keeping dogs of furniture

Anyone have any advice on how to keep my dogs off the furniture. My problem is that I use to let them on all the time, but I'm tired of the bone chewing on them and the fact that when people come over its hard to sit cause of the dogs. So when I am home, its not so difficult to keep them off but when I leave I know they go on...how can I keep them from doing this? What has everyone else done? Thanks

 

Maybe try being a bit more strict with them.

 

Sorry Winnie I have no good advice for you. Ughhhh I know that you know this already but..I think it is going to be hard to make them understand that they are not allowed on the furniture when all along they have been. Maybe you could just not allow the bone chewing on the couch and perhaps when company is over either put them in another room or their crates if you use them. Or just simply not allow them to get on the furniture when company is over. Sorry Im not much help

 

Theres sprays you can get to spray on the couch and they dont like it so they wont get on. HUmans cant smell it- only dogs and cats.

 

You could get a motion detector. They sound like fire alarms when they are moved. Also, you could put heavy duty double sided tape in the edge of the couch so when they touch it it will stick to their paws a little.

 

I have heard that you can put blown up balloons all over the couch while you are out. The "pop" noise frightens the dog when he jumps on the couch and pops the balloons.

 

there are also things called a scat mat. it gives off very funny electrical sensations when the dogs go on them. a person i pet sat for had them on her couches. i tried it and it feels really weird but doesn't hurt or zap or anything like that. my dogs are allowed on the furniture. we don't really have a house that is large enough to entertain people so it hasn't ever been a major issue. but if the dogs get up on the furniture when eople are over a simple off command gets them off. i get funny looks from them but they listen ! if they didn't they'd would be in big trouble !!!

 

My neighbor lady heard that if you put aluminum foil on the couch and chair, there's something about it that dogs don't like. She said she tried it and it worked with her two dogs.

 

one of the ladies at work bought that motion detector thingie and said it totally worked!!! I've seen it advertised on Dr foster's and Smith's website...... and wow, the info on the aluminum foil is interesting!!!!!!!!

 

Thank you all for the help...I'll buy some of that spray stuff and try some of the other suggestions too!

 

I have also been told to use carpet tape. They make similar things specifically for pets as well, such as: http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...older_id=2534374302025622&bmUID=1090242537886

PetsMart also has something called "Sofa Scram" that is like the Scat Mat but it beeps instead of doing the funny tingly thing.

Let us know what works!


Jamiya

 

OK, I know this is going to be hard to believe, but, we have trained Sarge that he is not allowed up on the couch unless he is "invited" and that he has to chew bones on the floor. He is doing great so far with only the occaisional slip. I think I may have just gotten REALLY lucky with Sarge!

 

It's easier when you can train them consistently from puppyhood. Nala was never allowed on the couch, so she doesn't even try now. Bonnie came from a house where she was allowed on. She would get on when we weren't home, and my husband had decided he was okay with her being on the couch so I just covered it with an old blanket. That way I can move the blanket for guests and they can have a doggie-free couch to sit on.

But Bonnie now crawls up whenever she wants to and Nala has a tendency to want to "attack" her when she does - she pounces on Bonnie and chews on her and tries to get her to come off and play, and I am stuck in the middle.

We are now trying to train Bonnie to only come up when invited, and of course we are working on Nala not attacking Bonnie once she has been invited on the couch. (Of course, with Bonnie allowed I will also allow Nala on the couch if she will lie still, but she doesn't seem to want to.)

So what I do is I will body block Bonnie if she tries to get on the couch, and give her a sit command. Once she is sitting, I then pat the couch and tell her "Come on up" and let her crawl up. She MUST lie down immediately. No standing and trying to squash behind me or sticking her face two inches from mine. If Nala starts to ge berserk, she is put in a down-stay on the floor by the couch.

Our trainer says with enough repetition, Bonnie will learn that if she wants to be on the couch, she has to sit first and she should eventually start to do it automatically.


Jamiya

 

We unknowingly introduced climbing on the couch from a very young age - there's nothing cuddlier than a couple of young pups all curled up and comfy.... this was fine but age has a tendency to increase mass and we eventually found it increasingly uncomfortable - can get rather crowded. and then of course, a bit of the ole rough and tumble starts to creep in. Having 45+kg and 30+kg lounging around on the one couch with you in the middle gets pretty crowded. So, we bit the bullet and decided enough was enough. Took a fare amount of discipline but they have the big picture now. Occasionally we relent and let them up but that is not the norm. I did buy them their own covered foam mat for indoors and that seems to appease them. I think it's a good idea to have somewhere which they know is strictly for them and they will take to it.

 

I agree with gailau. we have 2 pets beds for our labs right in front of the fire place. It is so cold in the winter they come right in and lay down. if they come off we say "get on your pillows" firmly and they obey. It works really well.

 

I'm sure that would work for us if Nala didn't eat the beds. Bonnie used to have a bed out and she loved to lie in it, but we had to take it away when Nala kept eating it.

Nala doesn't lie in beds even if they are out. She is a warm dog and prefers to lie on flat carpet or tile when she can get to it.


Jamiya

 

I am on the petsmart.com email list and receive emails advertising their sale items.... and they have the 'scat mats' on sale.... only $9.99. That's pretty cheap and worth a shot!

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_ ... 0447339450