I have a mini aussie who is on the large size of mini. She is about 35 lbs and sturdy. She always goes to the barn with me. She loves to sleep on the bed with me and if I am sitting on the couch she will either lay her head on my lap or actually lay across my lap. If I am laying down, she will either curl up on my feet or stretch out on top of me and go to sleep. When we are riding in the car, she sits on the console and hooks her front leg over my arm.
[QUOTE=independentlyawesome;7396231]
I’ll definitely get a shelter dog, but the “lap dog” personality depends on the breed too. [/QUOTE]
I think it will be easy to tell if a shelter dog is cuddly. When the dog is brought into the room with you, sit on the floor and find out!
I see you like the fluffies. In my experience, fluffies may start snuggling then get hot and need to move away; short-hairs enjoy the added warmth of snuggling. Avoid heavily coated and smush faces as they get too hot. I agree with another poster that males are more apt to snuggle than females.
I’ll throw in another standard poodle vote. We have two minis and a standard. They’re all cuddly. The standard doesn’t necessarily want to sit on you, but does want to be against you in bed or on the couch.
The standard is a little over 50lbs. At 9yo, she’s still quite energetic and loves to wrestle and play. Most people guess she’s about 4yo. Fetch is her favorite thing in the whole world. You’ll get sick of throwing the ball before she is tired of chasing it. Indoors though, she’s quite content to hang out on the couch. She’s curled up next to me right now.
I’m a cocker girl, maybe an English or oversized American?
[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;7396395]
Every pitbull I know is MORE than happy to cuddle allll day long! And they definitely fit into your size range.[/QUOTE]
I do know some awesome pocket pitties. I am perhaps unfairly hesitant about those b/c of breed prejudice.
[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;7396461]I guess I should also toss out there that I’ve interacted with a handful of beagles, and they all fit the cuddly bill too.
But they’re just so goddamn annoying that the cons outweigh the pros. I told my little monster right to his adorable little face that he was the worst dog in the world, every single day, for 13 years straight. :lol:[/QUOTE]
Hahahaha. They are a little noisy 
Fun little guys, though!
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7396888]I think it will be easy to tell if a shelter dog is cuddly. When the dog is brought into the room with you, sit on the floor and find out!
I see you like the fluffies. In my experience, fluffies may start snuggling then get hot and need to move away; short-hairs enjoy the added warmth of snuggling. Avoid heavily coated and smush faces as they get too hot. I agree with another poster that males are more apt to snuggle than females.[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately it’s not that easy.
Running over to sit in your lap is different from actually wanting to stay next to you all the time.
I WISH I could adopt from a rescue. But I don’t like having strangers in my house and I’ve never seen a rescue that will waive a home visit. So, shelters it is!
Thanks for all of the input, you guys!
Poodle, mini-schnauzer, and aussie are currently the fore-runners 
That was a great point about short-haired dogs being bigger cuddlers than the long-haired ones. never thought about that lol. My bitch does cuddle more this time of year.
I have an 85 lb lab lapdog.
If you want an in your pocket dog, you can’t beat an American cocker (smallish, around 25 lbs), an English cocker (bigger) or a Springer spaniel.
Cockers and collies are my favorite breeds.
Some rescues will do photos if they don’t have a person in your area to do a home visit.
Another vote for pit bulls! Every one I’ve met has been a cuddle bug.
Make it 3 votes for Pit Bulls. I’m currently smooshed between my 2 on the couch (weighing in at 62lbs and 51lbs), their chosen spot is always as close to me as possible.
I tend to end up with the unruly shepherd types, but here’s the pittie I regularly dog sit:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/528286_10101597855027602_393572003_n.jpg
That is a pretty usual pose for her, and she’ll gladly come sprawl next to you no matter where you are…couch, desk chair, truck seat. Good snuggler.
She also waltzed into my three-dog-household the first day and instantly got along with everyone (an old grumpy alpha female, a reserved female, and a bouncy obnoxious young male), is safe around the horses, and has excellent recall off leash. Also does quite well with all the kids her owner is around.
Plus you can find pitties ANYWHERE and they’d really love a home.
[QUOTE=LauraKY;7397640]
I have an 85 lb lab lapdog.
If you want an in your pocket dog, you can’t beat an American cocker (smallish, around 25 lbs), an English cocker (bigger) or a Springer spaniel.
Cockers and collies are my favorite breeds.
Some rescues will do photos if they don’t have a person in your area to do a home visit.[/QUOTE]
Yup…Cockers are like sandbags. They seem to get twice the weight, once they lay on you. And they love to lay on laps.
I had a Great Dane that was an awesome (over)lap dog. It was mostly just her head that was in your lap, but she would meld into your very soul in her own way.
My Cavaliers, however, press on the very sky to get deeper into your lap. Nothing says lap dog like a Cavalier - they were bred for exactly that behavior.
My mini poodle is more a percher. He sits on your lap, but doesn’t snuggle the same way that Cavaliers do. He is a spectacularly wonderful dog, though.
Rat terriers are awesome cuddlers!!! They are a “soft” terrier and are very loving and in tune with their owners. They are my favorite breed (tied with chihuahuas), Super train ability too.
I like my cocker spaniel.
My daughter spent a year in Aiken, SC. There are tons of what they call “ditch dogs” running loose and homeless there. It’s a downright shame. 
They’re usually pit bull crosses, average about 35-40lbs… She got one dog of her own, but then took in 3 strays & brought them back home to mama. They are the cuddliest, lovey-est dogs I’ve ever seen. They are happiest sitting on the couch next to you, or on you, but they’re not needy. They’re good with other dogs too. It definitely defies the stereotypes you hear about pits. I’m normally a fan of the working dog personality, but these cuties won me over.
My corgi was a great lap dog until she got too overweight to jump on the couch (due to a boarder staying with us). I have gotten some of the weight off, but she is older now and the jump is a bit much. If I pick her up though, she will cuddle. Love her, although I have to say she has gotten a bit barky of late (was never barky as a puppy and young dog - just the corgi “talking” which is much different and very amusing!). There are the regular corgis and the “fluffies” if you like more hair. The breed standard is for close to 30 lbs, but you’ll find some slightly larger. My girl topped out at 43 lbs, but her ideal weight is more like 35 lbs…
Good luck!
Pugs may be smaller than what you want, but they are big dogs in a small body. Pippen never had a problem keeping up with my pit bull. And they are all about the lap.
I’m shocked people had bad experiences with Bassett Hounds. I did Bassett rescue for years, fostered many hounds and every single one was sweet as pie and loved to snuggle. One was a cat chaser and one was a counter surfer, but those were the only issues I ever had.
I adopted a Whippet mix a few months ago, and she is the sweetest, cuddliest (is that a word??) dog I’ve ever known. If I’m sitting, she’s either on my lap, or as close as she can get. She’s only about 6 months old now, but the vet projects her to end up at about 35 lbs. I absolutely adore her!
Definitely a Corgi! Big dog with short legs. Her favorite pose is on her back, four legs in the air She is a snuggler, and a bit of a snorer too, so she fits right in.
My scotties are pretty cuddly and tough!
My staffordshire bull terrier mix is the OMG most cuddly dog I’ve ever had. He would merge with my bone marrow if he could. Just posted this photo in another thread: http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h133/wangel43/Renosleep_zpse3ac3b77.jpg
