Keeping your Dog off Furniture

Everybody has different opinions on whether dogs should be allowed on the furniture of not. If you are happy for your dog to go on the couch or chair thats fine, but if you would prefer keeping your dog off furniture then there are a few things you can do to stop it.

Keeping dog off couch

Before you teach your dog to stop jumping on the couch you need to make sure all your family are going to be consistent with the rules. If one member of the family tries keeping your dog off furniture and another lets it get on it, the dog will not surprisingly be confused. If you dog jumps on the couch entice him back to the floor or to a place of his own (a dog bed, cushion or blanket) with a treat. As the dog gets off the couch you can introduce the “off” command and a lot of praise. Eventually the dog will understand its boundaries, this may take a little time if the dog was previously allowed on the couch. You can then also try praising and treating when the dog goes to his own place (the dog cushion or blanket) and settles down of its own accord.

Keeping your dog off  furniture should be done in a firm but non aggressive manner, never try to drag the dog off the couch, instead use treats, toys or create a diversion. Make it seem like there is some exciting game happening off the couch that the dog is missing out on. If the dog acts aggressively towards you – growling or snarling you may need to look at becoming the pack leader as currently the dog thinks it is in charge.

Click here for the most comprehensive guide to dog training

Keep your dog off the bed

To keep a dog off the bed, you can use the same methods as mentioned above. Entice the dog off the bed with a treat, then praise. A dog bed, basket, blanket or crate that the dog can call its own should be made available instead.

How to keep your dog off the counter

One of the things you will want to ensure is that you teach your dog to keep off the counter or worktop in the kitchen. As well as possibly losing your dinner it is also very unhygienic. Most dogs will be enticed by food and even if they wouldn’t dare dream of jumping up on the kitchen counter when you are looking, it might opportunistically pinch food from the counter when it thinks you are not looking. The simplest solution to this is to never leave food on the unattended counter. If you do catch the dog jumping on the counter teach the “off” command as explained above. The only other way you can try keep a dog off a counter when you are not in the room is to try and rig something up that scares/surprises the dog. You could for example rig up a webcam in the kitchen and put a remote water squirting collar on the dog. If the dog jumps up on the counter you can use the remote control to squirt the dog. This should surprise the dog and deter the dog from jumping on the counter in future.

Keeping your dog off furniture takes patience and consistency but it will be worth it.

Click here for the most comprehensive guide to dog training

Tags: dog off furniture, Keep your dog off of the bed, Keeping your dog off furniture, Keeping your dog off the couch