Well, life is a bit crazy at home right now. We're dog sitting, so we have 5 dogs at home. Now, normally 5 dogs is not a problem - provided they are all trained properly and are able to live together. Don't forget we live in a 900 sq ft loft. Yes, we have acreage outside, but the indoors are somewhat lacking for space. We have had to do some retraining with the 2 extra dogs and I thought I'd drop a short line about it here. The first target for a training rant? Couches. They are mine. You can use them, but ask first.
Both these dogs think that our furniture are their playthings. I understand that they are little - both Cocker mixes - but it's like they don't know how to play without jumping all over my furniture.
So here's my disclaimer, I don't have an issue with dogs on the furniture, but it is a priviledge that should not be abused. Our dogs are all allowed on the furniture, provided there is enough room and they ask first. These two dogs don't. They are all over the place, jump on the furniture, jump all over people/dogs/cats with no regard and don't bother to think twice about it.
Now, I have a 14 year old Cocker/Beagle mix who really does NOT like to be jumped on. These two are a bit much for her. She sort of pushes herself into the couch corner and makes herself as little as possible.
So, we are working on livingroom manners. They are allowed on the couch, but only if they ask first. They are NOT to jump on or roll on top of people or other animals while on the couch, or they are told to get off. So far they seem to be learning ... I just hope they figure it out before my oldest dog takes a chunk out of them!
Do your dogs get up on couches and chairs? Do you have certain rules for this or is it a free for all?
8 comments:
for every year that pass, my manners become more and more difficult to follow.
We're not allowed on the furniture! We have beds all over the house but the sofa and comfy chairs are off limits to us!
Love ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch
I am allowed on the furniture but I don't do those crazy things!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza
My older dog, Flip, has the most awful attraction to rolling in s**t, particularly raccoon s**t. I was ready to put her up for adoption last weekend, I had just showered, then took the dogs for a walk, came in to make my lunch, and since she's black/tan, I didn't see the dark smears of guck until I went to pat her.
Yuck! Into the shower, where the poop was bouncing off and hitting my clean self.. She had no idea why I was so mad!!
And yes, she was on the couch, when I discovered the filth... And I had invited her up. Poor critter, it wasn't HER fault!! I need new glasses, is all.
Rusty, (the dog in my avatar), would always put her chin on the couch, and ask politely. If I said no, she was fine with that.
I love my leather couch, way easier to clean...
Ah the S**T rolling ... here on the farm, there is never a lack of it! Only one of our dogs has this habit though ... thank goodness.
Personally, if they ask - they are usually allowed. We often will even move out of their way. But they have to ask.
This treating everything like a climbing thing ... it's wearing thin. At this point (been a week tomorrow since we brought them home) one of them has figured it out ... the other ... well she's *Speshul*
Our dogs are technically not allowed on the furniture, but they are allowed to be on a person who is on the furniture, if they are invited. (Usually if they ask nicely, we will invite them.) But they may NOT get up on any piece of furniture that does not already have a person on it, ever. And of course, we have so many dog beds all over the house, it is hardly possible to walk through a room without stepping on one - so they have plenty of other options. I have always had a bit of a pet peeve about rescue programs and foster homes that allow foster dogs all over the furniture - I think it makes them a little less adoptable, because it is a turnoff for some people. It is much easier to bring a new rescue dog home and teach it that it can get on the sofa (if that's what you want) than it is for someone to bring their new rescue dog home and then need to break it of that sort of habit. But no one asked me.
Dog_geek - I agree about your comment regarding rescue dogs. Whenever we have a foster dog in our house they are not allowed on the furniture ... for that matter, they are also not allowed to climb on people.
You're right - undoing behaviours is more difficult than teaching properly from the beginning. Because the foster dogs we have are not allowed out of their crate when we aren't there to monitor them, this does not become an issue (they are crated when we are at work and sleeping, then we are outside and training with them and the other dogs).
Our dogs are allowed on the couch when they'd like. We're a large family, so our sofa isn't in great conditiion anyways and most of the family sits on the floor rather than the couch. There's always room for furry leg-warmers on my couch given they don't trample all over me.
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