I have 11 week old black lab. Whats the best way to let him know that he is allowed on the furniture but only if invited by a member of the family, never when we are eating or if guests are visiting. He has a massive cushion bed in living room to lie on (he only has access to room when i am there) and another dog bed in his crate.

When at my parents house they let him up on the furniture all the time.
I know he will get bigger and want cuddles on the sofa and i dont mind that as he is a member of the family.
but would it be better to never let him up as other friends with dogs wish they hadnt as they cant get dog off sofa.

Its either on the sofa or off the sofa , dogs won't really distuingish the difference between whether your eating or guests are over. Same concept is about shoe chewing , you let your dog chew old chews and the next day you find your pair of new sneakers have been chewed up. You scold your dog but he doesn't know what he's doing wrong.

Hi ibid,
Sorry, but I don't think dogs should be allowed on the furniture, or beds, at any time.  Should you have guests at your house and it turns into a scramble between them and the dog to see who can get the best seat, even if the guest wins, that person is likley to end up covered in dogs hairs. 
A dog should have its own 'space', that can be a basket or a blanket where it can go when you don't want him/her under your feet.  Have you ever thought that maybe there are times when the dog wants to be left alone and get out of your way?
My advice is to start as you mean to carry on.  Letting the dog on the furniture could be storing up trouble for the future.
Best wishes
Harry C

Aaah- but there's nothing nicer than cuddling up to a warm furry friend on the sofa ;)- ALL my dogs come up for a hug every evening and I'm afraid that anyone who objects to dog hair just does'nt get asked again !!! LOL

Yvonne

I had a no dogs on furnityure policy until about 5 years ago when Jozi came back to live here.  My son ecouraged here, and now she often sleeps next to him on the Sia and I admit she is the most cudly of mine :D

Also as most of my visitors are into dogs they climb up to greet them and undermine my efforts to get them off :D

So it is throws on the Sofa, and also the swivel chairs that Lexi likes so much, but they all know the Word off, and respond or else :D

I am sure many mambers of my family don't vusut me because of the inevitability of dog hair, but that risk existed even when the dogs weren't allowed up, as it gets everywhere.

After all it is their home and mine not visitors.

If you'll never object to a wet, muddy adult dog (as opposed to a small, dry, clean puppy) on the furniture, go ahead. He will neither know nor care about the difference!

Wouldn't you dry and clean the dog before letting it in the house / front room ?

Also, if you have a good tough leather sofa like us a bit of dirt really isn't the end of the world is it ?  Hmmm...bit of dirt compared to a genuine loving hug from a big furry friend...I know what I would choose :)

Some houses don't give you that option. ;) And when it's pouring with rain, you've got to come indoors ...

Besides, I've made the mistake of allowing dogs on the furniture. It's very unpleasant to have your sofa soaked by an elderly, incontinent pet. Of course, by then you just have to put up with it, because it would be incredibly unfair to change the rules after all that time.

Good grief, wet muddy dogs won't even make it into the lounge, let alone on the furniture in our house :D :D :D

Our dogs are an important part of our house - but the furniture is for humans, not the dogs. Our older dog is allowed up for a cuddle with hubby in the evenings IF the throw is on, but he would never get on the sofa without being asked. Younger dog has never been on the sofa - she doesn't know any different :)

Daisy

All our dogs have been allowed on the sofa and our bed - I have never had any problems.  The dogs we have now, and three and a half year old springer cross and a 17 week old boxer know when they are allowed and when they are not.  Quite simply if we are eating they lay on their bed in the frontroom, all we have to say to them is 'go lay down' and voila, they do and they don't move from their bed until I give the 'release' command and then when it's time for a cuddle we pat the sofa and say 'up' or 'cuddle' and up they come - it's the same with the bed, when I'm reading they can both be on the bed, but when it's time for lights out I simply say 'bed time boys' and off they go.  OK, sometimes the pup waits till I'm asleep and then he sneaks back on the bed, but he gets off when my OH tells him to with no problem.

And when guests come round (which is not often as we're anti-social b*88**s LOL) they have to accept the rules by which our household lives by - if they don't like it then basically that's tough :)   I'm aware if some people don't get on with dogs and will keep the dogs by my side, that is basic manners, but otherwise our dogs continue to live by the 'rules' we have set, guests or no - it's their house too :D

Tara x

Indeed, I personally don't understand having dogs and not letting them on the furniture - the best bit of owning a dog is settling down for a cuddle, if you never cuddle up with your dogs you'll never have the same relationship with them as someone that does.

Can understand it I guess if they're *only* working dogs and don't live indoors dogs but not pets.

To the OP - I think you're looking at this backwards, the important thing is that your dog gets off the sofa WHEN ASKED, provided he does that then there's no problem . . . .

When I want a cuddle with the dogs, I get on the floor with them - I'm not proud! :D :D

I don't mind the dogs on the furniture as long as they don't sit on me!

That's just what I'd do Jeangenie!  Rather the floor than the sofa getting all dog hairs all over it!! :D

>Indeed, I personally don't understand having dogs and not letting them on the furniture - the best bit of owning a >dog is settling down for a cuddle, if you never cuddle up with your dogs you'll never have the same relationship >with them as someone that does.

Good grief! :) Cats are for being on the furniture and cuddling on your lap or next to you, dogs stay on the floor at all times. :p The close relationship with them you get via the training -nothing beats training for getting close to your dog. :D All my 9 dogs live indoors but I could never imagine them on the furniture or especially in my bed -the very thought makes me shudder. :(

Good job you don't let your dogs on the sofa then - I don't think they make one big enough for 9 dogs :)

Some people fear that letting your dog on the sofa / bed is basically telling the dog that they are equal to you and that you will invariably get 'dominance' problems from them - personally in over 20 years of dog ownership I have never had a problem and all the dogs I have had have been allowed on the sofa or bed when they are invited to, they get off when they are asked and they stay off (apart from a cheeky puppy at the moment who is still learning - but to have a 17 week old puppy loose at night with no fear of toilet accidents or bad behaviour is pretty much amazing in itself and again some people will tell you that it is virtually impossible to acheive this by this age - he has actually been loose all night since he was 12 weeks old !).

I think the main point here is that if you can train your dog well enough to understand when it is acceptable to be on the sofa and when he/she must stay down then you haven't got a problem - it's a matter of preference, you really must bring your dog up for you and not what you think others find acceptable - he will always be there for you and wont judge you because you have just got lipstick on his head when you kiss him, so why should you worry if people who come into YOUR home get a few dog hairs on their clothes, they brush off don't they  :)

"all we have to say to them is 'go lay down' and voila, they do "

Ooh, BoxerMum, was that a bit of French in there?LOL

LOL - I must admit to that being one of the few words that I remember from school :)  was a laugh when my daughter asked for help with her french homework ! :D

So what you're saying is it's easier to train a dog to get off the furniture when required than to train your daughter to do her French homework...;)

Busted :)  Oh yes, far easier to train a dog to jump backwards through a hoop whilst barking the national anthem than it is to even attempt to understand the teenage language and work out if 'hmmflluuufffggghhh' means 'yeah, i've got homework....and !'

Well we always have had a large "dog" sofa near the fireplace. Our house can be a cold and draughty place in the Winter, and to keep chills away from the dogs (and ourselves) we prefer the dogs to be off the cold floor.They can lie on big floor cushions if they want to,but in the main they like the sofa in the evenings, and my bed in the night,depending on the current breeds.I do recall when we had 2 big English Setters once,I was the one usually on the floor by the morning!
Modern houses don't have draughts,so in this case the floor level would not be a hardship for your dogs.

If he gets up and hasn't been invited, he should be turfed of unceromoniously.  My dogs always 'ask' me if they can get up, and most of the time I do say 'yes' but if it's not convenient, I simply tell them to go on their beds.... You must be consistent, unfortunatly the rest of the family aren't consistent, and as a result they get 'bounced'.....

My dog is only allowed up when I allow it, and he knows this by the fact I put a special blanket on the chair, when I lie it out and say 'come on then' he comes up. Have never had a problem with him getting on at any other time :)

My two are not allowed on the new sofas in the lounge, they did try when we got it but a quick no and they stopped, but they are allowed on the old sofas in the back room. They seem to have accepted this as their little lot and seem quite happy!
They do come in the "new" lounge but just lay on the rug rather than trying to jump up.

My dogs are allowed on the sofas but when were eating they know they are not allowed, never taught this so was impressed when they didnt try to jump up. Also if we have guests they tend to lie on the floor and ask for permission if they want to get up. But if i tell them to get down they will straight away everytime. Its nice having cuddles on the sofa we all can get really comfy

Hi - This conversation seems to have degenerated into an argument either for or against dogs being allowed on the furniture.

To bring it back to where it started - it's your dog, it's your house, so you choose whether you want him on the furniture or not. 

But be consistent - on the furniture means on the furniture is ok ALL the time - whether you have guests over or the dog's muddy or not.  If you can see some situations when you wouldn't want the dog on the furniture, it's better never to let him up.  You can't allow him up and reward him with cuddles and love sometimes and other times shout 'no' and 'off' at him - all you'll end up with is a confused dog which is being punished when it didn't know it was doing anything wrong.  Be consistent and see it from the dog's point of view. 

Exactly, onetwothree! :) Consistency is the key in all aspects of dog ownership. Allow your dog on the sofa only if you will never object to your furniture covered in hair and mud, or (accidentally) soaked in urine. All or nothing.

I don't see an arguement, just peoples opinions ?

However, your statement above is very black and white - dogs are intelligent animals and are quite capable of understanding when they are and aren't allowed to do certain things in certain situations. Ours understand the sofa situation perfectly and have developed their own set of 'rules' :

1) If they are allowed in the Front room and there's an empty chair they can nab it.

2) If a human comes in and wants it we tell them down (no shouting needed !) and they vacate it.

3) If there's someone sitting on the sofa they go to the person and sit and wait to be invited up, or be told to go to stay down.

None of this is through specific training it's just evolved naturally in the family and works for everyone.

Regards guests, perhaps I'm rude but this is my house and my rules, they know we have dogs and they know they are allowed on the furniture - if they don't like it they can not come round, though it's never yet stopped anyone and most call the dogs up for a cuddle :-)

Each to their own of course but this works for us.

Yes, have to agree, we have a similar set of rules. The dog is never allowed up on the furniture if someone is on it unless they invite him up. We did this by teaching him the 'up' and 'off' commands. He is absolutely fine with this.  However, if there is a spare chair going, then he will sit on it, unless we tell him to get off. He also knows that he is never allowed up on the furniture while we are eating.  We started off by putting him in his crate in the living room, while we were eating and then when he was calm, let him out. As long as he stayed calm he was allowed to mooch around while we ate, which worked perfectly. Given he's a very hyper puppy, he has understood the rules very well.  Personally, I love having a cuddle with him on the sofa - I appreciate that not everyone does, but he is a very short dog and crawling down on the floor to cuddle him all the time would do nothing for my joints!
So yes, it is definitely possible for them to understand when they are allowed up and when they are not, but the key is working out what you will allow and then being consistent with it.  His party trick, though, is to wait until someone nips off to the loo and then steals their seat. When they come back downstairs, he lies on his back and drops his ears because he knows he'll be made to get back off again! Even when he's seemingly fast asleep he can sense a warm empty chair!

Sounds very much like our house Dylansdad. I think dogs understand far more subtleties than we give them credit for - personally I like them sharing our evenings including coming up for hugs and cuddles on the sofa, but if there are occasions when I don't want them on the furniture then it really is'nt a big deal to get them to stay off. Yeah I know it's inconsistent but it works for us and has never caused any confusion on their part. They seem to be masters at reading our body language and have a knack of second guessing what we will say/do - I may be lucky and just have very bright dogs but I think that most dogs understand more than we give them credit for - just watch their interaction with each other :D.

Yvonne

I wouldn't say you were being inconsistent - so long as 'off' means they do get off (with or without other human intervention).

Also make sure you don't confuse the issue by using 'down' - many owners do this, which, when they've taught the dog that 'down' means lie, really confuses the dog, and often leads to aggression bought on by confusion/fear...

Yep, I think that is what has been said on here - or at least what I have said a bit further up :

"I think the main point here is that if you can train your dog well enough to understand when it is acceptable to be on the sofa and when he/she must stay down then you haven't got a problem - it's a matter of preference, you really must bring your dog up for you and not what you think others find acceptable - he will always be there for you and wont judge you because you have just got lipstick on his head when you kiss him, so why should you worry if people who come into YOUR home get a few dog hairs on their clothes, they brush off don't they :)"

So to the OP here - there is no right or wrong - it's *your* dog, it's *your* house so it's totally up to you :D

mine are allowed on any furniture they want,if i need them to get off i say "get off for abit guys" & they get off.as for hairs...well if people/guests mind them theyd better not come to my house!!!

I started off years ago with many good intentions, but somehow after a few months just really wanted dogs next to me on the sofa, and so up they came (but they did alwasy ask first) :)

Banya has always been allowed up, indeed we bought our new sofa esp. with her in mind :D :P and she loves to slouch along the top and gaze out of the window for our return, or to snooze on it. She has her own blanket on there but we don't often cuddle, as she's not too much of a cuddly dog on the sofa, although she loves fuss off of it! She gets off nicely when we ask and if she's very muddy, goes into her crate first on vetbed to dry off, or gets a towel dry.

Lindsay
x

"Also if we have guests they tend to lie on the floor and ask for permission if they want to get up. "
How on earth do you manage to get such well trained guests Sonny?????
Sorry - imagination ran wild there for a minute :D :D :D

if mine are particarly soggy,i just tell them they need to dry off on the floor,which they do.its no big deal,they want to do the right thing whatever that may be,however if they did get up when they were muddy of course i couldnt tell them off,id just tell them to get off for a while (which they would!!!)
i guess im quite relaxed in my rules,but i have happy dogs that do what they want within my mild boundries

Yeah , i let all my dogs on the furniture and as well as my cats. It can be really hectic though and i've got a bunch of huge nics and scratches on my leather couches.

We did not allow our Lab up on any furniture till she was about two years old.  I don't remember why we relented but we now have a dog who knows which pieces she is allowed on and which she is not.  She has free access to the downstairs chesterfield but only gets up on the living room one by invitation.  And no, I have never noticed a warm, hairy, soft indentation on that upstairs chesterfield after having been out.  She's even, somehow, learned that our bed, on which she is allowed, is off limits when it is being made, a process that can last all day as bedding is being washed and dried.  We have taught her a command, "FEET ON THE FLOOR" or just "FEET".  She abides by these words, even after Grandma has tried to corrupt her by inviting her up on all the stuff we don't allow her on, LOL.