Dogs and Furniture

 If you're anything like me, you probably don't want your 80-pound animal on the couch. I initially let Sawyer get on the couch ( big mistake) and quickly discovered it wasn't worth the mess - or the bad couch manners. If you are one of those who enjoys having your dog on the couch-more power to ya. It just isn't for me.

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Sawyer is large, and was putting some unnecessary wear and tear on the furniture. On top of that- our roommate Husky, Huck, started using the couch as his launch pad (not cool). Not to mention the countless amount of time I spent vacuuming the couch to get that dog hair off. And on top of all of that, Sawyer thought anyone sitting on the couch was there to pet him- and would harass non-stop.
So, we decided it would be best to train those animals to stay off the couch.

Yeah. Right. Easier said than done. It took some constant reinforcement. So how did we get the dogs from this?

Sawyer on "his" couch!

to this?

Sawyer's bed- exactly where he belongs!

The dogs were totally confused- understandably so- when we first decided to train them to stay off the couch. Our first tactic was to try to discourage them by making the couch much less comfy for the dogs. First trick- foil.

1. Foil

We place sheets of foil on the couch. Sawyer didn't like the noise or the texture, so it kept him off. Huck found a way to push the foil off the couch. Not an excellent deterrent, but it kind of helped. We didn't need something that only "kind of" helped. So we moved on to magazines. 

2. Magazines

We would seed the couch with magazines. If they tried to get up on the couch, our hope was that the magazine would cause them to slip- or wouldn't provide enough comfortable space. That also kind of helped. Also, not very realistic. After all, humans needed space to sit, and we couldn't continue placing magazines on every surface of the couch every time we left.We needed a long term solution.

3. Creative Pillow Arrangements

A bit of creative pillow arranging can definitely deter the animals. Until they figure out how to knock them off the couch..... On to the real training techniques.

4. Leash Training

 This definitely took some effort, and it's still an ongoing learning process for both dogs. We put a drag-line (shorter indoor leash) on both dogs. When they got near the couch- or if they even ventured to put a paw on the couch- they got a correction. I even walked both dogs around both couches, and they received a quick leash correction if they looked at the couch.

After those training sessions, we would sit on the couch, and direct the dogs to go to their beds (also in the living room). It's all about repetition. Sawyer would get out of his bed. I would get up and put him back in his bed. Repeat times 10. At the end of the day, he knew his place was supposed to be the bed. After that... it's all about tip number 5.

5. Constant Reinforcement
 
Yep- thats right. The reinforcement doesn't stop. Especially if you have some stubborn dogs. The dogs are much better about not getting on the couch these days. That doesn't mean they slip up sometimes. It's all about making sure they know where their place is. For our dogs- it's their dog beds in the living room. When Sawyer started going straight to his bed, I even started giving him a dog biscuit for being so good.  And while it can seem like more trouble than it's worth. The peace of mind of not having to vacuum constantly, worry about furniture tears or scratches, and not have to worry about your 80-pound animal trying to sit on top of your guests- the effort you put into the training is SO worth it.

Try it today and let me know if it works. And if you have had anything else you've tried that has worked, please pass along the tips!

Happy Monday,