Sunday, February 2, 2014

Can My Dog Go on the Couch?

Clients often ask whether they should allow their dog to get on the couch or not. The answer is simple... do you want that behavior or not?

To many people, having their dog sit on the couch with them is a comforting experience they love and time shared with a faithful friend. To some, it means pet hair on a piece of furniture where guests will sit and time needed to constantly remove that pet hair. Then there are the people... quite a few of them... who sometimes want their dog on the couch but not always. There is no right nor wrong answer...as the leader of your pack, it is your call.

That said, when you bring a new dog or puppy into your home, you set the rules, limitations and boundaries. You teach your dog what you want and what you do not want. So you must decide what you want in regard to the couch.

If you don't want your dog on the couch, do not allow it. If you want your dog to have the freedom to go on the couch at will, that's fine as well. It is YOUR couch and you get to say who may sit on it and who may not. But what if you want it both ways... on or off when you say so. That is possible and attainable! (Were you thinking I'd say otherwise?)

Like so many other behaviors we teach our dogs, a dog can learn that sitting on the couch is a privilege earned. When you want him/her with you, call your dog and create a command to go with that action (think about how you teach your dog to sit on command or lie down on command...it's all really the same thing). When your dog goes on the couch without an invitation, simply teach your dog "off." It will take practice, patience and consistency. Everyone in the house must learn to use the same words and/or hand signals. If one person allows the dog on the couch at all times and another shoos the dog off, you get a confused dog. 

Need help teaching your dog your "couch" rules? Contact me at Cheryl@PetCarebyCheryl.com. 

No comments:

Post a Comment