Cuddly Dogs

[Ozfozz]

In the spirit of making new threads, no matter how cheesy

For the 10th time this morning, Rigby body slammed me into cuddling her and it occurred to me, she's the only one in my household that seeks out physical attention so aggressively.

If I lie down anywhere in the house she knows and will come running in, line herself up beside me, and topple over sideways. Often jamming her head into my face as though she's trying to suffocate me.
At night, she sleeps with her head on the pillow next to me and will grumble until I hold her. She also actively tries to cuddle in with any other household dogs that are lying around.


Ruby and Oz both enjoy sitting next to people or cuddling up to the crooks in legs, but it's nowhere near as assertive as Rigby.

Cobain largely prefers to sit alone and will often get up if you are too close for too long.

And I never thought I'd say this, but having such an affectionate dog is kinda nice...

SO!

Are any of your dogs "cuddly"? If so, is that just with you, with dogs, or both?

Is there anything beyond just personality that you attribute this to?

Does gender appear to take a role in your household? (Either the dog only cuddles with a certain gender, or it's only a certain gender of dog that cuddles)

Do you like cuddly dogs?

And lastly, those with dogs like like to cuddle, are there any that appear to actively be trying to kill you by suffocation? lol

 

[Bruschnazzy]

Chomper isn't actually too cuddly. He likes to be with you and next to you at all times, but he doesn't really cuddle too much, unless you count him climbing on top of you and standing there, cuddling. :rofl1:

 

[yv0nne]

Penny is an aggressive cuddler and I adore it. She sleeps under the covers& puts her little nose right into the back of my ear. When I get home after being gone awhile, she will force me down onto the bed or couch then body slam on top of me& just sigh contentedly like oh mom, I missed you.


It clearly warms my heart <3 and is my most favourite thing about her. No matter what she is up for snuggles!

 

[*blackrose]

I don't care for cuddly dogs.

I like a dog that cuddles on my terms. Abrams is perfect. When I'm sitting on the couch he'll come over and lay by my feet. He follows me from room to room and lays by my feet. If I shut the door, he lays by the door til I come out. Then, when I'm sitting on the couch and he's sleepy, or I'm reading/gaming, I invite him up and he drapes across my lap and falls asleep and we cuddle.

But he's not annoyingly cuddily and he doesn't always have to be glued to my lap.

 

[BostonBanker]

Both of mine are cuddly, although it seems in different ways.

Meg adores physical contact with any human. She wants to lean against you, sit on your feet, be rubbed. But she's polite about it, and when she's not actively being snuggled, she's just as likely to look for a bit of personal space. She'll snuggle with me in bed while I'm watching TV, but as soon as I turn the TV off to sleep, she goes to the foot of the bed and sleeps there. If she gets on the couch to watch TV with me, she curls up on the other end unless I ask her to come closer for snuggling.

Gusto is much weirder. Outside the house, he is appalled by cuddling from anyone, including me. He comes across as very stand-offish. Indoors, he is much more likely than Meg to actively seek out cuddling, and much more physical about it. Meg will sit on the floor gazing up and asking to be invited up for a snuggle - Gusto will fling himself over the back of the couch to lay down on my head. When he wakes up in the morning, he crawls over to me and lays across my neck and face and buries his nose in my hair. I sometimes have to shove him off, because he's either going to suffocate me or dislocate my jaw with his shoulder blade. He sleeps curled up against me under the covers, and is on my lap if I'm sitting down.

He was annoyed this morning that I was sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine, and very obviously came over and told me to move to the recliner so he could get on my lap. I think some of his "I must be in someone's lap" tendency is actually him problem-solving. He won't get on any of the dog beds in the house, because Meg appears to have claimed them all (even the tiny one I bought thinking he could fit on it but she wouldn't be able to). There's only two chairs the dogs are allowed on, one of which is Meg's as well, so he won't get on it even if I ask him up. Which leaves him one spot to sleep - which is a chair that Meg often gets in. She was in it this morning, he's not allowed on any other furniture by himself - so he needs someone to sit down so he can be in their lap. He doesn't like to sleep on the rug, and he wanted to be downstairs with everyone rather than upstairs on the one chair that is his.

 

[Laurelin]

I like cuddly most the time. Hank's brand of cuddles is rather violent though- he likes to bite and nip if you don't watch out and he has no sense of personal space so he'll just go limp on top of your face thinking he's being sweet.

Summer and Mia are cuddly on their terms and that's it. Mia especially will actually growl and leave if you try to be cuddly when she doesn't want to. She is mostly cuddly at about 3 am.

Summer loves to cuddle all the time but she obsessively licks the whole time and that kind of annoys me.

 

[Dekka]

Dekka is aggressive about affection and petting (she does that rolling on my face like I am something stinky... and I swear I am not!) She likes to fling herself of furniture at me. Luckily most times I notice and catch her.

She sleeps under the covers by my legs. She isn't a big sit on you type of dog. I wish she was a bit more cuddly. Schen is very cuddly but he gets bored and then gets very bitey.

 

[LauraLeigh]

Diamond used to do that! Roll on me like that, I found it strange but adorable!

Crosby is very in your face when he wants pets, he's a nibbler, he mouths you affectionately and is always at least by your side, he's an under the covers snuggler until he gets too hot then he crawls out and flops on top of the covers with a huge sigh...

 

[Slick]

Leo is very cuddly, but it definitely depends on the time of day and the amount of exercise he has gotten.

He generally likes to cuddle in the morning and evenings, but not so much during the day.

In the morning, he generally just wants to cuddle until I get out of bed, then once I get up it is time to seize the day and he doesn't want to anymore for a while.
In the evening, he will cuddle for hours IF he has gotten the right amount of exercise. If he is under-exercised he will be shoving a toy in my face instead. If he is over-exercised, he will be sleeping on his own and doesn't want to be touched thank you very much.

He is the sweetest cuddler though, and the perfect size to actually keep me warm but not be too heavy (he is about 35 pounds).

Yesterday, I came home from work super exhausted and laid down for a quick catnap on the couch. The way I was lieing, he couldn't really snuggle in next to me, so he jumped ON me and slept on top of my back the entire time (I am a stomach sleeper). It was super warm and actually really comfortable.

 

[pinkspore]

Brisbane is not a cuddled. He will be pette on his terms and then he is done. He doesn't even like to sit too close to anyone, if someone sits in the couch beside him he will leave in a huff.

Ru appears to need to spend a certain amount of time per day on my lap in order to be happy. It's something like three hours. He also sleeps under the covers nestled against me. He prefers to be under a blanket, so if one isn't available he will wander around in endless circles on my lap, hoping to find one. He also wants to be held and carried after a while on extended outings, and constantly when he isn't feeling well.

Ulysses loves to cuddle but us also a wallower. Constant face rubbing and rolling unless I am actively petting.

 

[JacksonsMom]

Are any of your dogs "cuddly"? If so, is that just with you, with dogs, or both?
Jackson is not cuddly 90% of the time. He likes being near me and enjoys a good petting/lovin' of course, but he's not overly needy for it. In fact, sometimes he gets annoyed with me loving on him and just walks away from me lol. He is not cuddly with other dogs. It's rare for him to share his 'bubble' with another dog. He does like sleeping on my bed and often times during the night, he will lay up against my back. He cuddles more in the winter that's for sure!

Moms pup, Lola, is thus far very cuddly. She's only 10 weeks old so it could change but she seeks out being held and sitting on your lap.

Dads dogs Lilly and Buddy are pretty cuddly. Lilly is on her own terms though, she can be a giant b*tch and growl at you if she's too tired for you.

Is there anything beyond just personality that you attribute this to?

I think it's just always been his personality.

Does gender appear to take a role in your household? (Either the dog only cuddles with a certain gender, or it's only a certain gender of dog that cuddles)
Jackson's more willing to accept being pet by women for sure.

Do you like cuddly dogs?
I do, but I also don't want completely overbearing. I don't want to have a dog on my lap 24/7. I like that Lola, new pup, is happy to lay at my feet while I'm on the computer instead of feeling the need to be on my lap.

 

[Annabell]

Fable is so cuddly! If I am lying down, she will come and curl up next to me and nudge my hand until I pet her. Also if I am petting her and I stop, she will kind of bat her paw at me until I start again. She also loves sitting on my lap and being held on her back like a baby. Since Fable is so shy with new people, I don't think she would be super cuddly with them until she got to know them a little better. But she has no problem seeking out attention from people she already knows. Personally, I love cuddly dogs. It's just the best to cozy up with her on the couch and maybe read a book. Lucky for me Fable is the best cuddler!

 

[thehoundgirl]

I really do like cuddly dogs. Dixie is really cuddly she has always been cuddly ever since a pup. She is a sweetheart. Buster & Rudy aren't really cuddly. My brother's dog Archer is cuddly when he wants to be.

 

[Torch]

Rhys is our cuddle monster. He loves to be held, snuggle in your lap or your arms. He actively seeks out cuddling any time you sit or lay down. Personally I love it. The cuddly attachment to their people was a big deal to me when I first started researching the bull breeds.

I think part of it is his personality and breed, but part of it was fostered by us. I made a lot of effort to handle and cuddle him a lot while he was a youngster; consequently he loves the vet, loves judges going over him in the show ring, and he is perfectly okay with being picked up and carried. You can kiss or stroke any part of him and he loves it.

Henry is very attached to us but not much of a cuddler. He does love to be snuggled up close when you're laying down, but he doesn't want to be held or petted during that time. He much prefers just being close to you.

 

[Equinox]

"Get a GSD", they said. "They're so affectionate and cuddly," they said. "They're such velcro dogs, literally," they said.

LIES. ALL OF THEM.

Trent is not cuddly at all (although ironically at this very moment he is snuggled up besides me, but I think it was an accident and he just wanted to sleep on the pillows). He doesn't like being hugged or held, not in the sense that it upsets him, but he will get up and leave if I let him after a few minutes. Or inch away. If I don't and demand that he cuddle, he won't complain but I usually try to leave him alone.

I think it's just his personality, but when he was a puppy/adolescent we did always insist on keeping him at arm's length because he was such a landshark.

He's not any cuddlier with guys, but I do have a guy friend who visits and Trent really, really likes him. He will always jump on the couch to sleep on top of him or scream and whine at him on the bed. I have no idea why he likes him so much.

I want a cuddly dog so badly.

 

[Red.Apricot]

Our GSDs were watchers. They didn't want to touch us, they just wanted to stare creepily from across the room for hours.

Elsie cuddles me in the morning when we first get up and that's it.

 

[amberdyan]

Hugo is pretty cuddly. Like... he insists that if you are sitting or laying down that at least half his body should be on you. He'll lay on top of my legs or splayed over my lap. If I tell him no he'll back off and just put his head on me and grumble about it for awhile. I only have one dog so there's no one else for him to snuggle. I kind of do like that he's cuddly, especially because he wasn't when we first adopted him. I like to think it means we've really bonded

 

[*blackrose]

Didn't see all of the questions. LOL

Are any of your dogs "cuddly"? If so, is that just with you, with dogs, or both?
Neither of our dogs are "cuddly" per say. But, when they do cuddle, Abrams doesn't really care who is touching him, be it human or dog. Cynder, however, typically gets disgusted if another animal tries to sleep next to her. She and Abrams *may* do it on the couch, but that's about it.

Is there anything beyond just personality that you attribute this to?
Not only personality, but also what behaviors are expected/encouraged. I don't care for cuddly dogs, and the dogs also aren't allowed up on the sofa unless invited, so the cuddling happens by invitation only - which is the way I like it.

Does gender appear to take a role in your household? (Either the dog only cuddles with a certain gender, or it's only a certain gender of dog that cuddles)
Nope. Cynder is much happier when she's curled up with Michael and Abrams really only sleeps on my lap, but I think that has more to do with his vs her dogs more than gender.

I would say that my male animals have typically been more lovey dovey and cuddly than my females, but I can think of a few outliers (Histamine, for one, and my mom's Dachshund).

 

[Maxy24]

Tucker is occasionally cuddly but I wouldn't call him a cuddly dog. He's clingy, in that he's always in the same room, sprints to make sure he gets into the bathroom with you before the door closes, throws a fit if I go outside for 5 seconds without him, and throws himself into you whenever you come home. But he isn't always in the mood to be touched and will walk away. He frequently stands on my lap but that's more of an "I want to play" thing than a cuddly thing. He does get in a cuddly mood like once or twice a day where he'll fling himself on his back on my lap and want to get loved on, but that's it. He actually HATES being in physical contact when sleeping so if he gets drowsy he leaves to go rest by himself. It's one of the things that makes me saddest. I mean my cats are a billion times more cuddly than my dog. I want a dog who spoons goddammit! But yeah, not nearly as cuddly as I want, I want a dog who doesn't believe in personal space and would never, ever pass up the chance for some lovin.

He also refuses to cuddle with the cats. My cat Neko is basically like me, he loves to cuddle with dogs and was pretty much physically attached to our last dog Max. Not sure if he'd cuddle with another dog but my guess would be no, he doesn't like the contact while sleeping.

 

[Equinox]

Our GSDs were watchers. They didn't want to touch us, they just wanted to stare creepily from across the room for hours.

Trent doesn't do the staring thing either! He'll just chill in his favorite spots, nap, move places occasionally, etc. If he hasn't seen me for a while he'll search the house for me, find me, and settle down with a big sigh (like "ugh can't believe I have to keep an eye on you, get it together human").

He definitely doesn't like prolonged contact though. 0/10 would not recommend for cuddling.