dog doing jiu-jitsu training with owner
Credits: @paulhunterjiujitsu on TikTok

Jiu-jitsu fanatic Paul Hunter finally found his sparring partner after years of training in the sport he loves.

Wrigley, an American Staffordshire Terrier, is a playful rescue dog that Hunter adopted in 2021.

As seen in a recent viral TikTok video, Wrigley lying on its back, Hunter tries to demonstrate the “cross collar choke” position to his viewers.

@paulhunterjiujitsu

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

♬ original sound – Paul Hunter Jiu Jitsu

While American Staffordshire Terrier dogs may appear the unconventional partner in this type of activity, Hunter shared with Newsweek that “Wrigley seems to regard jiu-jitsu as cuddling.”

He enjoys the touch, interaction, and the attention.”

The jiu-jitsu aficionado from Nashville, Tennessee shares how Wrigley demands practice time even when he’s on his phone or computer.

“…he whines until I get on the floor with him.” 

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.”

Besides jiu-jitsu, Hunter is currently training Wrigley to be a therapy dog, too.

In March, Hunter began sharing their videos on TikTok, and to no surprise, the Internet adores the duo so much.

With their training videos going viral, Hunter can’t help but express his gratitude for the massive support they’re receiving.

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.”

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.”

Hunter also shared how they made a strong impact on some viewers “having a bad day” and that his videos with Wrigley “make them smile.”

It blows me away the impact that Wrigley is having on social media.

To date, Hunter and Wrigley’s video on how to perform “cross collar choke” is sitting at 7.3 million views on TikTok.

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