After a long and stressful day, cuddles from your lovely pet can be therapeutic. Owing to their lustrous skin coat and perfect size, Golden Retrievers are the best cuddling buddies. But do Golden Retrievers like or enjoy cuddles as much as we do?
Being a loving and caring pet, Golden Retrievers like and enjoys cuddling. Besides this, cuddle relieves stress and gives warmth to Golden Retrievers so that they feel safe and protected. And due to the family-friendly and attention-seeking attitude of these breeds, they love cuddles and hugs.
Usually, the cuddling period is your pet’s favorite time when your bond both with them strengthens. But sometimes, Golden Retrievers seems to dislike or avoid cuddles. Since this behavior indicates severe health issues, try to find and mitigate the cause of avoidance.
I will for sure discuss all these issues further in this article. However, before heading towards them, let me about the affectionate attribute of a Golden Retriever.
Are Golden Retrievers Affectionate?
Along with the friendly, kind, and loyal attributes, Golden Retrievers are affectionate dogs. Once they get familiar with the surroundings and people, they feel attached to everything around them. So, owners undoubtedly become their favorite people.
Further, the contagious smile of these breeds fills the house with positivity. And their soft and gentle temperament makes them the perfect mate for kids, elders, and babies. Besides this, these dogs are always pleasant and appealing that makes the visitors attracted towards them.
Golden Retrievers can be excellent Guide-Dogs, rescue, or research after some service training sessions. Along with this, these dogs love people and enjoy being around them.
In addition, these breeds develop a strong bond with their owners after spending some time. So, they are very affectionate and concerned towards their caregiver.
How Do Golden Retrievers Show Affections?
Unlike humans, Golden Retrievers cannot use verbal language to express their affections and love. So, they use different body language and gestures to show their emotions. And some of them are:
- Sitting on your laps
- Sleeping beside you
- Resting their body across you
- Licking
- Pawing
- Hugging
- Resting their head on your leg
- Kissing
Being a family dog, Golden Retrievers adapts most of these gestures from humans. However, few of them are inbuilt expressions that the dogs inherit from their parents (like barking during excitement, wagging their tail after seeing the owners, chewing or biting your clothes to gain your attention, etc.).
Are Male Or Female Golden Retrievers More Affectionate?
Generally, male Golden Retrievers are more likely to be needy and goofy due to their instant attachment with people. Besides this, these dogs have attention-seeking personalities. So, they always need to be around the owners.
Lack of attention and care makes the male Golden Retrievers aggressive and destructive. The males are more co-dependent on the caregiver than females. But, the root cause of these differences is anonymous. And apart from this, most characteristics of male and female Golden Retrievers are similar.
Do Golden Retrievers Like To Cuddle?
According to the study conducted in 2017, Golden Retrievers adapted social skills from humans that enable them to cooperate and communicate with the people. But since the skills incorporate contact-seeking behavior, these dogs also learned to express their emotions through cuddling, kissing, hugging, and licking.
Besides having their particular personality traits, quirks, and characteristics, Golden Retrievers enjoy and like cuddling a lot. And some of the reasons behind this are:
Relieves Stress
Like humans, cuddling increases oxytocin levels in Golden Retrievers. And due to this, the dogs feel more relaxed, confident, safe, and happy.
Apart from this, the release of the love hormone develops trust between the dogs and their owner. As a result, their bond strengthens. And thus, your Golden Retriever will feel protected, secured, and loved under your embrace,
Gives Warmth
Golden Retrievers find it a little harder to adapt to extreme climate, most commonly winter. Although these dogs have a dense skin coat, they feel cold and exposed to illness (pink nose, ear infections, skin problems, allergies, etc.) during winter.
And since cuddling keeps them warm in colder climates, Golden Retrievers likes to cuddle more in winters.
Genetics
When we look at history, the sole purpose of the origination of Golden Retrievers was hunting. But after decades of evolutions, these breeds have genetically developed a character to bond with humans. And that helps them to survive.
Further, this evolutionary change contributes to the popularity of Golden Retrievers. And it also helps to strengthen the personality traits of these dogs so that they become best for families. But most of all, Golden Retrievers learn to rejoice cuddles due to this genetic evolution.
Loving Attribute
Besides loyalty and intelligence, love, affection, and kindness are the inbuilt attributes of Golden Retrievers. Along with this, these breeds are always eager to please others. And cuddling gives them a chance to please their owners and express their love.
Therefore, Golden Retrievers like to cuddle with their owners.
Breeding Environment
The environment influences a lot in the attitude of Golden Retrievers. Usually, the dogs from a good breeding environment are calmer and polite.
Besides this, breeders in such an environment are conscious of the temperaments and attributes of breeding animals. So, they always breed affectionate Golden Retrievers to produce offspring that likes to cuddle.
However, sometimes your pet feels uncomfortable and aggressive when you approach to cuddle with them. Do you know the reason behind the sudden change of attitude?
Why Don’t Golden Retrievers Like To Cuddle?
Although cuddling excites most Golden Retrievers, some of them find this loving gesture threatening and uncomfortable. Furthermore, ignorance of this simple attitude makes your pet destructive and aggressive. So, you need to manage this problem.
And for that, you find first find the reasons why Golden Retrievers do not like to cuddle. However, some of the prominent reasons for this are:
Fear
After exposure to a new environment, your pal needs some time to adapt to the change. But if the new surrounding is noisy, your pet feels nervous and uncomfortable.
And instead of trusting people, they start suspecting everything around them. As a result, they avoid physical gestures and cuddles by hiding, biting, or barking.
Injury Or Illness
Owing to the body structure, Golden Retrievers are susceptible to various health issues like cancer, diabetes, thyroid disorders, joint problems, heart diseases, constipation, etc. Thus, they may experience immense pain in such several health conditions.
So, the dogs are vulnerable in diseases state. And despite providing comfort, physical contact or cuddle threatens and scares them. Hence, Golden Retrievers dislike and avoids cuddles when they are ill.
History Of Attacks Or Accident
Golden Retrievers that survived through accidents or attacks in the past are emotionally unstable. And since they lost their trusting ability, every approaching object seems like a threat to them.
Instead of finding comfort in cuddles, Golden Retrievers suspects the physical contact. Thus, they avoid cuddling, hugging, kissing, or even playing.
Depression
Although you may find it hard to believe, your energetic and happy pet also suffers from depression. And the effects of depression are the same in these dogs as in humans.
When Golden Retrievers suffer from depression, they look sad and lose interest in everything. Further, they start suspecting the objects around them and feel threaten or anxious. So, these dogs choose to hide inside the closet or in darker rooms instead of cuddling.
Usually, mistreat or abuse, poor breeding environment, and loss of their loved ones cause the dogs to suffer from depression. And the prominent signs of depression in Golden Retrievers are:
- Appetite loss or excessive hunger
- Whipping
- Lethargy and fatigue
- Grunting
- Excessive pawing
- Chewing or biting everything around them
- Sudden and excessive barking
- Loss of interest in playing
- Avoids physical contact
You should immediately consult with the animal behaviorist if you notice these signs in your pet. Like humans, depression can be fatal in dogs. And it may degrade the lifespan of Golden Retrievers by destroying their happiness.
But do you know how to get your Golden Retriever to cuddle with you?
What Can You Do To Get Your Golden Retriever To Cuddle?
Like Golden Retrievers, cuddling is the best way to relax and relieves the tensions in humans. So, owners prefer cuddling with their pets after a hectic workday.
Hence, some of the ideas to induce cuddling habit of your Golden Retriever are:
- Maintain a proper schedule of your pet’s daily activities. And engage them in different fun activities.
- Ensure a balanced diet for your pet with all essential nutrients and food supplements.
- Teach your Golden Retrievers different commands like sit, stand, go, fetch, stop, etc.
- Reward your pal with healthy natural snacks to encourage them after training.
- Avoid negative reinforcement or punishments while training your pet.
- Always ignore the mistakes of your pal. Instead of beating, use a soothing low voice to teach your pet.
- Give adequate love, attention, and care to your Golden Retriever.
Furthermore, you can also give behavioral training to your pet to manage their aggressive attribute. And some of the behavioral training sessions are:
- Training to calm a Golden Retriever
- Bite inhibition training
- Barking control training
- Potty training
I hope all these ideas will be helpful for your pet.
How Can You Increase Cuddle Time With Your Golden Retriever?
Since Golden Retrievers are friendly, increasing the cuddle time is easy. But you should be aware that these dogs can become too needy if you excessively increase the cuddle time.
However, some of the ways to increase the cuddle time with your pal are:
- Spend more time with your pal. You can go on adventures like hiking, trekking, fetching, retrieving, or camping with your pal.
- Teach your pal to socialize with people. For this, take them to social gatherings, meetings, or long walks.
- Quick hugs, patting, kissing, or praising your Golden Retriever strengthens your bond with them.
- Always ensure that your pal is comfortable while cuddling.
All these tricks help to increase the cuddle time with your pet.
Do you want to add some additional tips to increase the cuddle time? If yes, please share your ideas.
When Are Golden Retrievers Most Likely To Cuddle?
Golden Retrievers are family-oriented dogs. So, they love spending time with people. Besides this, they are intelligent and can read the body language of the owners. So, these dog breeds are more likely to cuddle in the following scenarios:
- When they see their owners sad and depressed.
- During winter for warmth.
- In unfamiliar surroundings for protection and security.
- During bedtime.
- After you return home from work.
- When the dogs get a new toy, they cuddle with it.
Do you have a specific time for cuddling with your pet?
When do you cuddle with your pet?
What If Your Golden Retriever Wants To Cuddle House Guests And Other People?
Sometimes your visitors might not be familiar with the affectionate and cuddling behavior of your Golden Retriever. Thus, the cuddling habit might scare your guests. So, ask your visitors whether they are okay with the snuggling and affection or no.
Usually, due to the irresistible charisma of Golden Retrievers, most people find it hard to avoid the love and affection of these dogs. But if the visitors aren’t open to your pal’s love for some reason, keep the pet away from them.
And if you don’t want your Golden Retriever to feel ignored, look for a family member who could cuddle and love them while you welcome your guest. However, it may take some time for your pal to adapt to the personality. But due to your dog’s easy-going and gentle nature, they can make smooth interactions with the visitors without cuddling.
What Should You Consider While Cuddling With Your Golden Retriever?
Although cuddle with your pet seems easy, you need to consider some things when you cuddle with them so that they feel comfortable with you. In addition, forcing your pet to cuddle can be harmful to both you and your pal.
So, some things to consider while you cuddle with your Golden Retriever are:
Does Your Golden Retriever Always Avoid To Cuddle?
As we know, there may be several reasons why Golden Retrievers don’t prefer to cuddle. So, despite forcing your pet, look for the root cause. And consult with the professionals to it.
If your pal suddenly started avoiding cuddles or physical contact, it might be due to illness, threat, fear, or mistreatment. Hence, gain the trust of your pet before cuddling with them.
However, being very smart Golden Retrievers feels love and affection. Therefore, you can build a strong bond with your pet when you love and care for them. And eventually, your pal will start to cuddle with you.
What should you do when your Golden Retriever doesn’t cuddle?
If you want to induce the cuddling habit of your pet, you must give them enough time. Further, give your pal time to get familiar with you and your environment. Besides this, maintain a healthy lifestyle for your pal.
Moreover, ill and attacked Golden Retrievers are vulnerable and susceptive. So, you should earn their trust before cuddling. For this, give adequate love, care, and affection to them.
In addition, to understand the personality of your pal, consult with the animal behaviorist. It will help you to make your pal comfortable while cuddling.
Your Golden Retriever doesn’t cuddle. Does this mean it doesn’t like you?
As mentioned above, there may be many reasons why Golden Retrievers don’t like to cuddle. But if you are assuming that your pal doesn’t cuddle because they don’t love you, then you are wrong.
Owners provide food, plays, exercise, and grooms their pets. And as these breeds are loyal, they always respect and love their caregiver. Unless you mistreat, threaten, scold or beat your pet, the pet will never hate you.
But if you want to know whether your pal loves or not, read the article- 16 Ways To Know Your Golden Retriever Loves You.
Moreover, being needy dog breeds, too much cuddling can be troublesome. Your pet invades your privacy due to excessive cuddling. So, you should schedule the cuddle time.
Besides this, you need to make lots of conscious decisions while parenting a pet. A slight ignorance can lead to a fatal consequence. Therefore, I suggest seeking advice from professionals before deciding anything for your pet.
Furthermore, no one is born perfect. So, you may make mistakes while parenting. Instead of panicking, try to learn from your mistakes so that you can make lots and lots of memories with your pal.
I hope you felt closure to your pet after reading this article.
Do you love cuddling with your pet? How do you increase cuddling time?
Please write down your queries and suggestions in the comment section.
