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Original poster

how to keep dog off sofa

33 replies

booyhoo · 07/05/2009 21:05

my dog is crate trained and when he gets fed up lying in his crate he usually sprawls out on the living room mat. but when my back is turned he jumps up on the sofa and makes himself really comfy, now i always make him get down and he gets rewards when hes lying nicely on the mat or in the crate but he still goes on the sofa when he gets the chance. i thought he would have gotten the idea that the floor or crate is for dogs and the sofas for people but he just doesnt seem to get it. what can i do. im back and forth like a yoyo trying to keep him off it.

OP posts:

Original poster

booyhoo · 08/05/2009 08:57

bump

OP posts:

bella29 · 08/05/2009 09:54

Do you reward him for getting off? Could he be getting up so he gets a reward for getting off iyswim?

LittleMissNorty · 08/05/2009 09:56

how old is he?

It just took a lot of persistence with our lab - he wouldn't dream of it now.

theBFG · 08/05/2009 09:59

put coathangers on the sofa. He won't get up then.

KingCanuteIAm · 08/05/2009 11:37

There are two approaches that could work,

The first is to teach your dog to get up and down on command, ideally not just the sofa but the back of the car, a high step or anything elsse that he can jump up onto and lie down. The idea is that you teach him to get up on command and lie down then, once he is reliable in this, teach him to stay there and get down on command too. You treat him when he gets up on command and when he gets down on command. If he gets up on his own you don't treat, command him down and don't treat then either. Eventually he will come to think that it is only worth his while to get on something when you tell him to. It does take time and patience.

The other approach is to attend that actual behaviour, again it takes time and concentrated effort. You put him on his rug and treat him, go out of the room but just around the door and wait for him to get onto the sofa - or put his paws up ready to. Walk in and say firmly, No or down. Hang around for a minute doing something else and ignoring the dog then put him back on his rug and treat. Repeat - and repeat until he no longer does it. Then you need to move it up to going into the next room or somewhere a bit further away. You need to be able to hear when he goes to get up somehow (I know people who have laid a sheet of crinkly plastic wrapping paper on the chair for this) and do the same again, for as long as it takes for him to get the idea. The key is that ou never get angry or frustrated about the behaviour, no matter how long it takes for him to learn.

Both approaches take quite a bit of time but I am afraid I dont know of a quick fix for it.

I did read about an aversion therapy idea where they covered a blanket in double-sided carpet tape and tucked that round the sofa seat cushions before they left the room. The dog does not like the feeling so learns to avoid. There are two problems I can see with this, one is that the dog will learn not to do it when the cover is on but I think many dogs will notice as soon as you leave it off and revert,the second is that a more clever dog will learn to take the cover off - meaning you now have a dog pulling or digging the sofa cover. Oh and, of course, it would be a total PITA!

(I am quite prepared to be told I am toatlly wrong and neither approach will work by those who know more than me btw )

bella29 · 08/05/2009 11:39

bella29 · 08/05/2009 11:40

Merrylegs · 08/05/2009 11:45

What kind of dog? I only ask because before I got a dog I thought there is no way it is getting on the sofa.

Um, and then I got a whippet....

Is it a very bony dog? Is it uncomfortable on the mat?

(FWIW our dog is not allowed upstairs - every time he tried we said 'no' really loudly and carried him or pushed him (gently!) back down. It took a couple of consistent weeks, reinforcing and reinforcing but now it wouldn't occur to him to go up.)

KingCanuteIAm · 08/05/2009 11:48

Oh Bella

Can I be just a little bit orange then?

Oh no, better yet, can I live somewhere nice and sunny all the time?

parkj83 · 08/05/2009 13:23

bump this one!

My 2 dogs are on the sofa when I go out, and only when I go out. If I'm in the house, they stay off.

I'm so frustrated!

They're both crated now when I'm out, but tips please too!!

KingCanuteIAm · 08/05/2009 13:33

Can you not just lock them out of the room? Maybe in the kitchen or something? Even a utility room would be enough if you are not out long.

A friend of mine got her dad to come round when they went out to stop her dog scratching the door. He would sit outside and shake a loud (large) tambourine every time he scratched (and not say anything). It worked in a couple of days. For the sofa it would be a bit more difficult as someone would need to be in the house.

higgle · 08/05/2009 13:59

If you have a dachshund you will not be able to train it not to go on sofa, because it is in their nature to do exactly what they want, regardless, and feign incomprehension if you try to train them out of it. ( Mine persuaded much older and bigger dog to let him have her bed through sheer obstinate peristance) Other dogs. you may persuade them to leave sofa if you are around, but they are not stupid and it is so much more comfortab;le than the floor. Suspect you can negotiate a truce by just tipping dog off and saying "no" enough to stop him doing it while you are around.

KingCanuteIAm · 08/05/2009 14:03

There are plenty of dogs who do not go on the sofa, whether someone is in or not and my aunts dachshunds never got on the sofa, they did look at her a bit funny when she called them to her, asked them to sit down - or indeed anything else they did not want to do

Original poster

booyhoo · 08/05/2009 22:41

thank you all for responses, he is a beagle and while i am all to aware that they are notoriously hard to train i know it can be done because he has picked up alot of other commands very quickly. i wont allow his breed to excuse unwanted behaviour. he is 9 months old btw so i know still young. i dont think he is uncomfortable in the crate or mat, he sprawls out and falls asleep as easily there, but i just think the sofa must be more appealing to him.

KC like the sound of both those methods so will try one and see how i get on.

not sure i will try the coathangers thing, ds(3) might find that a bit too tempting to poke dog with.

OP posts:

Blondeshavemorefun · 08/05/2009 22:47

sure our pony would love to get on sofa, but he can only get front paws on as has no power in his back legs

king - how do you get a dog to get into boot of car - ours wont - he has a ramp and REFUSES to walk the plank ramp even if we bribe treat

when i had to take him to the vet, myself and a friend pushed and pulled him into the boot - and doing this to a 10stone dog isnt easy i can tell you!!!

KingCanuteIAm · 09/05/2009 00:46

Booyhoo, With a more set minded dog, IMO you need to think like him - ie to not be moved, to not let frustration or doubt cloud your thoughts. Beagles are single minded and so must you be. Let us know how you get on

Blonde, the lack of power in his back legs may be key, if it is difficult for him then he won't see the point IYSWIM. Again I would try training him to go up things. It may sound stupid but take the ramp and put it flat on the ground in the garden where he has to walk over it every day to get out. Then put a brick or something underneath one end. Command him Up, In or what ever you want to use for the car when he puts his first foot on it then treat him when he gets off the end of the ramp (make sure it is stable!). After a few days add another brick.. and so on. Just make sure that he never has a big drop off the end to jump down, maybe get a cheap table off Freecycle and cut the legs down so he has a platform to go on to to get his treat.

Anyway, the key is, one building the slope slowly and two building the rear muscles up at teh same time - which will happen naturally as you increase the incline.

At the same time you need to make sure the car is not stressing him out. You need to get him to it every day or more, carry out his obedience training by the car so that he is always getting treats near it, get your OH to lift him into the boot and treat him then take him out, work up to being able to groom him in there, treat him and take him out.. give him his bones in the car and drive around the block- anything you can think of to make it a nice place, just like crate training.

Then put the two together, nice bone in front of nose then placed in car, treat shown and command given to go up ramp. He eats his bone and back out, without closing the door even and always get him out well before he wants to get out IYSWIM... and build it up and up from there.

Well that would be how I would try it anyway, hopefully my ideas will give you some thoughts?

Joolyjoolyjoo · 09/05/2009 00:50

booyhoo- I have two beagles so I definitely feel your pain!!

I just put them off the sofa when I am there and tell them "DOWN!" When I am not there, well, they would probably do what they like, except that they are confined to one are (the hall!)Beagles are opportunists, and will do precisely what they think they can get away with. And no amount of training seems to make it otherwise!

midlandsmumof4 · 09/05/2009 01:16

Oh for such a simple problem . We have 2 Rottweilers. We have had the older one since he was 8 weeks old, he's now 7 & knows his place but is now getting grumpy. However, last year we adopted our son's Rotty. He loves to sleep on the settee when we are at work but not when we are in. His favourite place is the arm chair under the front window. It's now a wreck. . Doesn't matter who is sitting on it,if he wants to look out he will. No joke having an eight stone dog jumping on your lap & barking in your ear cos next doors cat is sitting on the path under the window . This starts the older dog barking. If anyone can advise how to keep Zeus off the chair and stop Zak barking in sympathy I'll be eternally grateful.

KingCanuteIAm · 09/05/2009 01:24

Does the person getting jumped on stand up as soon as he does it? (ie so he is unceremoniously dumped on the floor)? That would be a starting point.

The other would be to move the chair away from the window for a while and see if he still jumps on it or barks at the window, i.e. is it the chair or the window that is important to him? It could be that he uses the chair as a station to gaurd his window or it could be that the window distracts and excites him when he is on his chair IYSWIM.

Blondeshavemorefun · 09/05/2009 14:59

king - once in the car, he LOVES it - just doesnt love getting IN the car iyswim

bella29 · 09/05/2009 16:15

I'm having similar problems with my old girl - she can't get up into the car any more so I have bought her a ramp. Although she whines to get into the car she is obviously very wary of the ramp itself.

I am trying to treat her as I would a young horse who hadn't been in a horse box before and coax her gently on to the ramp so she can see it is safe for her.

Thankfully she isn't the actual size of a horse, Blondie , so I can still lift her 28kg into the boot

Blondeshavemorefun · 09/05/2009 17:08

where our lump puppy weighs 63.5 kg

over double what your dainty dog weighs bella

bella29 · 09/05/2009 18:33

Your dog weighs the same as my two large-ish dogs put together, Blondie.

Have you thought of putting him on a diet?

KingCanuteIAm · 09/05/2009 18:35

Our 50kg dog used to like to sit on my lap when she was scared - fireworks, music, cats

There is nothing quite like it is there?

Blondeshavemorefun · 09/05/2009 19:17

he isnt fat - quite lean actually

yes have had him try and sit on me

not good

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