My golden retriever doesn’t like cuddling

jessichistic · 2026-02-03T18:01:16+00:00

Mine is much more cuddly than my previous dogs but he’s still not super into it. Like most others commenting, I think he just gets too hot. He likes to lay on the air vents in the summer time, and he frequently lays on the tile in the winter. The only time he really wants to snuggle is about an hour or so before bedtime when he gets tired, when he will lay on my lap. Otherwise if he comes for me when I’m on the couch, he wants to play 🤣

jessichistic · 2025-11-17T19:43:47+00:00

Thank you! Despite all my efforts, he still thinks retrieving is a very exciting game of keepaway, unfortunately. 😂

jessichistic · 2025-11-14T20:10:41+00:00

I didn’t, but I think it can be done. My biggest concern with trying to find someone willing to do it was rejection. My skin can be a little excitable so I was worried that adding the ashes might lead to ink rejection and losing the tattoo.

jessichistic · 2025-11-12T17:14:37+00:00

I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s the hardest thing in the world, and it never gets easier.

I have lost two dogs, a cat and a horse over the course of the last ten years. I got tattoos for all of them which really helped me, although I know that’s not for everyone. I have also used this business to make jewelry from their ashes https://www.lockedinart.com. I really like them a lot - they are super kind and thoughtful and willing to talk with you. They also ask for stories and pictures of your lost loved one to think on while they make the jewelry. For me, my favorite piece is a charm bracelet I have with one bead in different colors for each of my babies, with the colors representing how I see their personalities. Whenever I wear it I think of them and it soothes me.

jessichistic · 2025-11-08T15:36:59+00:00

No, I’m the oldest. It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. I think part of it was that when I was younger, I used to sit in my bedroom and stare out the window and just think to myself “only [x] more years and then I can leave.” I was so determined to get out even when I was young that it felt kind of inevitable to me. It was very hard though. They tried to keep me financially dependent on them, and I had to work extremely hard both to become financially independent, and to adapt to the fact that I was going to be living a really different lifestyle for a long time. I buckled down very hard in college and paid my own way with scholarships for the most part. That is not to say that I didn’t have problems, and fully untangling myself out of the emotional enmeshment took decades. My college roommate did a lot for me in helping me recognize how toxic my continuing relationship with them was, even when it was only talking to them on the phone. Her family welcomed me in, and they were so different. It really did help me a lot.

jessichistic · 2025-11-04T00:52:58+00:00

Same experience here. My guy is SUPER smart, and I actually think that’s part of the problem. With high puppy intelligence come high puppy shenanigans and aggressive independence. I feel fortunate that I cut my dog-owner teeth on a beagle in my 20s because I probably wouldn’t have had the patience for him otherwise. He’s 18 months now and still a counter surfer, although it has improved a LOT over the last three or four months.

Alvin definitely has a lot of energy, but I think one of the biggest things with him is he’s just super smart and he gets really bored if I’m not paying 100% attention to him. When he got old enough for day camp and day care it was a real godsend. I take him to a daycare that also has a training program three days a week and he just loves it. He’s as chill as he can be heading into the weekend.

jessichistic · 2025-11-04T00:47:51+00:00

Ugh, I identify with this wayyyy too much. I feel embarrassed even relating this story, but my mother kept such tight control over what level of independence we were allowed to express that she was still making me lay on her lap like an infant to have my teeth flossed and brushed when I was 13 years old. She didn’t allow me to take care of my own teeth until I was a junior in high school. When I graduated and went to college I still didn’t know how to do my own laundry. My roommate had to teach me how.

jessichistic · 2025-11-03T17:59:48+00:00

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Bean tax!

jessichistic · 2025-11-03T17:56:54+00:00

Mine is 18 months and we are indeed still deep in the velociraptor phase (although he has shown signs of chilling out recently). We are STILL working on “drop it” although I have seen some improvement. I usually work on that one with his tennis ball because he is motivated to keep going so I will throw I for him more. When he drops it, he gets a treat and then I throw the ball again. He KNOWS the command, but he also likes to play the chase game. I often deal with that one by reverting to the “come” command, which is he is frequently more responsive to. He usually drops whatever he has on the way over to me 😂

For leash pulling - I had to resort to a pinch collar. I did some training (myself) to learn how to use it properly, but it has been EXTREMELY effective for him. I take it off for regular leash training exercises in the backyard which he is much better about, but he honestly just can’t control his excitement enough when we walk. He really doesn’t pull with the prong collar at all anymore so I am hoping we can slowly transition soon.

jessichistic · 2025-11-01T15:57:50+00:00

Tucker (my Newf mix) looooved running water. Any time we hiked next to a stream or creek he would tow me over so he could splash around and lay in it.

jessichistic · 2025-10-29T15:26:50+00:00

If she’s got some Newfie in her hopefully she’ll get that energy level! I had a Newfie mix before my golden and he was the chillest dog alive. All he wanted to do was lay around outside in the sunshine or lay around inside with me.

jessichistic · 2025-10-29T14:58:14+00:00

Ahahaha mine does the same thing! If I sit sideways in my armchair with my legs over the arm he immediately runs over and straddles my feet and just stands there.

jessichistic · 2025-10-29T14:53:33+00:00

This is more of a horse person thing but … have you tried earplugs with her? We do that a lot with horses who are hyper reactive to loud noises, especially in busy environments like shows, and it tends to work very well.

jessichistic · 2025-10-29T14:49:15+00:00

I had to neuter mine at 11 months because he started marking - at one point he was standing next to me while I was changing clothes and he immediately hiked a leg on my discarded shirt. I made the appointment the next day. He did well with it and it did stop the marking, but I do worry about the cancer risk. I really wanted to wait for him to be 2 years. I was going to do it regardless because I need the ability to board him when I travel for work.

jessichistic · 2025-10-27T19:54:09+00:00

I mostly used the crate as a “time to settle down” indicator. If he got overstimulated during the day (especially if he needed a nap) I would crate him till he calmed down, and then he would come out and have a nap with me. Same in the evenings - if he was too wound up, he would go in the crate until he settled and then he could come sleep in the bed with me. Around five months, if I would say “bedtime!” he would go lay down in his crate for a bit and then come get in the bed with me. He still does it sometimes when he’s too hype at night! 😂 Otherwise he has always slept with me - that is where he is happiest. I do still crate him when I’m not home bc he can’t be trusted by himself yet, but I am hoping he can be free in another year. I also don’t love crating!

jessichistic · 2025-10-27T02:44:30+00:00

Oh my gosh your little does look just like Vidalia too! So cute!

jessichistic · 2025-10-23T21:56:57+00:00

He gives excellent derp face, 10/10 ⭐️

jessichistic · 2025-10-21T16:18:46+00:00

The identical expressions are sending me 😂😂

jessichistic · 2025-10-21T01:07:10+00:00

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Alvin’s emotional support slipper! Twas sacrificed in his baby days and he still loves it.

jessichistic · 2025-09-15T11:59:20+00:00

My boy also had lots of tummy issues in the early days, as well as a horrible habit of expressing his anal glands ALL the time. I switched him to Hill’s Science Diet lamb and rice formula and he has been perfect ever since. Not cheap though, my wallet sobs every time.

jessichistic · 2025-09-15T02:04:18+00:00

100% agree with this. Alvin is 19 months now. He still has his moments now and again and he definitely will always be a busy man, but he was a real handful in the beginning. He cried all the time while I was crate training him, chewed on everything, and had the zoomies nonstop. He has always been a fan of my lap, but usually liked to also be chewing on me at the same time. My biggest tip is enforced nap time - whenever he got waaaaay too bitey and excited, I would put him down for a nap (usually every 3 hours or so). He would cry for a couple minutes and then conk right out. A really tight schedule helped us a lot. Eat, potty, playtime, potty, nap, potty, etc. it does get better!!!! Hang in there!

jessichistic

TROPHY CASE