I haven't been on here for a while as life gets in the way, but i just wondered if anybody has any in put in doggy pshycology. Tyler my 16 month old GR has started to sit on the sofa whenever someone leaves the house. He is only allowed on the sofa occasinally when invited. My husband has just gone out and i went downstairs to answer the phone and he jumped of the sofa. He only ever sits on the two seater, not the three seater that we normally sit on. When we are all downstairs he never attempts to sit on the sofa. I have no problem with this infact it makes me laugh, just wondered if there was some hidden agenda.

Dogs are opportunists and will take opportunities to satisfy their desires wherever and whenever the opportunity arises.

I have heard a story of someone who claimed that his dog never went on the furniture until one day he woke up before the alarm and decided to make the tea as he reached the bottom of the stairs the alarm went off and he saw his dog get off the sofa and go to his basket! Seems they can out fox us if need be!
Dapple

excellent :D

You can't have 'sometimes' can do.  That's my opinion anyway.  In our house the dog is either allowed to do something or not and we stick to it, that way there's no confusion.

Hmmm, personally I disagree Chez-swa, "sometimes" works very well, IF the cues are contextual and the dog has been adequately trained to perform behaviours on cue.  For example, my dog is allowed to undo zips and close doors, but she never does this without being cued.

(Can you imagine the embarrassment and chaos if she went around closing doors and undoing people's zips whenever she felt like it?) :D

It is the same with the sofa, you may certainly allow your dogs to get on the sofa or do anything else but only on YOUR terms.

Confusion only reigns if training has been poor/inadequate ie if one is inconsistent by sometimes allowing the dog to get up when it likes and sometimes not; if you are consistent in that the dog is ONLY allowed to get up when you say so, there is no confusion at all.

yeah I see what you mean.  It gets confusing here because the family aren't consistent. Certain things I wouldn't have are dog on furniture or upstairs or begging at the table.  Begging has lapsed, although she doesn't hang around the table the teens I have feed her toast crusts in the kitchen so she hangs around when the bread goes in the toaster.  As the teens are the only ones that use the toaster on a regular basis and always feed her the crusts that is her cue.  Not so much badly trained dog as badly trained family :D

I like the idea of closing doors, I will have to have a go at that one.  She'll touch my hand with her nose on cue so I will have a go at moving that on.  :)

My philosophy is that they are allowed on the sofas as long as they (a) move over if we want to sit where they are, and (b) get off when told. Doesn't always work mind you!

There's enough competition in our house for 'pole' position without the dog joining in :D  Besides, our dog loves muddy puddles and smelly ponds. 

Lucy, do you live in Gloucestershire?  Have we met you whilst out on a walk?  Has your GR been talking to my springer by some chance as the other day I left him in the house (rather than out in the kennel & run) and when I came back he had obviously been on the sofa.  He did it again the other day whilst I was in the shower.

He's nearly 8 and has rarely been on the furniture and certainly has never attempted to get up there before unless on the rare occasion he's asked up for a cuddle.  I also agree that 'occasionally' is just fine and mine do it quite well.  I've never seen signs on my cream sofa before!

I too wondered what has prompted this new behaviour.  Perhaps he's been talking to yours.

You do realise, don't you, that given the chance, the dogs "read" the posts on Champdogs :D :D :D

Thor is generally beside me whilst I'm on the computer, and if I laugh at something, he HAS to come over, stick his nose up to move my hand off the mouse as if he wants to see!

Margot

The BC we had when I was growing up knew that she was allowed on the sofa if Dad wasn't in. If she heard his car draw up, she would get down on the floor and curl up, pretending that she'd been there all along. Mind you, the BC shaped dent in the sofa cushions was a bit of a giveaway!! :D

She also knew the difference between 'bedtime' which meant she should go to her own bed in the kitchen and 'are you going to bed?' which meant to go upstairs because Dad was on nightshift and she could sleep on Mum's bed.

lol collies are very perceptive!!

Margot if you shut your pc down and it makes that tuneful dum dum de dum microsoft noise, do yours automatically jump up and say "oh well, it's time to go out (to the kennel)"!?

Yep - I only have to get up & leave the keyboard and they are at the back door! :D

Mine do that if I get up but they seem to wake from the deepest sleep the moment they hear the computer shutting down!

It's Louise that has the GR, I have Cavs and a Yankee. We aren't in Gloucestershire, but perhaps they've been emailing your boy sneakily?? :-D :-D :-D

My dog does the same - sneaking onto sofas when she thinks no one's looking!
She only does it if everyone's in bed or if my parents are out. If I come in she just stares at me defiantly, if my parents come in she slinks off to curl up in a corner! I can tell if she's been on the sofa by the look she gives me :D
She's allowed on sofas if someone lets her (which is rarely).

Oooops!  Sorry Lucy!

Mine don't stare at me defiantly, they just look up calmly and say 'it is my sofa, after all!'
:-D

My GR does exactly the same thing - she's never been allowed on the furniture, but since we moved to this house 3 years ago, when she was 5, as soon as I go out or to bed she sleeps on the couch!!  I've even seen her put her front paws up on the couch watching my car drive away so she can then get up and lie on it.

In the mornings, when the oh or the kids get up, she stays on there, but as soon as she hears me getting up, she slides off looking guilty!!

Wouldn't really mind - lets face it we all need a bit of comfort when we're in late middle age :D except when she's moulting - aaagh - all that hair on my black work trousers!!

Paula

I know the feeling i wear navy trousers for work and always go back to work covered in white hairs! I don't mind mr t sitting on the sofa but my grudge is he always leaves green slime which i think comes from his nasal area and it's a nightmare to remove off my leather sofa.

Problem is I have parti colour Cavaliers as well as a buff cocker - so the buff and white hairs get on my dark clothes, and the brown and black hairs get on my light clothes! Aargh!!! :-D

Lol you are in a lose lose situation.

Years ago I had a labXGSD boy, and he was SO 'cute'.

He would wait until he thought we were asleep to open the bedroom door and come in to sleep there for the night, and would wait for my OH to go off to work before sneaking up onto the bed to take his place. I would often be nudging my 'OH' to get up, only to realise I was nudging Luke :D

Nah, I just tell people the hair enhances the character of the clothes! :-D