What rules do you have for your dog?

[BoysRule]

We are getting a puppy on Sunday and I am currently reading everything I can on training etc.

However, one thing that seems to be personal to the owners is what freedom they have around the house: can they go on the sofa? upstairs? when should they be told to go into their bed etc?

I don't want to make things more difficult by changing rules later on but at the moment I don't feel I am worried about it going on the sofa or upstairs. Does anyone have any thoughts they could share?

Everyone has different rules but it's what works for you OP. My dog isn't allowed upstairs because we want to keep it hair free, but our downstairs lay out makes it easy to do this.
I like having a dog to cuddle on an evening so he is allowed on the sofa.

My dog goes upstairs during the day , sleeps downstairs though and is allowed on whatever furniture he wants .

I admit Rose. I too like a lovely cuddle!!

I have wood floors downstairs so I too like to keep carpets and upstairs as hair free as possible.

And if she pisses on her bed once more out of protest (MIL is spoiling them by staying for 10days and giving a lap all day so when I don't and I'm here there's hell to pay). I swear she'll sleep outside.

Oh I miss my whippet boy something rotten. One of my favourite memories of him was the way he used to bury himself right inside the duvet and lay across my feet. He made a fabulous hot water bottle.

My dog is allowed on the furniture, our bed during the day but he only sleeps with us at weekends - he's noisy! He's relatively small and non shedding though.

He's trained to not beg for food and is very good about it but if you finish eating and leave it on the plate he'll nab it in an instant.

Ours is allowed on sofa and sleeps in our bed :s we crate trained as a puppy - she's happy to use a crate now but doesn't like to sleep in it overnight (we sometimes use it in the boot of the car if we need her to settle - she climbs around car people watching otherwise).
Our main one is no food from table / very little human food (she has allergies so it's just not worth it! Though the odd carrot stick or grate of cheese in her bowl is like heaven!) she doesn't beg and lies in her own bed when we eat (she has numerous beds all over the house!)
We also confine her to the kitchen when we're out - mainly for her safety but has been a relief when she's been poorly - only 1 floor to clean and no carpet! She has 2 beds in there and switches between them!

Out are not allowed further than the utility room where they sleep. They are large and boisterous. Dp insisted on it. we have a baby and toddler so it makes things easier

Start very firmly. You can always relax later. Mine not allowed on furniture or beds, but can go upstairs. Always insist on instant obedience to a command. Can mean life or death. Train them to wait a short while before being allowed to eat, ( eg sit, stay.... Have it!) and find a command for wee/poo.

15 years ago, before my first fog, I'd have thought this was insane, controlling nonsense. It's not. Believe me!

Our collie is not allowed upstairs (if she appears upstairs we know there's a problem of some kind... Usually fireworks!) and she is not allowed on furniture.

Dog, not fog!
I have a collie and a collie X terrier.

Think we're strict.
No sofa
No upstairs unless invited
Certainly not on the beds.
Not out the door before us and only when called.
To sit and wait until told before eating, not rushing as soon as bowl is on floor.
To come when called.
No jumping up.
No pulling on the lead.

Oh yes no human food ever- apart from a bit of butter to hide a pill.

No going on the furniture, no eating without permission. Not one paw outside the house without permission, and like wise no crossing the road until commanded.

Not mine, but my parents.

Never allowed on furniture or beds.
Never allowed upstairs.
Sits and waits for pemission before eating.
Comes when called.
No jumping up.
No pulling.
No begging.
No eating food dropped on the floor, unless given permission.

I'm strict, but then my dog is really well behaved and he is massively loved. However as he is a smelly black lab:
Not allowed upstairs (too much hair!)
Not allowed on my sofas (new sofas, he smells + too much hair)
Doesn't jump up (he'd knock me over, let alone the kids!)
Cant stand begging so he gets told to leave me be - hes decided the best way is to lay down and pretend he does care hes a dustbin so I know he does but this gets him the left overs as hasn't bugged me!
His recall is fab, will sit/lay down & most importantly hi five
Hes crate trained but the doors only locked when I'm cleaning. He loves his throws in his crate, and happily goes & stays in bed when hes getting under my feet told too.
Hes very well mannered, but in honesty, its not as much to do with my training - but more that labs are ruled by their bellies so hes soon learnt what behaviour gets him a treat!
Really agree with pp that its better to start strict and relax than try and do it the other way!

Not allowed upstairs unless invited, it is rare only if I have a full morning of jobs to do up there and no one else is in the house or if my husband is out all evening then I take her up with me for an early night as she makes me feel safe while I fall asleep as she rarely barks-only if she senses real danger. When my husband gets home he puts her back in her room.
3 year old likes to giver her the command to go up which she responds to but that is a case of training the child rather than the dog!
If we are not in the house she stays in her room-she has a really large utility room which has a dog flap out into the garden (this is only open if we are home for her safety).
No begging for food and nothing fed from the table (this is a really good rule to have). No taking food unless given so our 3 year old can leave biscuits etc on the coffee table within the dogs easy reach and she doesn't touch it even if we all leave the room. When we give her food she has to sit and wait even if we leave her room she must carry on sitting until we return and give the command. The same goes for we can either hide food round the house while she sits and waits or even throw food infront of her and she has to wait before going to get it or to search for it. A great fame for days like today when I have been to ill to walk her as I can use it as brain games so she isn't bored.
Absolutely no jumping up, she will get no attention unless all 4 paws are planted firmly on the ground.
No barking at the door.
Recall
Twirls on command
High fives on command
Oh and another important one absolutely no licking humans, I really hate it!

No bed. That's a cat only zone. We started out no sofa, but her desperation to be touching me at all times overwhelmed any training, treats or anything I could offer (velcro cocker). She is however very good at going where on it she's sent and getting straight down on request.

Straight to crate on request
Stay at the top of the stairs until I'm down and call her
A rock solid 'wait'
A rock solid 'leave it'
Sit and stay until told to move
Sit at a distance and wait until told before eating
On request to get behind me and wait to be asked before going through a door or entrance - other than going out the front door which is 100% all the time, I don't always insist on this with every door but she knows it and will do it when needed.
No chasing the cats
No dragging on the lead
Four feet on the floor.
To lay down and settle immediately when told.
She also knows a 'please' signal which I taught meaning it to be useful for me in her understanding boundaries but it quickly got to be her most useful signal for her in communicating when there's something she wants, especially something out of sight. She uses it a lot.

Listed it all sounds a bit OTT but my mobility's reduced and some of this is safety based not to be knocked flying by happy maniac ddog.

No human food, I can't stand moochy dogs and the other people in my house are bad at setting boundaries, so it's easier to just have a black and white rule.

No sofa unless I invite him up, he's too big, there's no room for him.

He doesn't go upstairs either, but that's because I didn't let him as a puppy to protect his joints and then he did in fact develop joint problems, so they're just too hard on his sore legs.

I do NILIF more or less as well, so no food or going through doors until he's done something...usually wait tbh though.

I regret ever giving my Chihuahuas a taste for human food. To do over again I would steel myself to never give them anything but dog food and treats. They aren't horrible in the begging department but more so than I would like.

Have yet to figure out how to get them to come when called. They do if they feel like it but not if preoccupied in the garden. I never take them off the leash outside of our fence but still terrified about a car encounter some day.

That said they are dear, sweet little boys - rescue pups with a difficult early life but not soured by it.

Oh yes on your bed-very useful if they are getting under your feet. We actively encourage eating food off the floor we have a small child and I haven't once got the dustpan out so saves me a massive job, however no begging for the food or being a nusiance.
No going out of the front door
Allowed on the sofa when invited but not the new chairs.

Oh yes - i have just remembered a very important rule - no human food, ever.

I can't stand dogs that scrounge when you're eating.

Wow! Loads of v strict owners here! I feel a bit lax. My only rules are no pulling on the lead, bullet proof recall before he's allowed off the lead and no sleeping on our beds. Other than that he's allowed upstairs, on the sofas etc. He's part of the family and it's his house too. My main rules apply to me not the dog - only positive reinforcement, no aversive techniques, no dominance "theory".

I used a clicker to teach her to lay down and put her head down on paws, teaching it as 'rest' to wait and stay in position, gradually building to about 30 secs duration to get food rewards. We played that a lot as a game. Then started generalising it to different places and situations and she started to offer it as a behaviour as one of the several positive behaviours she offered hopefully in quick succession whenever I had clicker and treats in hand and I reinforced it strongly and a lot. She generalised it further herself and I kept on reinforcing. Now she does it to say 'open a door' or 'get that down for me' or 'can I get on your lap', she'll get in position near me, make eye contact and wait.

We said ours wasn't going to be allowed upstairs. She now sleeps under our bed...She definitely is not allowed on the beds though.