[aznVampire]

Pocky has been allowed on the couch since she was young. My parents don't like her on the couch, and I don't either personally. However, any of my attempts to train her to stay off the couch were ruined by my brother who would constantly invite her up resulting in her getting on the couch freely now. Also, since getting a second puppy, the couch is her only escape route when he chases/bites her. I don't want the puppy to be allowed on the couch either, since he's going to be a big dog, but he sees Pocky on the couch and has recently been jumping on it too.

Since my brother is in college now, I would like to teach Pocky that the couch is off-limits to her no matter what. What I mean is, she knows the "off" command, and she will get off the couch when I tell her to, but she's alone in the house during the day, and I know she gets on the couch when we're all gone. Is there any way to teach her to stay off when we're gone too (without having to use anything, like foil, a scat-mat, loud noises, etc)? Or is it just impossible to teach her if we're not there? I would put up the cushions when we're gone but it's really not an option, because my parents really hate that.

As for the puppy, I would like to make sure he learns that he isn't allowed on the couch either. How should I teach him this? And how should I teach him not to bother Pocky so much? I feel that keeping her off the couch would be so much easier if he wasn't chasing her all the time.

 

[zhaor]

Well i don't know much about keeping dogs off couches. My dog pretty much sleeps where ever he wants. I have found that having something more comfortable or something he's more used to sleeping on instead of the couch helps.

When I leave my dog alone, he's usually sleeping on my bed or his bed..........or the couch. But I've been trying to get him to stay off of my roommate's leather couch and despite it being more comfortable and him jumping up there a few time which I corrected, he usually never goes on that couch. It's not so much that he's learned to not go on that couch but rather that he prefers "his" couch. Not sure how to go about getting a dog to stay off "his own" couch tho

 

[aiw]

We fought the good fight for years with our dog.... we lost. He would scurry off the couch if someone came by but the evidence suggests that the moment our backs were turned it was a free for all.

 

[odiesmom]

I wish Lucifer would sleep on the couch instead of MY bed. Or recently I had the spare room all made up fresh for company and opened the door to air out the room he saw it and said SCOREEEEEE my OWN queen size bed complete with pillows !! Now I find him in the morning with his head on the pillows stretched all out. WHen he does sleep in the living room which is rarely he prefers the recliner. Like AIW, I put up fight and lost !

My advice is for you to get a couch cover !

 

[doxiemommy]

I know there are folks here who say it CAN be done. But, I think the challenge is, you can correct/redirect/distract/interrupt Pocky from getting on the couch when you're gone. So, he may interpret it as getting on the couch is allowed when you're gone, and not allowed when you're home, know what I mean?

Now, if he had NEVER been allowed on the couch, it would be less of a challenge, because when you're never allowed to do something it tends to just not be in your list of "things to do". You don't really even see it as an option.

Good luck, though!

 

[aznVampire]

Thanks everyone. Any suggestions on how to make sure Louie (the puppy) doesn't develop this habit?

 

[doxiemommy]

What I would do is stop Louie before he even starts the act of jumping up on the couch. So, keep tabs on him, when you see him heading towards the couch, interrupt, distract, redirect, etc., so he never even gets close to the couch! Over time, if you are always preventing it, he may give up trying, it kind of stops being on his "to do" list.

 

[hanksimon]

I agree with Doxie. Stop it before that entitlement habit starts... that means constant monitoring, using a babygate to protect access, or placing pillows etc. when no one is there. When you see the pup up there, you want to use 'punishment' (nothing harsh or painful), saying no!, and picking up the pup, putting him in a timeout for 30 seconds (even if he jumps off the couch when he sees you or when you say no!.) After he's a year or two older, you can allow him on selected furniture (bed etc.)... but only when invited... with a reprimand (off!) if he jumps uninvited.

You could attempt to use the same methods to re-train Lucifer, but you'll have a devil ( ) of a time to undo a behavior that is self-rewarding... With constant persistence, and a newspaper to the nose of your brother when he visits, you can make progress.

 

[winniec777]

I've given this advice before because it worked for us - put the mats from your car upside down on the furniture when you're not using it. The nubby surface on the underside of the mat feels strange/uncomfortable to a dog's feet. Kept our pup off the couch. It was weird having car mats on the couch for a month or so, but we got used to it. She would make attempts and hop right back off. We tried to interrupt her and redirect her to something more rewarding whenever we could, too. I would do this with both dogs. Try to prevent them from getting up there in the first place, esp the older dog - you don't want it to turn into a confrontation with that one.

I should add that we trained her to stay off the family room furniture but not the living room furniture since she wasn't allowed in there anyway. Now that we live in a different house, she won't go on the family room furniture but she will occasionally try out the couch that used to be in the living room (it's in a different room at this house, too). We obviously failed at keeping her off all furniture, good reminder that dogs don't generalize.

 

[Roloni]

Pocky has been allowed on the couch since she was young. My parents don't like her on the couch, and I don't either personally.QUOTE]

Try calling the "Couch" a "Sofa " instead.
Pocky may still jump on the furniture...but only the Sofa...not the Couch!

 

[odiesmom]

I've given this advice before because it worked for us - put the mats from your car upside down on the furniture when you're not using it. The nubby surface on the underside of the mat feels strange/uncomfortable to a dog's feet. Kept our pup off the couch. It was weird having car mats on the couch for a month or so, but we got used to it. She would make attempts and hop right back off. We tried to interrupt her and redirect her to something more rewarding whenever we could, too. I would do this with both dogs. Try to prevent them from getting up there in the first place, esp the older dog - you don't want it to turn into a confrontation with that one.

I should add that we trained her to stay off the family room furniture but not the living room furniture since she wasn't allowed in there anyway. Now that we live in a different house, she won't go on the family room furniture but she will occasionally try out the couch that used to be in the living room (it's in a different room at this house, too). We obviously failed at keeping her off all furniture, good reminder that dogs don't generalize.

You can also take aluminum foil, the heavy kind, annd spread it out on the couch, they don't like the noise or feel of it and its a cheap fix , worth a try