Keeping Your Dog Off the Furniture

Once your dog gets into the habit of laying on furniture, it is very hard to break. The best thing to do is start early teaching your puppy that the furniture is off limits! Some people may not mind that their dog is lounging away on the sofa…other people may have some expensive home theater furniture that they do not want ruined.

So what can you do to keep Fido off the couch?

• Every one needs to be consistent with discipline.  If one person does not want the dog on the furniture, the whole family needs to follow the rules - ALL THE TIME!

• Every time your dog gets on the furniture, gently take him off

• Make sure your dog has a comfortable bed of his own to sleep in

• Offer rewards and praise when he starts to follow your direction

• Until training is complete, do not leave your dog alone with the furniture - I know it sounds really silly, but if he is left alone, he will probably be up on the couches, and no one is around to correct the behavior

The most important thing is to stick with the training!  Do not slack off or allow your dog up on the furniture for any reason.  You do not want him to become confused and never know when to follow the rule.

Thanks for reading!  As always your participation in comments and discussions are encouraged and greatly appreciated!!