Watch Dog's Reaction as Owner Puts Him in Jiu

This jiu-jitsu fanatic has been training in the sport for five years, and now he's finally got the perfect companion to refine his skills, in the shape of his playful rescue dog who loves helping out.

Since Paul Hunter started doing jiu-jitsu in 2018 his love for the sport has continued to exceed what he thought possible. But when he rescued Wrigley, the American Staffordshire terrier, from a shelter in 2021, he unexpectedly discovered a new training partner who he can practice even the more difficult moves with.

With Wrigley laying on the floor on his back, Hunter is able to finesse his "cross collar choke" position, which is seen in a recent viral TikTok video. It's rare that Wrigley attends the practice sessions without a smile on his face, as Hunter from Nashville, Tennessee, told Newsweek that "Wrigley seems to regard jiu-jitsu as cuddling." Once the practice is over, Wrigley loves enjoying some fuss as a reward for his hard work.

"He enjoys the touch, interaction, and the attention. He knows when I get things ready to video what we're doing, and he just turns into an extremely compliant training partner. I enjoy it because it reminds Wrigley and me that we can totally trust each other," Hunter said.

Cross Collar Choke From Mount with Wrigley The Bulldawg #bjjlifestyle #jiujitsulifestyle #bjjover50 #bjjover40 #jiujitsuover50 #jiujitsuover40 #oldmanjiujitsu #flowkimonos🍀 #amstaff #amstaffs #americanstaffordshireterrier #rescuedog #shelterdog #dogsoftiktok

Wrigley's calm demeanor throughout the practice session highlights how calm and content he is whenever he's helping his beloved owner.

Hunter is currently training Wrigley to be a therapy dog too, and added that jiu-jitsu helps to condition the dog for any type of interaction, good and bad, and "it won't alarm him."

There's little surprise that Wrigley has become such an adept training partner for Hunter, as the American Kennel Club (AKC) highlights how courageous and confident this breed can be. They enjoy training and will excel in any mental or physical challenges, as well as being incredibly affectionate and lovable.

American Staffordshire terriers may have boundless energy, but being outside alone isn't going to suffice for them as they enjoy human companionship much more. The breed will much prefer to feel like part of the family and working alongside their owner will develop the dog's physical and psychological health, the AKC explains.

So, training in jiu-jitsu not only helps Hunter get better at the martial art, but Wrigley will enjoy the challenge knowing that he's involved just as much.

Hunter even shared with Newsweek how Wrigley will sometimes pine for more training because "he loves it" so much.

"If I sit in my chair and look at my phone or computer, he whines until I get in the floor with him," Hunter continued. "As soon as I do, his tail starts wagging, and he gets so happy. He is not really crazy about wearing the gi, but he loves grappling."

In March, Hunter took their partnership to a new level when he began sharing videos of their training sessions, which have amazed many people online. There's been plenty of love for Wrigley's efforts, and many have reached out to Hunter to express their gratitude for his online teachings.

"Most people are super positive, supportive, and very complimentary. Less than one percent are negative, saying it's mean, or that I'm hurting Wrigley," Hunter said. "I've had black belt professors tell me they've used the videos to help them teach new students. I've also had people tell me they just started training, and our videos are helping them learn. I've had so many people tell me when they're having a bad day, they will watch our videos, and it makes them smile. It blows me away the impact that Wrigley is having on social media."

Hunter and Wrigley's training sessions are regularly shared to Hunter's TikTok account @paulhunterjiujitsu, with his July 1 clip that showed how to perform a "cross collar choke" position already amassing more than 5.2 million views. The viral clip also has over 525,000 likes and 4,600 comments from astonished TikTok users.

One comment reads: "Wrigley went easy on you this time."

Another person joked: "Wrigley's holding back that black belt talent."

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