How to Teach Your Dog to Keep Off the Sofa
Whether you have had dogs in the family for years or you have just welcomed your first puppy into your home, you will probably want to ensure your pet is properly trained. One common problem for many dog owners is trying to work out how to keep them from jumping up on the sofa.
The best course of action is to prevent this habit from occurring in the first place. If you know you don’t want your dog to get on the sofa, you must start as you mean to go on. They won’t understand why it is allowed up on some occasions and not others. In addition, everyone must adhere to the same rule. Make sure everyone in your home knows to prevent the dog from getting on the sofa. If one person sneaks it up there when no one else is looking, mixed messages will be sent. Dogs are much like humans in that if a bad habit is formed it can be difficult trying to break it!
Provide a good-quality dog bed
Another good move is to provide a comfortable dog bed your puppy or dog will want to use. You may want to have more than one, so the dog has a choice of where to sleep. Make sure one bed is in the same room as the sofa so there is an alternative there. That way the dog won’t see the sofa as the only option.
Remember to supervise the training process
When you are training a new dog to stay off the sofa (and other furniture) in your home, it is very important to remember they may forget their training if you are not in the room. As such, make sure someone in the house is available to supervise at all times. This vastly reduces the odds of the dog having an opportunity to get on the sofa in the first place.
Take appropriate action if you find the dog curled up on the sofa
Many people make the mistake of punishing their dogs or being aggressive towards it if they find it on the sofa, or doing something else they want to prevent. This is not the right way to go about things. Instead you must speak with a firm and clear voice. “Down” is the best command in this situation.
You may need to carefully pick up your dog and put it on the floor as you give this command, as they may not understand the message at first. If this happens a few times you may well find they eventually understand the command and get down by themselves.
In short, a proper training process and a firm boundary not to sit on the sofa in the first place should help instill the right way of behaving. Remember too that rewarding it for the correct behavior is a positive way of training them that it’s not allowed on the sofa.
