If you’re wondering, do Dachshunds like to cuddle? The answer is yes, they are loyal and affectionate dogs. They cuddle for various reasons like pack instinct, a strong bond with their owner, desire for warmth, reducing anxiety, and a territorial nature.
They are genetically programmed to come with cuddling behaviour. This is a pleasing feeling when your dog cuddles with you; it strengthens your bond with your pet. It is also helping in relieving stress.
In today’s blog, we explore dachshund cuddling behaviour, their nature of burrowing, love for their owner, and today we also talk about how cuddling helps strengthen the bond between your pet and you.
Affectionate Nature & Loyalty
Love for Warmth
Dachshunds are a dog with a small body and short coat, especially smooth-haired dachshunds. They are more sensitive to cold temperatures. Their long-slung body type loses heat more quickly than other dogs, which makes them naturally seek a warmer place to keep their body warm from the cold. Cuddling with them helps in keeping their body warm when the outside weather is cold. Their instinct made them snuggle in a warm area, whether that was under a blanket or curled up on your lap. Many dachshund owner find their dog burrowing their dog under a blanket. It is not just a cute it’s their way of staying calm. This behaviour is deeply rooted in their ancestry as burrowers and hunters. They used to dig a small tunnel and snuggle for warmth.
Whenever I come back home after going out, I often find my Dachshund snuggled up in my blanket. It’s so cute—sometimes, the way he behaves makes me feel like there’s not a dog in the blanket, but a person!
Bonding
Cuddling is a powerful way dachshunds bond with their owner. As an affectionate and loyal dog, they like to be close to their owner. Physically touching helps them feel a deep connection with humans and feel emotionally secure, too. When your dog snuggles up to you, it’s their way of building a deep connection and trust with humans. This is also part of their instinctive behaviour, as Dachshunds were originally bred to hunt small animals alongside humans. That’s one of the reasons they love snuggling with their owners. When your dog snuggles on your lap, it also helps to release oxytocin (love hormone) in both of you, which further strengthens the bond with your dog. Over time, when mutual affection grows, you may feel more affection and emotional connection with your dog.
Pack Instinct
Dachshunds like to cuddle naturally, one of the big reasons is pack instinct, they are originally bred for hunting small animals like rabbits, rats. During hunting times, Dachshunds used to be great companions to humans. This old bond between Dachshunds and people helps them form a deep connection with their owners even today. For their well-being, it is very important for them to stay close to their owner. That’s why, if they are separated from their owner even for a short period of time, they can suffer from separation anxiety.
That’s why they are pack instinct and like to cuddle naturally. Cuddling helps reduce stress for both you and your dog, and it also strengthens the deep bond between you and your four-legged friend.
Cuddling with my Dachshund has really helped me reduce stress, especially when I come home from work feeling tense. When I cuddle my Dachshund—especially around the neck—it works like an anti-stress therapy for me.
Security
The main reason Dachshunds often love to cuddle is that it gives them a sense of comfort and security. Even though this breed is confident and independent, they can sometimes feel anxious. During such moments, they enjoy cuddling to feel safe and reassured. When a dachshund snuggles up to you, it is not just being affectionate, it’s seeking warmth, safety, and reassurance. Just like once they burrowed into a tight space to hunt or hide, cuddling can mimic this cosy, enclosed feeling. That’s why cuddling is the most important behaviour for them. From next time when your dog looks anxious, you can cuddle them to reduce their anxiety and make them feel secure.
Attention & Affection
Dachshunds are incredibly affectionate; they crave attention and affection from their owner. Cuddling is the most common way to express a need for affection and attention. If you have a Dachshund, you’ve probably experienced your dog coming onto your lap to snuggle with you at some point. They do this because they want to feel close and connected to you.
Cuddling is a most powerful way dachshund to seek attention from their owner. These dogs are instinctively social and love being involved in family life.
Many dachshund nudge their paw when they feel ignored or left out. Cuddling is their way of saying I want your attention, give me attention. They are happy when we pay attention to them, and giving them attention makes them feel special. For dachshunds, the attention and affection are not want but what they need.
Cuddling is a mutual action to strengthen the bond with your dog. When you cuddle them, they may feel secure, special, and you may also feel a strong emotional bond with your dog.
Relaxation
Dachshunds are energetic, playful dogs. When they need rest from tiredness, they often cuddle you. When your dachshund cuddles, it’s not always a sign their affection by cuddling sometimes, they just prefer cuddling for relaxation from tiredness. Cuddling works as a reliever of tiredness for them.
Cuddling helps them to feel relaxed in several ways, such as when you cuddle them, the closeness of you, and your heartbeat make them feel secure.
Individual Preferences
Just like human, every dachshund has their unique personality. Some dachshunds like to snuggle into your lap comfortably, while others may not prefer frequent physical contact. By understanding the personality of a Dachshund and treating them accordingly, we can build a strong bond with our pet. We need to understand their body language and cues, and respond accordingly—for example, if your Dachshund nudges you, it could be a sign that they need attention or want to cuddle.
For example, if your Dachshund wants to snuggle, they might show signs like tapping your elbow with their paws. On the other hand, if they’re seeking independence, it’s important to recognise their emotional needs and respond accordingly.” This will help you to strengthen your bond with your pet.
Conclusion
Dachshunds are dogs that love to cuddle. They enjoy cuddling for many reasons, such as their affectionate nature, need for security and comfort, love for warmth, desire to bond, strong pack instincts, need for attention and affection, relaxation, and their individual preferences. Cuddling helps strengthen the emotional bond between us and our dog, and it also plays a role in improving our mood. That’s why we need to treat them according to their needs. If we do this, they can gradually become even more loyal to us.
