My dog does not like touch. If we have to sit on the same seat in a car, or on the couch, it leads to wiggling, squirming, tongue flicking in and out, he may roll over on his back. He just can not relax at all with sustained body contact. If my arm drapes over him too long he thinks about biting.

I've learned not to do things that annoy him, we have a great partnership and understanding. But still I yearn for a dog who can confidently sit next to me, body touching mine. I'd like him to "act normal".
Could this skill be marker trained? How? I don't want to "train him to beg".

Not every dog likes touch. Some are pretty aloof to it. I wouldn't consider it really abnormal but more of a personallity thing. It sounds like it makes him stressed. Desensitization with markers might make a different (I'd start with mark/reward for stroking him) but he might never be a snuggle dog.

I think it may be able to be improved, but not neccesarily cured. My last male was like this with being touched or patted. I was able to desensitize him somewhat so that he could tolerate it but he was never going to be a cuddly, touchy, feely dog like Ambi is.

I can't snuggle with Sadie, but for the opposite reason. She can lay by my feet quietly, and even sleep for hours, but if I lay down next to her or let her up on the couch with me, she can't stay out of my face or be still. She has to be licking my face and squirming. I've tried conditioning that out of her, but it's just too overwhelming for her.

A dog I used to have was very quirky about being touched. She was affectionate and liked to be near you, but it needed to be her touching you, not you touching her. If I rested my hand on her, she would get up and leave; however, if I kept my hand moving in a slow petting motion, she loved it.

She would lie on the couch with me if we were watching TV in the evening, and even though we were on opposite ends, it was still hard not to touch her with my leg or foot. I did eventually desensitize her enough to allow my leg to rest on her. She also occasionally slept in the bed with me, and she liked to be under the covers near my feet and legs, and again I finally got her to accept my leg resting on her. I did not use a mark and reward system at the time but rather just touching her feather-lightly for a short time, praising her calmly with my voice, and gradually increasing the time and the pressure.

But she never did get where she accepted a still hand. Had to be moving. Like I said, quirky dog.

eta: Duane, I've got one now that sounds like Sadie. If I touch her at all while we're relaxing next to each other, she gets right in my face, pawing at me, licking me, demonstrative to the point of being a pest! In five years, I haven't been able to train it out of her. Probably could if I wanted to use a somewhat harsh correction, but I just can't bring myself to do that. She's ultra-sensitive and she'd be crushed.

Edited by Cheri Grissom (10/25/2013 09:27 AM)
Edit reason: eta

Yes, Cheri, how on earth could we correct them for wanting them to love on us?

Sadie has learned that if she will lay quietly next to the couch, I will rub her tummy or scratch her head while I watch TV. However, as soon as I stop, it's "in your face" again.

My small goal would be "just sit next to me our bodies touching". Without squirreling around. Without his tongue flicking in and out like a dog restrained by a technician ready to have a blood draw.

How would you begin this? I don't want him to lick my face or put his feet on me. Could you train this like a "heel sit?"

How about the way you would train "place" with a mat, and have the mat right beside you, with you sitting on the floor?

No duration at all, mark and reward. Duration introduced very gradually, with the usual random "back to one second" ones interspersed with the gradually-worked-up-to five seconds, etc.

In fact, the mat could start six inches (or whatever is totally comfortable to the dog) away from you .... going at it like any desensitizing routine.

There's no rush, right?

I might start with no marking - just sprinkle a few treats on a mat near me and just ignore him. Every so often put down some more treats. I would imagine that any dog with decent food motivation will start hanging around nearby waiting for the next round of food. And then I'd work on marking calm downs on the mat seperate from that. So have a short training session with the mat a couple times during the day then if you sit to watch tv at night just put the mat near you with a few treats and ignore him. Basically setting up a no conflict situation where he gets rewards if he choses.