Golden Retrievers are a popular breed among families for many reasons, but are goldens a good cuddle partner? They have a reputation for being amazingly friendly dogs. Golden Retrievers are known for their trainable and eagerness to please, but do they like to cuddle?
Golden Retrievers do like to cuddle. Their unbelievably friendly nature comes along with being very affectionate towards their family. Most goldens will naturally cuddle and snuggle, but others will not seek cuddling from the family. However, they will still enjoy the cuddle time and affection from you and likely become the best cuddle partner.
There are many different ways your Golden Retriever will show you affection.
As a golden retriever owner, I can tell you they are amazingly fun, friendly dogs to add to the family. They love to cuddle and have a great temperament and enjoy spending time with the whole family. A golden retriever will make a great companion for you and your kids.
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In what ways do Golden Retriever show affection and cuddle?
- Kisses
- Rest head on leg
- Hugs
- Licks
- Sitting or Laying on Laps
- Resting body across humans
- Sleeping In Bed
There are just to name a few ways a Golden will cuddle, each one will have a unique way of expressing love for each family member.
My golden knows what kind of interaction he receives from each of us, so that is how he responds to us. He comes to me for food and hugs. He knows my husband is his playmate, and he can get a good snuggle and give kisses to my daughter.
Why does my Golden Retriever not like cuddling?
If you are a little bummed about your golden retriever not like to cuddle, consider their age.
If you are in the puppy stage, your golden maybe a little too busy to cuddle with you.
Initially, our golden puppy (eight weeks) loved to cuddle and sleep, but as he got more mobile and slept less, he was on the move, kind of like a toddler that doesn’t want to be held.
He went through this non-cuddling stage for about 6 – 8 months.
We would still hug him and pick him up on our lap and play that he enjoyed once he was there. He didn’t choose to climb up or stay for long; he was always onto the next thing.
We just continued to show him love and cuddles.
He didn’t even want to sleep in the bed. We account for this to him being hot at night. He would start in the bed and end up on the tile floor in the bathroom.
Our golden just made a year, and he is absolutely the best cuddler. He climbs right up in our lap like a lap dog, and if we are busy, he will go find his sister a curl up next to her and give sweet kisses.
So keep snuggling them, and when they learn to cuddle when they get out of their toddler stage.
Are Golden Retrievers Affectionate?
The word affectionate means readily feeling or showing fondness or tenderness, also known as being loving. Golden Retrievers are very affectionate.
They show it any many different ways. Your golden will show affection by climbing in your lap, giving hugs and kisses. They often like to lay on you and snuggle before bedtime.
This will sum up how affectionate and loving a golden retriever is.
My golden often goes to check, give kisses and snuggles with my special needs daughter.
She is handicap and has never really played or giving him a huge amount of attention besides smiling at him.
Yet, he still makes sure to give her kisses every morning, and I can often find him snuggling up next to her at nap time.
This is why goldens make excellent dogs; he gets that she is part of his pack.
Are male or female golden retrievers more affectionate?
Yes, it is true male golden retrievers tend to be more affectionate and attached to their family. Females are also affectionate, but more on their own terms.
My male golden retriever is very affectionate, goofy, and needy it a good way. He if very co-dependent and needs to be right next to one of us all the time.
I fostered a 2-year-old female golden retriever that was affectionate, but she would also go lay down on her own and did not need to be with us all the time.
Of course, she was a bit older than my guy and had come from a home where she didn’t get much attention.
There was a difference in their personalities, but they had also been in very different environments.
There was a clear difference in their behavior but both love to play and run in the yard.
They both had the same temperament the female was not as clingy as my male golden retriever even after spending quite a bit of time in our home.
She was okay with doing her own thing.
How do golden retrievers show love?
You will know your golden loves you when you have a 70-pound pup running at you at the door.
Goldens get so excited when you come home; even if you haven’t been gone that long, it has been a lifetime for them.
They really show their love in so many ways.
We often refer to our golden a “velcro” he has to be right next to one of us just about at all times. And don’t you dare go outside without him!
He often shows love in kisses and hugs, and by hugs, I mean, he sits in front of me and moans using his body language until I kneel down and hug him.
We started doing this when he was a puppy, and he has grown to love it and now excepts it.
At bedtime, he often jumps in the bed and will lay on each of us and rest his head down as to tell us good night. Then he usually gets comfortable in his spot at the foot of the bed.
Golden Retrievers Personality
Golden Retrievers have very animated personalities.
When talking to your golden, you will often see their eyebrows going up and down.
They often moan, cry to communicate what they want, and we’ve all heard of golden retrievers smiling, yes, it’s true!
Golden retrievers do smile; they are very happy go lucky dogs.
I can say I’ve never experienced a dog with a personality quite like a golden retriever. They are great at communicating and being animated to get their point across.
Why Do Golden Retrievers Put Their Paw On You?
This is another trait of their fantastic personality.
Golden retrievers put their paw and will give you classic puppy dog eyes to eventually win you over from whatever you are doing.
They do this when they want attention.
They are saying, “Hey! Look at me,” I want some attention, or if you golden has done something and you reprimanded him, they will also do this to get attention and ask for forgiveness.
They are very intelligent dogs and pick up on our emotions.
Recommend Read: How Smart Are Goldens
It is an excellent way for them to show affection while getting attention.
Goldens will just put their paw on you and give puppy dog eyes while other breeds with jump and bark for attention.
This is one of the many reasons goldens are known for being awesome family dogs.
I experience this often from my pup during the day when it has been a minute since he has some interaction or at night when he is ready for his night time play session.
He usually will let us know by climbing up with a toy in her mouth.
So Do Golden’s Like To Cuddle?
Golden Retrievers are intelligent, gentle giants that like to cuddle like a small lap dog.
It’s important to remember that each dog will have their own personality. While cuddling is a trait of the golden retriever breed, not all dogs will be into as much as some.
If you find your dog does not want to cuddle as much as you would like them to continue to cuddle them.
Give them their favorite belly scratches or bring a toy up and pay while they are in your lap.
Make it fun for them.
It’s likey the will fall in slumber and completely start to enjoy cuddle time.
If you are researching the breed because you are looking to add a golden retriever to your family this pup will not disappoint.