How do you keep your dog off the couch?

    • Silver

    How do you keep your dog off the couch?

    I adopted Brenya from a rescue who believed that as long as there are plenty of dog beds provided that your newly adopted grey would do well knowing it is not allowed on couches/beds to prevent any issues. I have always let my dogs on the couches and bed, but my fiance is really not fond of the idea of dogs on the furniture. We do not live together yet, but when we get married, I can forsee an issue with us aruging if the dogs should be allowed on the bed/couch or not. Since I do have a dog bed for pretty much every room, and I am already dealing with some growly issues from Seven when he is on furniture and I ask him to move, I think I am going to try and keep both pups off the furniture and on their dog beds. I just want to know how to go about doing this! Both dogs will come up to the couch and try to get on, where I redirect them to their dog beds. They sometimes stay put on their bed for an hour if they are busy chewing on a marrow bone, or it can be literally 2 minutes and they are back trying to get back on the couch again, where I just keep telling them "no" and bringing them back to their dog beds! Any tips on how to keep these spoiled bedhogs on their own beds? [:)]
    • Gold Top Dog
    ive read somewhere that if you place aluminum foil on the forbidden furnitures, once the dogs jump on there, they dont like the sound it makes.....
     
    maybe its worth a shot?
    • Gold Top Dog
    How about one good sized chair (maybe a loveseat) that it would be OK for them to sit on?  If there's a *people* chair that they can be on, it might be easier to keep them off the rest.
     
    Joyce
    • Gold Top Dog
    My Mom uses that thing they sell that rattles and vibrates when they cross the laser beam. The Tattler I think? She says it works really well with her dog. If a dogs not noise sensitive tho it might not.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Oh I love the cartoon Gina!
     
    You need to teach these dogs OFF (since they don't know what the word NO means) and Seven needs to drag a short lead so you can tell him OFF and use the lead to remove him when he doesn't comply.
     
    I used to say no dogs on the furniture....I gave up.  There are always more of them than there are of me, and I don't really care.  I put a blanket over the couch so that when I have guests who might like to sit there, I can remove it and have a fur free spot for them.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Seven, I have found it easier to train my DH to accept the fact that Gracie will be on the couch than to train her to not get on it! We compromised and keep the dogs out of the bedrooms (for allergy reasons). And, FWIW, now he's right there scratching her behind the ears while she has her head in his lap when we're watching TV!
     
     
    • Gold Top Dog
    First of all the dogs should be taught the word "OFF".  Harley knows what off means instead of no.  Off means get off of whatever or leave it alone.
    • Silver
    Thank you everyone for the replies. I hadn't even thought about the word "off" vs "no", definitely a very good point! I think it would be easier if I could just train fiance to let the dogs cuddle on the couch, they make great foot warmers! But he was raised to believe dogs were supposed to stay on the floor. I feel his mind will change once we're moved in together and he falls in love with my pups! [:)] Thanks again for the tips!
    • Gold Top Dog
    I should add that Gracie does know "off", and she will get off the couch with just a look or a finger point to the floor, and she used to just get off as soon as she heard my DH's voice, b/c she knew he didn't want her up there, but we knew that she was getting up there when we weren't home, and I like her up there, so we've slacked off keeping her off it.  Your fiance sounds just like my DH, he mostly had cats growing up, and never any dogs of his own, but like I said, now Gracie is his cuddle buddy (now and then I get to sit next to him instead of her!).