Siblings

I once caught Badger and Mushroom cuddling for about 30 seconds. And by "cuddling", I mean Badger was lying down on Mushroom's tail. Their bodies were barely touching. Badger and Mushroom do not cuddle. They are definitely not a couple; sometimes they are not even friends. In fact, they act just like siblings.

They like to roughhouse with one another, growling, jumping, knocking things over, running, and knocking things over. (We've worked with our trainer to learn when to let them play and when to separate them.) Whenever one dog grabs a toy, the other dog immediately wants it, despite all the other toys lying around the apartment. Sometimes they'll even share for a bit.

Sharing - the period of time right before Mushroom steals a toy

We spent the first month getting Mushroom accustomed to walking next to Badger while on leash, and now they can walk side-by-side nicely. While each of them reacts to different stimuli on walks (Badger is scared of the sound of tires on pavement, and Mushroom reacts to other dogs), it seems that walking them together calms both of them down more quickly.

The camera is the least exciting thing on this walk

Over the weekend, I sent Mushroom to her crate for being too vocal, and when I went to let her out after a few minutes, I found Badger lying in his crate in solidarity. (Badger never chooses his crate over lying at our feet.) And then they laid down like piggies and snoozed on the carpet, several feet apart. Definitely not cuddling.

Voluntary imprisonment

Do your dogs cuddle, or do they prefer not to touch?