Does your puppy ever cuddle?!

[Darcy & Millie]

Millie is 9 weeks old.  We've had her just for a week.  I know that puppies like to play, but she is never calm (unless sleeping), and refuses to cuddle.  There is no happy-medium.  Is this with all puppies?  Even when she's sleeping somewhere, I will bring her to the couch with me, and she either wants to bite me and play, or she'll jump off.

Did any of your puppies "cuddle" when this young?  Is mine just a brat??  :)  LOL...

[Leslie N]

Try that "exercise, then discipline, then affection" :-). Oliver's 5 months and is starting to. When he was smaller and looked even more huggable, he was definitely not!

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Casey and Cody and now 12 weeks old - litter mate brothers - with TOTALLY different personalities. Casey is calm, laid-back and a cuddler when he is sleepy. He loves to sack-out in our lap or close by. Cody, on the other hand likes to be held and have his belly rubbed on for maybe a minute before he is back to his "wild-child" self. Neither one can spare a minute, though, when they are awake and romping. Thankfully, nap time still comes frequently at this age because I love to cuddle with my "babies."

[Marcia & MoneyPenny]

Penny is a4 month standard golden doodle, she is becoming a very big girl. She is not a big snuggler although she loves to get in my husbands lap so he can hold her bully stick. She will occasionally lie on the couch with me but for Only a few minutes. Having previously had 3 goldens, I attribute this lack of need to be close to the poodle genes. We shall see. Right now we are in the "terrible two" stage.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

My 2 are as different as night and day when it comes to cuddling (and many other things as well). Lucy (3-1/2 yrs), was never a cuddler as a puppy, although she liked to be close... just not touching. Through the years she's gotten better with calm affection but its like she tolerates it more than seeks it out. Oscar (8-1/2 mos) has always been a big snuggler and loves to be close, if not in your lap. He's really soft, too, and has loose skin, making him super nIce to cuddle :)
The 2 dispositions couldn't be more different, but they each bring their own strenghths to the table. Lucy is fun loving and all about play, while Oscar is mellow, calm and cuddly. They really do complement one another, though, and we get the best of both worlds ;-)

[Sarah Bennett]

Salvador is not a snuggler...I wish he was, but nope... If he's worn out, he doesn't mind being held a little but, he never wants to stay snuggled up to me for long.  he only want to touch me if we're playing or he's hyper!  But he always wants to be in the same room as me.  follows me from room to room even if he's sleeping...

[Jen and Annie]

I meant to reply to this earlier. When we first got Annie, she didn't cuddle, she didn't really wag her tail or anything. We got her at eleven weeks old. I really wanted a cuddler, and every time she was asleep I would just snuggle up next to her and love on her. She usually would either lay by our feet to sleep or go into her house. I would bother her wherever she went to sleep.
...just petting her and baby talk. I didn't ever pick her up and bring her to me, because yes.....that would wake her up and she would be ready to play I don't know if it was my forcing myself on her, or if it was because she just wasn't comfortable when she first got home....but she is almost a year old now and is constantly on my lap when she can be. She is a total lover girl.

I might suggest showing your Millie just how fun snuggling can be (while she's already asleep) and maybe she will realize what she is missing! She is also in a still strange place, so maybe just needs more time to adjust to her new home.

[Katherine]

I was told by the breeder that our Zoe was likely to be more independent than most. Since she is Dog #2 I worried this would make her even more so. I've focused a lot on getting her cuddly. One tip I got was to cuddle her while holding on to a snack that she can enjoy while cuddling. And I've been very focused on finding the types of cuddles she likes. E.g. she doesn't like being gently scratched on her side coz she's ticklish, but in turn she loves being carried like a baby. 

Maybe it's because of this, or simply that she's now 6 m.o., but she now loves cuddles - at the right time (not in play mode, nor trying to sleep).

And I have often taken heart in what many people say - doodles are cuddlers, but often it comes with age.