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?

Not allowed upstairs (but quite blatantly does go up when we are out).
Sofas only by invitation ( jumps up next to me as soon as dh leaves house).
No jumping up (this one is important I think, and is broadly abided by, except when visitors actively invite it).
Wait to be given a command to eat. (This one is perhaps the best observed rule. Does steal food in our absence when able to, though).
No begging (totally ignored. Worse after spending time with my dad, who essentially shares his food with her).

Oh, and goes to bed when told, very important. Stays when told - iron obedience in this regard. Near perfect recall. Walks sort-of to heel. Appalling on the lead, though! And won't drop stuff when told to.

Ours is allowed 'human food', but never from the table - always given either in his bowl or well away from where we have been eating. He doesn't beg, although if you are eating an apple he does look at you a bit mournfully.

My ddog has the run of the house is allowed on the sofa and sleeps on my bed under duvet, always has.
I don't understand people who have a dog and then either keep it outside or only allow it in one room, my dog is family and it's his house too.
He does have to sit and high five before any treats are given and he has a good recall.
I'm only strict regarding him not having any amount of certain human foods like chocolate or grapes.

Goes everywhere. Our best moments are lazy weekends in bed as a family and quiet wind down end of day cuddles on sofa when nobody's talking just cuddling up. Couldn't have it any other way.

Ours is difficult but they get it.

OldGirl basically gets free run of the house. She's not allowed on sofas or beds, apart from just the sticky out chaise longue bit on the sofa in our bedroom - it's got her blankie on it and she doesn't go into non-blankie bits. She's also nominated one cushion on the outdoor sofa as hers - but won't go on the rest.

YoungGirl isn't allowed upstairs unaccompanied as she can't be trusted - she's now 2 but only been living with a family in a home for the last 6 months and is pretty much still in puppy stage. We put a baby gate on the bottom of the stairs for this reason. Both could jump over if they wanted but neither do. If YoungGirl isn't around, OldGirl wanders upstairs on her own. YoungGirl is not allowed on sofas - the garden is all paved and when she first got a bone, she went outside to try to bury it, jumped onto the sofa and ripped the cushions digging in it as it was the only soft thing for her to dig. She'd been kept outside on a farm apparently before we took her in.

At dinner time, they both sit on the rug patiently until we finish. If either of them move, neither get treats after we've finished - it both are good girls, they get usually a piece of whatever meat we've been having. Works well, apart from OldGirl can't resist putting her nose right up to the table if there's bacon involved.

We have 'dog line' on the tiles leading into the kitchen. Works well for OldGirl - she gets it and stays behind it when I'm cooking. YoungGirl has her nose right in to whatever I'm doing at first, takes her a few minutes then she'll go and sit and watch with OldGirl

YoungGirl isn't allowed on human beds at all due to the sofa digging incident (she still tries to dig wherever she can), plus excited wees occasionally. If YoungGirl and DH isn't around, OldGirl will jump up for a snuggle with me, but will get down if she hears anyone coming up the stairs . She's awesome.

Our most important rule is that they must do as I ask, first time, every time. I should never have to iassue a command twice, if I tell them something I expect them to listen and then do as I ask immediately, which in credit to them they do always do.

Its a safety thing, we have three giant breed rescue dogs who hate anyone and anything not part of our immediate family, so its crucial that they do as I ask without question.

Also, I refuse to shout or call loudly to give commads or instructions, our three have been trained to watch for facial expressions, slight hand movements and soft quiet instructions, so if they're doing something I don't want, a gentle frown will stop them.

No scrounging, but ours aren't at all food motivated so they don't anyway, no fighting or running in the house - calm behavior only. They have a fenced off area where they can charge around and go crazy, outside of that they're expected to be sensible as I don't want to be bowled over by bounding dog!

On the lead (they rarely go on lead) no pulling or lunging no matter what. Immediate recall if off lead. At least one of them never further than two metres from DS at all times in case he and I need protection from something. That ones not an issue, we have velcro dogs!

They sleep on a king size mattress on the floor at the end of our bed, they are very pampered and allowed a lot of free reign, I expect them to use their judgement and common sense most of the time, and they spent most of their time lazing around at my feet or shadowing toddler DS hoping for his attention (they adore him and he them).

I have spent and do spend hours and hours training our dogs, I think its extremely important, particularly as we have three dogs who are very aggressive to strangers. Our dogs are personal protection dogs as well as pets, we own a ranch and its necessary for life here, but I appreciate things are very different in the UK.

Oh yes, and our dogs are free to go where they please in the house, in ddog2's case it involves trying to get in the bath with me, but rthey are not allowed on sofas as at 15, 17 and 18 stone respectively they are just too big.

I feel very slack, reading all your rules.

Mine can go on the sofa, the bed, and have free run of the house. They can't go in DS's room unless he's there, and not in the guest room, as one piddled on the bed I like to keep it nice

I like sharing treats with them, so they can scrounge all they like, but not when we are at the table.

They are little rescue dogs, and I really spoil them.

Not allowed upstairs -- constantly shedding lab and in puppy days only half a house to puppy proof.

Sent to bed if naughty, when we are eating and if we have visitors who are unsure of dogs or have things to do (tradespeople)

Leaves and enters the house after us when on walks. Heel when walking on pavements off the leash.

Waits to be told before eating. No begging for food and any meat sccraps given in bowl. Sits and waits for post dinner treat.

Not allowed on furniture - large lab, no space and too much shedding.

No jumping up.

Instant recall if off lead and not to go too far from walker.

Not allowed upstairs.
Definitely not allowed on beds.
Allowed on the sofa only when a human was on the sofa too and that person allowed it (almost always allowed because who wouldn't want to cuddle their dog) and we had a blanket for the dog to lie on.
We shut him in the large kitchen when we went out. He had access to food and water.
He was sent to his bed when we were eating.
We rarely fed him scraps and if we did it went in his bowl and he didn't feed from our plates and we didn't allow him to hang around the table looking hopeful.

I would always take a new dog to training classes. Training a dog is a joint enterprise for both dog and owner and it helps with socialising.

Must only take up three quarters of the super king sized bed we have, or leave.
Must leave at least 6 inches on the sofa, so that I can squeeze in.
Must decide when it is time for a walk, and bring wellies, leads and gloves, whine piteously and fling themselves into a huffy heap.
Must post bones/wood/anything forbidden through catflap in kitchen door, before re-entering the house through patio doors and wandering nonchalantly into kitchen.

My dogs obey all of these rules. Clearly I am a dog whisperer

Tooold that made me !

Hellbeasts wow, those are big dogs! What breed are they? How do you ensure absolute obedience first time, especially if you don't use food rewards?

Rumble as soon as I read 'her desperation to be touching me at all times' I thought 'must be a cocker'. Ours wants to be in physical contact with you at all times; it's not enough to be near you, she must be actually touching you. I don't even get to pee alone.

When DP agreed to get a dog, he said 'two rules, then... I won't have a dog that pulls on the lead, and I won't have a dog on the bed'. Dog is appalling on the lead (she hardly gets walked on the lead) and she sleeps in the bed, usually on DP's pillow. She also has him twisted around her little cocker paw, and extremely well trained; he does exactly what he's told, when he's told, directed by a sophisticated vocabulary of whines, growls and various tones of bark.

Absolute rules:

No mithering anyone for human food. Ever. She's not allowed to look at me when I eat, although she's permitted to lie beside us on the sofa facing the other way. She sometimes sits expectantly as I'm finishing my dinner, but that's because she wants to jump on my lap as soon as I put my plate down, not because of the food.

No titbits/human food. A) because she gets pancreatitis and is violently intolerent of wheat and a variety of other things, and B) to discourage mithering for food. However DP feeds her titbits of meat when he's carving, so she hangs around his feet in the kitchen. She knows if she does that to me she's liable to get accidentally trodden on or kicked, and definitely shouted at!

Must sit and wait when I open the boot/car door. She does this for me but still tries it on with DP. Really importatn for safety that she doesn't just leap out.

Other than that, she's spoilt rotten, really. We intended to crate train her, but on the first night (in the crate, beside the bed) she cried and cried, then growled, then angrier growling, then howling/barking, then an ominous pause... then the smell, oh the terrible, terrible smell!... then the realisation that she'd trodden the diarrhoea all over the crate and smeared herself liberally in it. So 1am saw DP hosing the crate down in the garden, and me shampooing the puppy, and then she was so wet and terrified and sad that of course she ended up in the bed with us. She's been there ever since.

On the good side, her recall is very good (though not 100% if she's really 'in the zone', usually linked to anxiety, or if she's decided she's going to plunge into a filthy bog) and she never strays far on walks. She's the best trained dog if you've got livercake in your hand, but again her anxieties interfere with that when we're out.

What breed of dog are you getting, OP?

Previous dogs (I had one at a time) had run of house and lay on the couch.

Present dogs( I have two) are never on furniture. They absolutely love their beanbags in the living-room and it makes life easier when there are visitors. It's also good when we go to holiday cottages.

Present dogs are shut in the kitchen diner when I'm out and through the night. This is because one of them has a bladder problem which has been helped a lot by surgery, but she can still have accidents. They have comfy beds there too.

The strict rule I've had with all dogs is never feed titbits from the table.

My sister s pup well its just turned 1. Is aggressive and nippy It was allowed to do whatever she wanted and because she is a small fluffy thing Dsis thought it was cute to bark at every thing anyway what I'm trying to say is whatever you allow make sure its on your terms not the dogs. I have as rescue and it has taken us years to get him to where he is because he IMO had no direction or training from his previous owners

not allowed on sofa/beds
waits for permission to eat food mostly
only has access to the back half of the house when we're out.
muzzled when we have guests he doesn't know
Comes back when asked
Quiet when asked
Goes for a wee when asked

Other than that, he has the run of the house, goes to his bed when he likes (which is most of the day and from 7pm). His bed is downstairs, but he is allowed to sleep on the floor upstairs if he fancies it.

Although all of my first post is true, just to say:

• I can leave food anywhere and they would never take it - if it does not touch their bowls, it does not touch their lips.
• 'Wait' is essential. I can open the boot, hiss wait, and they will sit there until called - very important for safety.
• We have 3 sofas, they know they are allowed on one, and even if left alone, they never try to get up on the others.
• When alone in the house, they go to their own beds - no fuss, no bother.

They are actually good dogs. Most of the time. It takes work, but worth it!

Eric is not allowed upstairs because he causes enough mischief downstairs.
He isn't allowed to snatch food or beg when we're eating and he gets a titbit when we've finished for doing that.
He has to let me take stuff from him when I ask and he gets a treat for that.
He's not allowed out of the front door until I tell him because it's open plan and I don't want him running out when we have people knock.
He's allowed to bark when people knock until I say quiet but not when he hears a noise or spots a leaf blowing
He has to have his bones on the mat and he has to fetch his collar and lead and sit and wait for me to put it on when I ask.
Most rules here are to keep him safe and limit his ability to annoy anyone else tbh.

Safety rules

You instantly drop anything you are told to 'leave it' - I spend far to much of my life dealing with dogs who have eaten things they shouldn't

You don't leave the boot of the car until you are asked to.

You return when you are called.

Politeness rules

You sit and wait for your food and only go to your bowl when you are told it was okay.

You get off a piece of furniture when you are asked to, but you can use the same furniture as the humans.

You do not jump up at people and you only talk to humans not in your family if you are invited to.

At meal times you settle down and don't bother the humans - if you never feed from the table meal times are boring any way so thus becomes easy.

Cleanliness rules

You defaecate and urinate outside.

On return from a muddy, dirty walk you remain on your bed until you are told otherwise.

Oh yes and I forgot the rule of giving back something in the mouth ('off' command). She's pretty good at that, but will still gulp down something forbidden if she can get away with it. When she was younger she was an appalling sneak theak - if you turned your back for 10 seconds she'd have the food off your plate - but she's better than she used to be. I still wouldn't trust her an inch, though, despite her waiting perfectly if you place or drop something on the floor deliberately.

safety first for you and them, so vital good recall/wait - like in car to not jump straight out, or pull you over on lead. to not run through you, with big ddogs its essential as can be very dangerous for all, or playing rough in the house for same reason. Anything to do with safety for all - taking food gently included.

good citizen - being a pleasant creature! making themselves appealing to others so they receive lots of good reinforcement from us and others visiting/out. To be ambassdors for ddogs everywhere. Like knowing how to just walk past others without lunging. They are all fast and lively but i use a calming instruction around others to settle them to acceptable levels for others/little ones/nervous ddogs. Not begging for food (all food, apart from training treats, go in bowls). also be respectful to other animals, especially dcats who must have superiority at all times

Cleanliness, the usual of being house-trained, and using an area of the garden to go in to save the little ones stepping/or falling in anything nasty.

Shriek thank you for reminding me cats are supreme brings if you mess with them anything you get you deserve.
Reading back it sounds like my house is dog boot camp in truth he is a very happy dog who absolutely knows where he is the rules never change.

Hiya, I don't have a dog but me and DH hoping to get one in the future (any time between in 6 months and 2 years depending on circumstances, so totally jumping the gun here!), but was wondering for those of you who have super well-trained dogs that know lots of different commands, how did you train them to learn all that? I've never owned a dog before, and DH's dogs that he grew up with were hardly trained at all beyond a few very basic things (like toilet training and knowing sit...that's about it ). Did you take them to lots of training classes, did you do it yourself, did you have 1-on-1 training with a trainer?

No human food, unless in her bowl.
On sofa or bed only when invited.
No jumping up.
Recall.
Wait.
Leave it.
Drop it.
No using teeth.

I think the above are essential, especially if you have, or plan to have, children.

We wanted a dog we could take everywhere with us without a problem. DDog is a Very Good Girl most of the time and she is welcome in all our friend's houses, even the non dog-lovers, because she is well behaved.