After a hard day, snuggling on the couch with your dog is the ideal way to bond and relax.
However, not all dogs are cuddly straight away, and some dogs may not appreciate cuddling at all, much to their owner’s dismay.
Fortunately, most dogs only require a little guidance to understand that cuddling time is a good thing.
So, how can you entice your dog to cuddle with you?
To convince a dog to cuddle with you, you must first establish a trustworthy and physical bond with them. It may take time and care to earn their trust and prove that they love physical contact. Cuddling, especially with dogs, is personal, therefore both of you must communicate and connect.
Consider hugging or embracing your pets in the same way you would a loved one, family member, or close friend.
After all, isn’t your dog a combination of all of those things?
Cuddling with your dog is a highly personal experience for both of you. For the relationship to be beneficial to everyone, it must be just perfect, and both of you must be in the mood for cuddling.
Cuddling, like people, requires a strong bond. However, almost everyone enjoys cuddling at times, given the right person, circumstances, and mood.
Even if your dog doesn’t take to cuddling with you right away, there are many things you can do to strengthen your bond and have your dog cuddled up on your lap in no time. I mean common who wouldn’t want to cuddle their pet?
So now let’s get straight to the question.
Why doesn’t my dog want to cuddle with me at night?
Before I start spilling off-key actions for you to take to get your dog cuddling with you, it’s important to note that we aren’t striving to teach your dog a new trick or stop unwanted behavior like barking or fouling.
Cuddling is a behavior that your dog must choose to do. Sure, you can drag your dog up to you and put him on your lap, but it’s not truly “cuddling” and it’s not beneficial for your connection unless he’s into it.
You wouldn’t force your dog to cuddle in the same way you wouldn’t force them to make meaningful eye contact. That means, even if it’s what you want, the goal here can’t merely be to get your dog to cuddle with me
Rather, the goal should be to make your dog want to cuddle with you.
Perhaps they don’t want to be controlled, or perhaps they don’t trust or like you as much as you believe or perhaps they’re simply too hot and wish to relax in a cooler area of the house!
There are plenty of reasons why your dog isn’t cuddling with you right now. From my side, there are too many possibilities for me to analyze and pinpoint. But, in the end, as long as you’re creating a relationship with your dog calmly, thoughtfully, and with an open mind, the techniques below will almost likely help in any situation.
How to get your dog to cuddle at night?
Let’s look at some of the things you can do to make cuddling more interesting to your dog.
Choose Your Moment
When you’re attempting to influence your dog to snuggle with you, pick a time that is suitable for cuddling. This is especially vital when educating your dog that cuddling is something to look forward to and seek out in the beginning.
Forcing your dog to cuddle when they aren’t in the mood can easily turn them off to cuddling altogether. If they repeatedly refuse to cuddle as you try to convince them, they may be just not in the mood, and you should try again at a later time.
What you’re searching for is a balance of their need for physical touch with you and their low energy level. The best time varies greatly depending on your dog. It may be a wonderful moment late at night when your dog is asleep, but many dogs do not want to cuddle while sleeping, and some do not want to sleep in the same bed as their people at all.
Simply pay attention to both their desire to be touched and their energy levels to discover the sweet spot for cuddle time. You should also examine the environment and avoid any scents that your dog could dislike. Artificial scents, incense, and other odors fall into this category.
Activate Calming Energy
This may sound normal, but I’ve seen a lot of people lose control of their dogs simply because they didn’t bring the correct energy to the situation.
Dogs are incredibly sensitive to our emotions, detecting them even when we aren’t purposefully expressing them.
This implies that you will be unable to conceal your emotions from them. They’ll be able to tell if you’re furious, energetic, or agitated, and they may decide “no, this isn’t the time to fall asleep in her lap.”
Be joyful while remaining calm and alert. When speaking, use a low, slow tone and your dog will most likely like you.
Communication has to be two-way
Remember that your objective should be “how can I get my dog to want to cuddle with me,” not “how can I get my dog to do something they don’t want to do.”
Because you can’t force intimacy, you must cultivate it by interacting with your dog regularly. That involves paying attention to their signals even more than you want them to pay attention to yours.
Don’t force your dog to cuddle if he doesn’t want to! Allow them to play if they choose to desire. It’s up to you whether or not you want to engage with them if they want to play with you.
Recognize that your dog is continuously sending you signs that will help you better understand their emotions, desires, and their dislikes.
Working toward a common goal becomes a lot easier once those lines of communication are opened.
Keep an eye out for both good and bad spots
Cuddle time should be enjoyable for everyone, so keep an eye out for your dog’s favorite spots and make sure you’re paying attention to them.
But, more significantly, avoid touching them in areas where they feel vulnerable or uncomfortable.
Most dogs have this around their paws, buttocks, and crotches, but each dog is different. These places should be easy to notice if you’re paying attention.
Restrain gently but never force them
You must proceed with caution, so pay attention!
Your dog may never come around to cuddle with you if left to their own devices. Instead, they’ll spend their time sniffing the bed or exploring the floor for anything left behind.
However, by luring them with positive reinforcement and going slowly, you’ll be able to persuade them to come over to you, making whatever else they were doing less attractive.
However, you may discover that you need to physically pull your dog closer to you to break the barrier. You may encounter some resistance when you do this, which is fine.
You may need to get them cuddling with you the first couple of times to get them to learn that cuddling is wonderful, good, and something worth seeking out, which may require lifting them, plopping them on your lap, and holding them there until they calm down.
Do not put pressure on your dog! While they are resisting, softly keep them close to you and try to persuade them that the contact is beneficial.
It may give them some discomfort or disorientation for a few seconds. You should be able to swiftly dissipate the negative. If that isn’t the case, let them go and try again later.
However, you may need to push their boundaries a little for them to have their first few cuddling encounters. It shouldn’t be any different than any other developing pain if you’re careful.
Repetition is essential
How often you cuddle with your dog will be a major success element here.
Let’s pretend you try one day. You’re upbeat and optimistic, and you keep your puppy close to you. He freaks out for a second, then relaxes, removes the scratches, and walks away.
Repeat the process! If you can, do it later that day, but at the very least do it tomorrow. These brief training sessions with your dog should become his new normal, rather than a series of unusual encounters.
You don’t want to overwork or overstress your dog, but you do need to continuously re-engage them in cuddle time, always pushing them a little further, so that they get used to it and see how it fits into their lives.
If you only attempt once a week, your dog will most likely come to despise these training sessions.
Move Slowly Towards More
you’ll need to gradually grow those so-called “proximity pets” into full-fledged “cuddles.”
When teaching your dog to cuddle, is perhaps the most difficult and crucial stage.
It’s one thing for your dog to sit at your feet all night and get his head scratched, but taking the next step at the correct moment is critical to getting you where you want to go.
It’s time to switch things around after your dog is familiar with the scenario. If they prefer to relax on the floor on their dog bed but not on the couch, move their dog bed onto the couch.
They are unlikely to like it at first, but within a week or two, they are unlikely to object. That indicates it’s time to push them once more!
Then, either transfer their dog bed to you or remove it totally and persuade them to sleep in the same location on the couch.
Move them or yourself closer once they’ve gotten used to it. You’ll be all over each other before you realize it. Simply be patient and continue to inch closer and closer to your goal.
Energetic Activities Can Help
There’s a reason your dog has four swift legs! Most dogs are quite active and would like to spend the day running, jumping, and swimming with you rather than cuddling up with you and binge-watching Netflix.
Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercises and that you’re actively engaging with them in between cuddle sessions.
Getting your dog enough exercise means that they are fatigued and have worked off all of their nervousness at the end of the day. This makes cuddling a lot more appealing.
You’re connecting with your dog in a fun, multidimensional ways, not just tiring them out. This deepens and increases trust in your relationship, which are essential factors in a successful person/dog relationship.
Consider trying a new activity with them during the day, like agility or dock diving. While it may seem illogical, such activities will help you and your dog become closer.
Respect each other!
It irritates me greatly when I see people treating their dogs just like some random things in their lives.
Your dog is a full-grown animal, not a toy. They have free will and a strong sense of self that should be respected. Respect is reciprocated, and your dog should be handled with dignity.
Don’t force them to do anything they don’t want to do. Don’t take away their dignity or make them feel like they’re only there to make you feel good when you’re in the mood.
If your dog refuses to cuddle, work on it with them, but don’t assume you have the right to their bodies simply because of their appearance.
Don’t Wait Too Long
You don’t want to come on too strong, as mentioned previously. Consider your dog in the same way you would any other human.
Even a well-intentioned friend or family member might irritate you if they were constantly trying to get you to cuddle.
Allow them some time and space. New shows of love and affection take time to settle into a relationship, and you and your dog have plenty of time together to work on it.
Just don’t be a jerk and push it too much
Leave Them Curious More wise words from some of the greatest showmen of all time!
Remember, we want your dog to want to cuddle with you, not merely accept your clinginess.
So, before people grow bored of you, cease. Better better, don’t scratch or cuddle with them until they’re completely satisfied.
You’ll encourage your dog to return and ask for more food by doing so. This allows you to change things around a little.
If you keep giving them the rewards they want, a dog comes back to you searching for more.
Conclusion
So basically every dog and every breed reacts differently at different times to different people. Make sure you give them some time and let them adjust to things and then things would get better gradually as time ticks on!!