Are you hesitant to adopt a Greyhound, wondering if they’ll be affectionate or if you can make your calm Greyhound cuddly? Here’s the perfect answer on whether Greyhounds like to cuddle.
Do Greyhounds like to cuddle?
Greyhounds are typically affectionate creatures who enjoy cuddling. However, their cuddly and affectionate nature mainly depends on the individual dog. They may show their affection by nuzzling, back rubs, gentle grasping, licking hands, nudging, leaning, making eye contact, and sleeping with their owner in bed.
Although Greyhounds are an affectionate breed, there may be some exceptions. In those cases, positive reinforcement, perseverance, patience, and other proven tactics may help increase their cuddliness.
Do greyhounds like to cuddle, and how they show that?
If you ask me the question, do greyhounds like to cuddle? My honest opinion is Yes, they love to cuddle. Most of the greyhounds I have seen are like to cuddle with their owner and other family members.
But most importantly, the cuddle or snuggle behavior of a dog depends on the individual. Greyhounds show their affection by,
- Licking your hands.
- Rub the whole body like cats do.
- Lean the body weight against the owner.
- Curling up against you.
- Gently grasping your clothes and hand.
- Sleeping with you in your bed.
- There are some reasons why greyhounds like to cuddle.
- Warmth.
Have you seen puppies snuggling with each other? The reason is the warmth. The same goes here.
To show affection: It’s their way of showing love, affection, and care towards their owner.
The expectation of a parent: Certain studies revealed that the bond between a dog and the owner is closer to a bond between a mother and a child.
Their love of bondage: Here I wanna mention that the relationship between humans and dogs is very elderly. They love to bond with humans.
What are some ways to promote or increase cuddle time with your greyhound?
Now let’s dive in to find ways to promote or increase cuddle time with your greyhound. Try these things.
- First of all, observe his body language.
- Find out whether he is a natural snuggler.
- Consistency in training.
- Gradual success.
- Give him full attention.
- Follow his signals.
1. First of all, observe his body language.
Happy dog – A happy dog is always relaxed. Also, a wagging tail can be observed. These dogs are showing that they are ready to cuddle with you.
Worried dog – Ears are back. The dog is yawning. The tail is tucked under. These dogs are trying to tell you that they are uncomfortable with your touch at the moment.
A dog’s body language tells you many things. Understanding these will help to get along with the relationship with him or her.
2. Find out whether he is a natural snuggler.
As the next step, you must find about his/her likes and dislikes. Mostly he likes cuddling or keeping the distance. The best way to connect with your canine friend is to approach him via his likings.
3. Consistency in training.
A pup or a dog’s training starts from the very first day of their adoption. Proper training is a crucial point in creating a lovable, affectionate companion. The major point you should focus on in this training is its consistency.
If you train him once a week or once a month, it’s only a waste of time and energy for both of you. Training every day will help strengthen your buddy bond as you spend some quality time daily with him.
4. Gradual success.
Nowadays, most puppy parents tend to use rewards to train their dogs to engage in a task. Actually, I am not saying that it is worse.
But if you can take him to the task gradually by not giving rewards instantly, he will get a proper understanding of the particular task.
I am emphasizing this fact as it will increase his self-confidence and tend to have more trustworthiness towards you.
5. Give him full attention.
During training and playtime, you must try to give your full attention to him. It will help to build a mutual bond between the two.
6. Follow his signals.
This is a thing you should achieve by monitoring his body language. You can observe him and follow his signals for physical contact.
Now, it’s the perfect time to look at some simple steps you can follow to make him snuggle.
#1 – Keep him on your lap: Try this every day at the same time. Choose a time your dog is calmer. If he seems content with it, rub his head and neck while using a soothing voice.
#2 – Hug your pup or dog: If he is responding to the above step, hug him while cuddling. Especially never hug him unnoticed or from behind. If he is responding positively, encourage him verbally and physically. Never punish him if he responds negatively.
#3 – Repetition and consistency: Repeat the hugging of your dog several times a day. Cuddle him while you are hugging. Follow this consistently. Gradually increase the rubbing to legs and back. Increase the time you spend with him.
Recommended reading: Can Greyhounds swim? (The comprehensive guide for owners!)
What can make greyhounds refuse to cuddle?
There might have several reasons cause this problem.
- Still in the adjustment period.
- Past experience.
- Season of the year.
- A wrong technique in petting, cuddling.
- Lack of physical and mental exercise.
- Nature of the individual.
- Internal injury.
1. Still in the adjustment period.
Each individual dog is different in their personalities and past experiences. Your newly adopted pup or dog might take a few hours, weeks, or even months to adjust to the home surrounding.
2. Past experience.
Especially if your greyhound is a retired racer, you should be more careful with the situation. Greyhounds trained for racing spend most of their life in the crates and tracts without the love and affection from anyone. They have no opportunity to play or walk other than racing.
3. Season of the year.
As I mentioned above, dogs tend to cuddle with their owner in search of warmth. If so, it is less likely for them to cuddle with you in the hot summer. So, you wanna be aware of the fact that their body temperature is higher than that of a human.
4. A wrong technique in petting, cuddling.
This is a unique feature of dogs, including the greyhounds. Different individuals like to be petted in different locations of their bodies! To find out his cuddling spots start petting him gradually while observing his reactions carefully.
5. Lack of physical and mental exercise.
Lack of physical and mental exercise makes him anxious, which results in the decline of cuddly behavior.
6. Nature of the individual.
Greyhounds are naturally calm, docile creatures. But in overall, they love to cuddle or fondle. As mentioned above, snuggle behavior depends on the individual as everyone it’s own experiences and personalities.
7. Internal injury.
There can be internal injuries that cause pain when you try to touch that particular area.
What can you do if your greyhound refuses to cuddle?
There are some proven tactics you can adopt to reverse your greyhound’s refusal to cuddle or snuggle. Try this list and give it a shot!
- Help him to adjust.
- Snuggle him in his way.
- Be calm with him.
- Gradual petting, cuddling.
- Take him a walk.
- Adequate exercise. (both physical and mental)
- Consult a veterinarian.
1. Help him to adjust.
Try to stick him to a daily routine. Give him love and affection and treat him like family. Give him proper, consistent training as soon as possible from the day of adoption. Be patient with his behavior during the adjustment period.
2. Snuggle him in his way.
This depends on the individual dog. First, you should find his likes and dislikes regarding cuddling. You can easily do it by monitoring his body language. Then cuddle him in the way he likes.
3. Be calm with him.
May be your acting too harsh for him. If you really don’t know about his past experiences, you must be calm with him. Even avoid harsh tones and talk to him in a soothing tone.
4. Gradual petting, cuddling.
Refusal to cuddling can be reversed b gradually. First, pet him gradually while observing his reactions closely and carefully. If he is not showing any negative response, you can go to the next step.
5. Take him a walk.
Taking a walk together will definitely help to build a trustworthy and mutual relationship between the two. During the walk, let him sniff the surroundings and when he behaves well, encourage him by patting and saying ‘Good boy!’
6. Adequate exercise. (both physical and mental)
Lack of physical and mental exercise makes him anxious, which results in the decline of cuddly behavior. So, make sure he gets adequate physical exercise and mental stimulation.
7. Consult a veterinarian.
If you suspect that refusal to cuddle is due to some injury, you must immediately consult a veterinarian.
Do all greyhounds like to cuddle or snuggle?
Greyhounds are a breed that naturally likes to cuddle or snuggle. They will cuddle and lick your face when sitting with you on the couch. They show their cuddly behavior by gently grasping.
They also like the back rubs and nuzzling. Some greyhounds show their affectionate nature towards the owner by sleeping in the bed.
But the cuddle or snuggle of a dog mainly depends on the individual.
Recommended reading: Here is whether can Greyhounds swim.
Things to be aware.
There are some points you must consider seriously when considering greyhounds and cuddling.
Bitter experiences.
If you adopted a retired greyhound racer, he must be having bitter experiences in his past. Also, you may never know of his past. So, a dog needs some time to adjust to the new home and people.
Some dogs are scared to interact with people due to those experiences. But these situations can be reversed by proper training and giving the love and affection they crave for.
Patience.
Something that must be possessed by a new puppy parent should be patience. Also, in the process of training your greyhound to a cuddly, affectionate one, patience plays a significant role.
Be careful if you let him sleep in your bed.
Once you let him sleep in your bed, it will be difficult to train him to sleep in another place. There can be some occasions your dog will tend to consider your bedroom as one of his territories.
The consequences of this situation can be your greyhound’s aggressiveness towards your wife or husband! As he will consider your spouse as an invader to his/her territory.
Do not approach from behind.
Never try to hug him from behind. It will startle him, and he will interpret it as a threat and will respond negatively.
Never try to cuddle him when he is sleeping.
Greyhounds are one of the breeds that prefer sleeping very much. It’s mainly due to having fewer fat deposits in the body. So, they can not afford energy wastage.
Greyhounds sleep to save energy for later usage. Therefore it’s normal to have sleep 18-20 hours a day. This sleep is necessary to maintain their health.
Be concern if he is old.
Old greyhounds are lazier than the younger ones. It can be due to the disease conditions that arise with age as arthritis. So older dogs naturally tend to keep their distance from people.
Complications in visiting the vet.
I have experiences with dogs who respond negatively to touching and who like touching. The latter is difficult to treat. So it is better if you can make your dog a more socialized one by training him to be petted or cuddled. It will make your trips to the vet a more tolerable one for both you and the vet.
Constant unresponsiveness.
If he is continuously not responding to your training and acts the same way you brought him, there must be something wrong. It may be your training or maybe another reason.
You can try by hiring a professional trainer or basic obedience classes.
Never use punishments.
If you threaten, spank or give any other punishments when your greyhound is not responding to your cuddles, the problem will be more complicated.
It will disrupt the relationship between you and him/her. So, then how can you expect him to snuggle you?
If cuddling stopped suddenly.
If cuddling stopped suddenly, it could be due to an injury or an illness. Observe his body language to see whether he is in some pain. Do not hesitate to consult a veterinarian in these types of situations.
Recommended reading: Are greyhounds protective? (Are they good guard dogs?)
Conclusion
In my opinion, the affectionate nature of a dog towards the family is a response to the way that the family treats him. So if you provide the necessary love, affection, and care towards your greyhound girl or boy, he will naturally be a cuddle, affectionate, and a lovable companion.
