space.  Wilson wants to be "on " me all the time.  Wilson will sleep on my chest at night......and he is getting a little too big for that now!  I love having a cuddle bear :)