i have a 3 1/2 month old jack russell who recently discovered that she could jump on furniture... yay. we have tried silently placing her on the floor when she jumps on, and have tried putting her on the floor and saying 'off', but nothing works. she immediately leaps back on again like its some super game. also, everytime i leave the room for 5 seconds i come back in and she's rampaging on the sofas and tables and pulling everything to the floor. does anyone have any ideas on what to do ? my sanity and house (and a pair of rather worried looking goldfish !) are at risk ! help help !
sarah

NO! will only work if your dog understand English........ Or he perceives that you are scarey and perhaps not to be trusted..........
If you encourage the dog to stay on the floor by making sure being on the floor is rewarding you can maintain a good relationship with your dog. If the dog jumps on the furniture encourage it onto the floor (perhaps luring with a food treat, although this may not be necessary) and reward it when it gets all four feet on the floor. Make sure you use the same word (I'd suggest OFF, not DOWN as this is so often used as a 'lie down' command). It is highly unlikely the dog will start to get on the furniture simply to get the reward for getting off, as dogs minds don't work this way...... Don't forget to pay attention to the dog when it is being 'good', as this is equally important as punishing for doing the wrong thing.

just been trying this, but now she seems to have worked out that if she jumps onto the furniture she gets to be lured off and have a treat, so now she does it continuously ! my dog's mind is different i think ! i've been doing the praise when she's being good too, i've always done this - given her a treat when she's been lying down quietly for a while and things.

You don't give the food treat for getting off - you give the food treat for doing something else after she's got off - encourage her by clapping your hands, saying 'oh look!' or wiggling your fingers on the floor...

Dogs like to explore - exploring sofas and the tops of tables is a normal and natural behavior. Small, agile terriers are quite like cats in some ways - they seem to have no fear of heights.

If you find your dog on the furniture tell her to get "off" as you deposit her back on the floor, you do not need to reward her - she will get the message. If you do not have a soft bed for her in your lounge I would buy one for her - as small, cheap washable duvet is great. She will then have somewhere as comfortable as the sofa for a nap. If she was up on the table exploring then you can distract her with something acceptable - a bone to chew on, a quick game of fetch, a kong stuffed with something yummy - anything that will give her the stimulation she needs.

Realistically, there is no such thing as a dog that will not get up on the furniture when humans are not about - although many are great at hiding that from their owners. There are plenty of dogs that as soon as they hear a car or the key in the latch they are back on the floor like lighting - and then fake sleep somewhere else when their owners walk into the house. :-)

I would recommend you take everything breakable or harmful off any table tops that your dog can reach.

Also, if you really are adamant about your dog staying off the furniture there are products that you can buy that give a light static charge when touched.

Stacey

Hi we went through a similar phase with our pup when she was the same age as yours - never been allowed on the furniture, then suddenly the minute my back was turned she'd be making herself comfy on the sofa. I just couldn't get her to stop, so I spoke to the guy who ran puppy class and he said it was basically an attention seeking thing, it was a way of her getting instant attention when I came back in the room - even though it was negative attention. He suggested when coming back into the room if she was on the sofa just quickly pulling her off using either her collar or a lead, (if you want the leave the lead on when your in the house), not saying anything and basically just getting on with what you were doing - it really works, although it does take persistance - good luck.

You could also try putting a run of tin foil on the sofa, they don't like the noise when they jump onto it.
Sandra

she's now growling at me when i try and pick her up to put her on the floor.... i think i'm a bad mother :(

No way are you a bad mother!! This is normal. I hate to say it but I do allow my dog on the furniture (right or wrong but that's the way it is in my house). My dog usually sleeps at the bottom of my bed but when my boyfriend stays Cops always gets right up to the pillows and lies there. When we try and move him to the bottom he growls and grumbles - he's just trying to say he's the boss but he has to be put in his place. Your dog won't bite or anything, she's just saying she's cross with you for trying to move her from where she wants to be!

CG