If your husky doesn’t like to cuddle, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it.
This post will show you a number of possible reasons why it might not like cuddling and what you can do about it.
So, why does my husky not like to cuddle? Possible reasons are that it’s frightened of something, it wants exercise, it’s ill or injured or that it naturally does not like cuddling.
There are actually many possible reasons that it might not like doing it but there are a number of things that you can consider in order to help figure out why. However, it is important to be aware that not wanting to cuddle does not mean that it does not like you, there are many different ways that dogs will show affection.
Why your husky doesn’t like to cuddle
Each of the different reasons that your husky does not like to cuddle will likely come with some clues.
Below, I will show you a number of reasons why it might not like doing it and what would make them more likely.
Previous owners
The reason that it doesn’t like to cuddle might be that it was mistreated by previous owners and it now does not like showing affection towards people.
This would be a lot more likely if you adopted your husky from a shelter. However, it could also be the case that the breeder you bought it from did not give it much attention as a puppy.
This would also be a lot more likely if your husky has always not wanted to cuddle. If it stopped letting you cuddle it suddenly then it could be the case that someone it lives with currently has been mistreating it.
However, there are some other possible causes of a sudden lack of wanting to cuddle that will be mentioned below.
Illness or injury
The reason that it doesn’t like cuddling might be that it is ill or injured. This would be more likely if it stopped cuddling suddenly and if it has been showing signs of illness or injury such as fatigue, limping or vomiting. If it seems like illness or injury could be the cause, the best option would be to take it to a vet.
Fear
It might be the case that it does not like cuddling because something is causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it does cuddle sometimes but not always.
If it does seem to behave differently at certain times, it would help to consider what is different when it does behave differently. Things that might be different could include:
- A certain person, that it does not like, being around
- Another dog, that it does not like, being around
- Fireworks, sirens or thunderstorms
- Being in a new location
- Having been mistreated by someone or something recently
Nature
It might be the case that it naturally does not like cuddling. This would be more likely if it has always avoided being cuddled. If it does seem to not like doing it naturally, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it does not like you. There are many ways that dogs will show their affection other than cuddling. Ways that it might show its love could include getting excited when you come home, listening to your commands or following you around the home.
Age
If your husky is a puppy, it will have a lot more energy and it will be more restless. This means that it will be much less likely to let you hug it for long and it is unlikely to stick around for extended periods. In this case, it would help to give as much exercise as it can get for its age.
It wants exercise
Huskies are a breed that is meant to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis. When they do not get a lot of exercise it can cause them to behave abnormally and it could be causing your husky not to want to stay still cuddling.
Generally, it is recommended for huskies to get at least an hour of exercise per day. If your husky is not getting that much, it would help to make sure that it does.
Depression
Dogs can get depression, like humans do, and it could be the reason that your husky has not been letting you cuddle it.
This would be more likely if it used to let you cuddle it more. It would also be more likely if it suddenly stopped cuddling after something happened such as if it lost a friend, you moved home or a family member moved away.
Things to consider
If it always avoided cuddling
If your husky did cuddle in the past, it would help to consider what changed when it stopped wanting to do it.
Things that might have happened could include:
- Being mistreated by someone
- Being mistreated by another dog
- Being ill or injured
- Being depressed perhaps due to another dog or family member not being around anymore
- Being in a new location
When it doesn’t cuddle
It would also help to consider if it tends to avoid cuddling more at certain times.
If it does cuddle sometimes but it does not at certain times, it would make it more likely to be due to things such as fear or wanting exercise. It would help to consider what is different at the times that it does not like cuddling.
Not liking cuddling doesn’t mean that it doesn’t like you
It is also important to consider that even if your husky does not want to cuddle, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it does not like you. There are many ways that your husky might show affection in place of cuddling.
Examples of ways that your husky might be showing you affection would be if:
- It keeps the pace with you when out on a walk
- Comes to you when you call it
- It follows you around
- It noses you which is where it sniffs you with its nose a lot
- It doesn’t like it when you leave
- It licks you
- It jumps up at you
- It leans on you
How to get your husky to like cuddling more
Below are some things that you can do about your husky not liking cuddling.
Positive reinforcement training
Positive reinforcement training is where you get your husky to behave in a certain way by rewarding it when it behaves that way and not rewarding it when it does not.
To use positive reinforcement training to get your husky to like cuddling more, you could do as follows:
- Tell your husky to come where you are sat. If you have not trained your husky to come on command then I have written about how you can do it here.
- Reward it for coming to you
- Then reward it just before you think that it will leave
- Repeat the above. Each time you do it wait a little longer before you reward it for staying with you until you can get it to stay with you without leaving.
Avoid negative reinforcement training
Negative reinforcement training is where you inadvertently reinforce behaviors that you don’t want by rewarding them. It might be the case that you have inadvertently trained your husky not to cuddle you by rewarding it when it does not.
Instead of giving it things that it wants when it doesn’t cuddle, try using positive reinforcement training to get the behaviors that you want.
Don’t punish it or get emotional around it
It might be tempting to punish your husky for not behaving the way that you want it to but you should avoid doing so. By punishing it you will likely cause it to have feelings of resentment and it will likely not know what you are punishing it for.
Give it lots of exercise and attention
As mentioned above, huskies are a breed that requires a lot of exercise and attention daily. If you are not giving your husky much exercise, at the moment, it would help to start doing so by walking it yourself or getting a dog walker to do it for you.
Take it to a vet
If you think that your husky does not like doing it because it is ill or injured or it has suddenly started acting strange the best option would be to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored to your particular husky and you will be able to rule out illness or injury.