Retrain Fluffykins?

[Fluffykins]

I hope my numerous posts aren’t getting annoying. I have a million questions I’d like the answer to so my questions probably won’t stop for a bit

So fluffykins loves being pet and held. He was nervous with being held and walked around with (But ok with being held whilst I was standing) so I slowly walked around, in longer sessions each time and now he’s fine with it. A normal (short) holding session is about 10 or more likely 15 minutes. A long holding session is anything from 30 minutes to an hour.

When I pick him up he snuggles his chin right down on my arm (how he lays his chin flat on the floor too sometimes) and he’ll lick me enthusiastically for a bit then fall asleep. He LOVES when I scratch under his chin and tummy, he’ll tooth purr as long as I don’t stop. He also loves me snuggling him with my chin on his head or cheek, he will just close his eyes and purr so contendtly.

Now the problem. I definitely appreciate the fact I can hold him at all and he loves being held on his terms. Btw if I put him down to get on with my day (as I more often then not have to do)! And if he wants picking up again he will “beg” for pets and put his head up up up into my hands and that means “pick me up”! If he wants to stay on the ground but still wants pets he will bow his head and snuggle down comfortably on the ground. If I stop petting too early he will nudge me with his head and go through the process again.

So anyway the problem. After he’s slept for a bit in my arms the problem is the signal he’s learnt to use to show me he wants to get down. He does 1 ‘kick’ ( not an actual kick but I’m unsure how to describe it) out. Its like he does a split second spasm to say “put me down” and thus I put him down.

Now there’s no way he can hurt himself by what he does, nor me, but it’s just not a nice calm way to end a snuggle session. I once read (here I think) someone’s bunny would lick their nose to say “put me down” and id much prefer something lovely like that haha.

What signal could I teach him to use to say “put me down now” rather then what he’s currently doing? He’s not normally at my face level when I hold him, either he’s on my chest or my arms. And he lickes both, my arms and chest (weirdly he won’t lick my hands hehe). I don’t want to train licking to mean put me down (because I love it)! but what if anything can i do?

Also a quick side note, even though I’ve “trained” him to tolerate being walked around with in my arms to the point he falls asleep on my arms when I’m walking (Ie closes his eyes, let’s his back leg dangle and nose stops twitching), as soon as I sit on my sofa, somehow that means play time to him. He will still sit on me for about 10 or 15 minutes (somtimes) but with the sofa, more often then not he wants to run around on the sofa then sleep on me.

I feel like I should clarify he prefers to sleep on me when I’m carrying him and I can tell the difference when he’s in that mood rather then explore mood, because explore mood is when he’s sitting up in my arms looking at everything I’m walking past and trying to sniff it all haha. When he’s in explore mood he only wants to stay in my arms for about 5 minutes max, usually he wants to get down after he’s very enthusiactially licked me (which takes about a minute).

[Fluffykins]

I forgot to mention in the beginning I was aware of not inadvertently teaching him that wriggle was a way to communicate “put me down” so I wouldn’t. Then he’d end up peeing on me and I’d feel stupid because I’d realise he only wanted to get down to use the potty.

So now I’m hyper aware of letting him go when he wants to purely because he wants to go down for a reason (even if I can’t see or figure out the reason).

So just to reiterate the question amongst all this waffle, what ‘sign’ could I try to teach him to communicate “put me down”?

[Mikey]

You kind of have to go by how he communicates with you. If his wiggle push means “let me down” just know that means you have to let him down.

[Author]

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