Not Corporal Cuddling?

It's not corporal cuddling if she initiates it, right?

For the last week or so when everyone else is in bed, Stryker comes out of her crate for 30-45 minutes. We usually do some training and then settle in for some good computer time (for me) and bone chewing (for her). If I grab my computer and sit on the floor, she'll come over and want to be pet. Sometimes she'll bring me a toy and we'll play for a bit, sometimes she just chews on a toy while we sit, and sometimes she chews on a bone (it's really funny to watch her get into chewing a bone... sometimes her tail starts to move with the gnawing of her teeth, I often laugh at her and she rarely notices my laughing... must be a darn good bone).

Tonight was much the same with a little less playing since this weekend was so eventful. I got up to get my camera for photographic proof and she followed me, but settled right in again with her bone when we got back. She doesn't always lay right next to me, but she often will at some point or another. She's very much a mover, even while chewing on her bone... there is no 'right spot' that she'll stay in for more than 5-7 minutes at a time.

She's most excellent about sharing her high value goodies with me. I traded her for everything in the beginning, not wanting to create a problem, and now I rarely reinforce with anything other than giving it back most times.

This outtake made the cut due to hilarity!

We now return to our regularly scheduled bone time, then bedtime!

Corporal Cuddling

A friend coined the term long ago and it's stuck. Stryker came into rescue not being too fond of restraint or "relaxing" near a human (not doing anything, or in her words "boring!"). It's something a good training friend recommended we work on. Physical contact needs to be a positive experience and she should be able to relax without doing something, even if just for short periods of time.

Tonight she brought her huge stuffed cat over to me to play with, so we played for about 10 minutes then we worked on cuddling. I've worked on pairing touch with food and toys. When we play tug, I put my hands all over her: face/legs/nose/ears/chest/etc. and at first she would release her tug when I touched her, now she holds on and gets more excited! As concerned as I was about creating a "fake" relaxation, I've shaped her to lie down and put her head down if I'm sitting on a chair as well.

After our play session I asked her for a down and started slowly massaging her body. She actually leaned into me and seemed to want more. Overall I'd say we sat on the floor together for about 10 minutes. She never "asked" for more attention, but she also didn't try to get up and leave (unless there was something exciting going on, like a cat walking by). This is the first time she's relaxed with me. I didn't even have to resort to sitting on her! (If anyone reading this thinks I'd seriously sit on her... I promise I wouldn't... I don't think!)

Corporal cuddling tonight was a success. We'll see how tomorrow goes!