Hi I have bought a cocker spaniel puppy, he was 8 weeks old when I bought him, he is now 12 weeks and brilliant he is doing really well with house training, sitting for a biscuit etc, I love him to bits. I love him to sit with me on the couch but my husband does not - he tells the pup "no" and makes him get off when he comes home from work. Do you think I am confusing the puppy if I let him sit with me on the couch but make him get off when hubby get's home?

Hi Guest,

Our dogs are allowed on the sofa, but they are also trained to get off :)  From puppyhood we trained a command of "up you come", giving them permission to get up and "off" which meant they had to get off when we said so. My suggestion to you would be that you ask your hubby to use the "off" command as opposed to "no" and that you invite the pup to come up with an "up you come" command, rather than just let him climb up of his own accord.  Also, although you enjoy having pup come up, if I were you I would also make him get off sometimes too by using the off command.  That way he will learn that he may go on the sofa if invited, but has to get off when he is told.  The best of both worlds :)

Hope this helps :)

Lesley

It might just be confusing him as when ure hubby is telling him no he probably doesnt understand why as he is normally allowed on there. I think you need to decide if he is or isnt going to be allowed on the furtiture i personally let mine on, except when we eat

I let my dogs on the sofa, but they also know the 'off' command, for example at bed time, when we have guests and not enough chairs lol :), or if Ive just washed the cushions ;) they know to wait untill invited, but they sometimes sneak on without permission, in which case they get a very stern 'off' and later, if they are suitable remorseful 'up you come' :D They dont get confused by it at all

We have 2 sofa's, but Spice is only allowed to sit next to me :D on her own blanket.If she attempts to jump up onto the other sofa or into my half of the sofa we tell her firmly 'NO get on your own side' and she flops over onto her blanket.
However if we have visitors and her blanket is removed she has never attempted to jump up but will lay on a rug which is infront of the t.v. cabinet quite happily :)
I guess you have to decide what is best for your own home where pup is concerned to avoid confusion.
Jacqueline :)

We let our dogs on the sofa too but they also know when they are not allowed ie when we eat or have guests, prehaps you could sit on the floor with puppy while hubbie is there and let on sofa when hes gone. Hubbie might feel left out if you two are having cuddles on floor and might even want to join in
Puppy will learn very quickly whats allowed and whats not.

What a clever idea, and so simple...I'll start that from tonight. This has always been a big issue between hubby and me. Do you think it's an association with sitting on the blanket rather than the chair that would stop him jumping up when it's removed for visitors.

Hi,

Why dont you take the alternative option and make hubby sit on floor <grin>  Work out who you would prefer to sit and cuddle on sofe, pup or hubby.....good luck in choosing lol

We let ours on the sofa too. I suppose it depends why your husband doesnt want him up there. If its for protection of the sofa perhaps you could buy a throw and train him that only when the throw is out he is allowed up there.

When your hubby is around, and perhaps he wants to sit with you, you could put the throw down by your feet so that Puppy feels that you are all together.

Sounds difficult I know but ours knows that when the throw is out he can join us. I agree with using the 'up you come' and 'off' commands too. Perhaps yopu could use this command to train him to use the throw.

My other half was the same until our puppy decided that he wanted to sit with him instead of you and he then began to enjoy cuddles too!

Good Luck xxx

I think I must be in the minority as my dogs are NOT allowed on the furniture - ever!   If I want a cuddle I sit on the floor with the dogs.

maybe,but maybe not. it depends how its done,make sure YOU always invite the pup & also tell him to get off sometimes so he dosent think its a autoimatic right!