Dogs on furniture?

[Geila]

As I posted earlier, we just got a new puppy and I'm debating the whole issue of whether to allow her on the furniture. We don't like having dogs on furniture, having dog hair on our clothes, or having to worry about guests using our furniture and getting hair all over themselves. Our old dog never had any interest in furniture, and he was a very mellow guy when indoors, so that was easy - plus he was 95 lbs! Our new puppy is 40 lbs and will probably only grow to about 50. And she is a boxer so very affectionate and wants to cuddle all the time. And she is so stinkin' cute! I'm thinking of allowing her to be on one of the sofas which I will put a washable blanket on. Of course, that might be a slippery slope that I'm headed towards.

For those of you who allow your dogs on furniture, how do you keep the furniture clean?
And how do you keep the doggie smell at bay - I'm thinking if they use the furniture the dog smell will be stronger?
Have you had success in training your dog to only use one piece of furniture?
And how do you keep your clothes clean if you cuddle with your pet? I find that now I'm covered in dog hair every day! :|(
But she's hard to resist >8)

http://www.missymoostudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/4-copy2.jpg
http://www.missymoostudio.com/2013/07/31/layla-the-boxer-puppy/

[TxZen]

My animals have free reign. Boxer puppies up the ante for that. : )

I vacuum every 2 days, fresh candles and opening windows help. I do launder what I can once a month- pillow covers, dog beds, etc.

[razz]

I have a hard time with pets on furniture. I would not allow kids to do some of the activities that some people allow their dogs to do. There is a place for play and a place to have some manners such as furniture but that is just me.
A puppy is easy to train; it is the owners that are the challenge:devil:

[CathyA]

It's totally up to you.........but it sure is nice to cuddle with them. We keep a blanket over one end of the couch, and then wash it often. Sometimes to de-fur the blanket, I will just throw it in the dryer for awhile. Having fur on us seems to be the new normal. I'd like to not have the fur on us.......but we love our little Suzi so much, it just doesn't really matter.
Your puppy is soooooooo cute! Have fun!

[fidgiegirl]

I knew a woman who trained her dog that it was ok to just just ONE certain chair. Not sure how she did it though! Our shedding guy has never been allowed up, but our non-shedder is.

[mschrisgo2]

My first cocker spaniel came to me as a five month old pup, and she was like a rubber bouncy ball! I was one of those "no dogs on the furniture" people, but that didn't last too long. Our compromise was that she could be on the couch, with me, IF I invited her, by patting the seat. Having her laying behind my head on the back of the couch while I bottle fed first grandson- ah, some of my very favorite memories!

[When he was not quite a year old, he taught her to get on the dining room table by pushing out a chair, and patting the seat! She obeyed instantly, and made the next step onto the table to retrieve goodies for both of them! A boy and his dog, they were born the same year, she 8 months before he, and she lived to be almost 18.]

I recommend investing in lint brushes, not the sticky paper kind, but felted brushes that will last. I have them in every room of the house, by both doors, and in my car; the cocker I have now is mostly white, and that white hair really shows up on clothes...

[catherine]

I'm a total softie when it comes to our dog and furniture. When we had a yellow lab, I decorated the house yellow so the fur/dander was harder to spot. Also, my MIL bought us a leather couch for our anniversary one year, and they are great if you have a dog, because wiping/vacuuming dog hair off of leather is SO easy compared to upholstery.

Now we have a black dog, but I haven't redecorated to match :) However, we do allow her on the leather couch, and try to keep her on a blanket, but it doesn't always work. The downside is that even though I can clean the couch before a guest comes, I'm still very sensitive to how the visitor might feel about sitting where the dog sits. My DIL for instance, never sat with us, but when she did, she used her own blanket to sit on. I was a little uncomfortable about that, but our dog was here first.

BTW: LOVE the pic of the pup!! What a cutie. If she were mine, she could sit anywhere she wanted!

[ctg492]

Well with a dog that cute, how could you not cuddle on couch!
I have all leather furniture for the most part. Leather and dog hair go well, a wipe down and leather conditioner. What is not leather, a damp cloth wipe pushes the hair to the floor for a vacuum . I do this daily with my big dogs. I guess I love my dogs more then a person coming over and does not like dog hair.

[awakenedsoul]

I don't allow my dogs on the furniture. My old dog used to sneak on to the couch after I left for work. She would sneak off of it right before I got home. If I caught her, she'd look sheepish. The dogs I have now are now allowed on the furniture because I used to let them lay on the bed. (On a sheet that was on top of the bedding.) They started vying for the positions and both of them peed on my bed while I was out one evening! It was so gross! (German Shepherds!) So, that's when I cracked down and they only sleep in their dog beds. Last night one of them peed in her own bed! I think they have a power struggle over their beds, too. They switch. So, the clean dog bedding is now out on the clothesline...

I like it better with them on the floor. I love dogs, but if they think your bed is their bed, there can be problems. I've heard of dogs growling at their owners when they try to sleep in their own beds! I used to have a lab that was a sweetie, though. I let him on everything...

Your dog is adorable! How fun...

[catherine]

I like it better with them on the floor. I love dogs, but if they think your bed is their bed, there can be problems. I've heard of dogs growling at their owners when they try to sleep in their own beds!

My dog doesn't growl, but she is VERY persistent with regard to her perceived "entitlement" to my side of the bed, due to the fact that when I'm away on business, my DH allows her to sleep on my side of the bed--she puts her head on my pillow and everything. She really thinks that I'm in her spot when I come home. It's actually pretty difficult, and I wish DH had been a little more firm with her. For her first 5 years, she slept downstairs and never tried to come into our room at night, and then for some reason, a year ago her habits changed.

So, if I were a new dog owner, I'd be lenient with the couch but firm about the bed.

[Tussiemussies]

We allowed our dogs on the furniture. I bought pretty quilts to keep on each piece and washed them once a week. With our dogs, we never had much of a shedding problem. I would keep a clothesline bag outside the back door and brush them before each walk....

[iris lily]

My own dogs can get on the furniture and I really like it when they do not pee on the furniture. Slobber and hair are not a problem that bothers me.

But when you've got a dog who may be dominant, they should not be allowed on the sofa. When we've got foster dogs here they are not allowed on the sofa until they prove themselves submissive to humans.

Peeing on the sofa is a form of dominance that is popular with bulldogs, it is marking their territory. This is one of several reasons why no dogs are allowed here upstairs in bedrooms, no peeing in the bed is allowed.

[Geila]

Our compromise was that she could be on the couch, with me, IF I invited her, by patting the seat.

This is what I want to do! How did you train her?

[mschrisgo2]

Water Goddess, I trained her to be "in your place" first, either on the floor in front of the couch, where she could lean against my feet if she wanted to be touching, or on her blanket on the floor in the corner of the room. This particular dog was very motivated by praise, and very much wanted to please me, i.e. the worst punishment in the world for her was for me to say a very quiet "no" and leave the room. After her solidly staying in her place, I trained her very slowly to "come up" and she wasn't allowed up every day, it really was only when I wanted her there.

She was crated at night until she was two, after that she was allowed to sleep on the end of my bed. And that was the extent of her being on the furniture. She was never allowed on the seats in the car; her "place" was on the floor of the passenger side in the front. She generalized that concept to every vehicle she ever rode in. It really is all about training exactly what you want them TO DO.

[Packy]

Cute, Cute Pup, there! My suggestion: get (or build) the dog its' own comfy piece of furniture, located where your pet can be part of the household. Then, train her that all the other furniture is forbidden, no exceptions. She can still lay around on the floor, wherever she chooses. I think you will be happier, overall, and if for any unforeseen reason in the future, dog must be rehomed, she will be easier to place in a caring, secure environment.

[goldensmom]

With a puppy that cute I'd say 'stay off the furniture, please' then do nothing about it when they get on the furniture. We were persistent and consistant with our puppies. When they'd get on the furniture, we'd sternly say no, lift them off and put them on a sleeping bag in their cubby in the corner of the living room.. Eventually they learned to stay off the furniture. Once in a great while our youngest will jump on the sofa and I just look at her and she gets down. It takes patience and persistence but works.

[Prince Kong]

I used to have my old shih tzus up on my bed. But they were fantastically well trained, and more than that thew weren't wrigglers in the night! Our news one however are a nightmare, and are therefore banished to the kitchen at night. They bark at every little thing that makes a noise in the street, and have the infuriating (occasionally endearing) habit of licking our faces in the night. Worse than this, a few weeks back we had bought the best memory foam mattress topper from Zen Bedrooms (http://www.zenbedrooms.com/memory-foam-mattress-toppers.html) and the dogs managed to get upstairs to it and chewed off a couple of corners! Safe to say we were not best pleased. And the dogs felt it!!

[IshbelRobertson]

I've never allowed dogs on furniture. It takes persistence, but once it 'clicks' in their brain, it's there for life!

My daughter also has a cairn terrier and he has been trained to sit/sleep on one chair in their home... An antique nursing chair in their bedroom... Never on the bed.

[razz]

I really like the idea of one piece of furniture that is the pet's. We had an antique chair that we bought at an auction that our cocker spaniel just loved to sleep in and the cat joined him there curled up together - was a lovely sight to see them! They came at a very young age at the same time and were great friends.

[Float On]

I don't allow pets on furniture. It's pretty easy to say "no" in a firm voice and mean it and correct the bad behavior. The dog has a pillow on the floor of the living room that he knows is his, he seems pretty happy with it and hates it when I wash it. He also has a pillow in the laundry room and I can say "go to bed" and he knows to head there. I always keep him in the laundry room or out in the mostly unused kennel when there is company. I just don't think guests should be subjected to normal sniffing/checkingyouout dog behavior.

[Geila]

Thanks for all the replies. It's been so nice to read them all - especially the pet stories.
Our girl is really well-behaved; she is completely housebroken, non-aggressive, non-dominant, and very sweet. The only two bad habits she has are wanting to get on the furniture and wanting to jump up and greet people. We are working to eliminate the jumping up and she's learning slowly but surely - there's no compromise there. I'm going to allow her on one of the couches and see how it goes. She has several comfy dog beds throughout the house that she uses quite well. But really, the couch access is really more for my benefit than hers - I want to cuddle with her while she's still a puppy.:)

[Teacher Terry]

Our 3 maltese do not shed so they are allowed on the furniture. We just inherited our son's big huskie/german shephard mix that is a shedding machine but at 8.6 years he is used to be on the couch. I cover it with blankets and change them frequently. He is also used to being in bed but we are firm about that and put a big doggie bed on the floor in our bedroom & he is adjusting to that fine. I think the key is to be consistent. Also when we have company we don't let the big guy on the furniture. We only lock up our dogs for company if we are having a huge party (say 30 or more) since we are more worried about them getting stepped on. Generally, if people do not like dogs don't bother to come to my house.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks for all the replies. It's been so nice to read them all - especially the pet stories.
Our girl is really well-behaved; she is completely housebroken, non-aggressive, non-dominant, and very sweet. The only two bad habits she has are wanting to get on the furniture and wanting to jump up and greet people. We are working to eliminate the jumping up and she's learning slowly but surely - there's no compromise there. I'm going to allow her on one of the couches and see how it goes. She has several comfy dog beds throughout the house that she uses quite well. But really, the couch access is really more for my benefit than hers - I want to cuddle with her while she's still a puppy.:)

So sweet! GLad you are giving her cuddle time! :)

[Lainey]

... I always keep him in the laundry room or out in the mostly unused kennel when there is company. I just don't think guests should be subjected to normal sniffing/checkingyouout dog behavior.

Thank you for that, Float On. When I was out this weekend to a house party I was subjected to their dog greeting me by jumping up on me and then sniffing in the groin area. Of course the dog was pulled away, but Geez. To me it's the equivalent of me letting my 3 year old jump up on a visitor and then slobber on them or hump their leg. When did pet owners start thinking this was okay?

[Blackdog Lin]

(this is us, our household.) she is too adorable and we love her too much. sigh.

DOG RULES

1. The dog is not allowed in the house.

2. OK, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.

3. The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.

4. The dog can get on the old furniture only.

5. Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed
to sleep with the humans on the bed.

6. OK, the dog is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.

7. The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not
under the covers.

8. The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only.

9. The dog can sleep under the covers every night.

10.Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers
with the dog.

[Geila]

(this is us, our household.) she is too adorable and we love her too much. sigh.

DOG RULES

1. The dog is not allowed in the house.

2. OK, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.

3. The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.

4. The dog can get on the old furniture only.

5. Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed
to sleep with the humans on the bed.

6. OK, the dog is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.

7. The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not
under the covers.

8. The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only.

9. The dog can sleep under the covers every night.

10.Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers
with the dog.

So funny! This is what I'm worried might happen here.
The only thing that really bothers me is when dogs jump on people. I've gotten lots of painful scratches and muddy prints on me and I don't like it. I think it's the owner's responsibility to train their dog not to do that and to be well-mannered. The sniff doesn't bother me at all. The drool and hair, not a big deal. If the drool and hair is really bad and it bothers me, then I know to avoid going there. Same for my house, if people don't like dogs in the house, they can visit less or not at all. The only time I put the dog away is when someone is afraid of dogs or allergic. Or when there's children who like to torture or harass the dog.

[Gardenarian]

Yes, we are at stage 10 :)
Our two little dogs rule the roost.

[awakenedsoul]

Yesterday I came inside from gardening to use the bathroom. My shepherd mix, (who's not allowed on the furniture anymore,) was stretched out on my full size futon. She looked like she was in ecstacy. "No no no! You're not allowed on the bed!" I scolded her. I made her go lay down on the dog bed I keep in the bathroom. (That's where they're sent when they're grounded.) Sometimes when I come home, I see an indentation on the bed. She's obviously sleeping there while I'm out, then jumping off as I open the front door...

[catherine]

Yesterday I came inside from gardening to use the bathroom. My shepherd mix, (who's not allowed on the furniture anymore,) was stretched out on my full size futon. She looked like she was in ecstacy. "No no no! You're not allowed on the bed!" I scolded her. I made her go lay down on the dog bed I keep in the bathroom. (That's where they're sent when they're grounded.) Sometimes when I come home, I see an indentation on the bed. She's obviously sleeping there while I'm out, then jumping off as I open the front door...

Clever little buggers, aren't they? :)


Our dog's second favorite spot AFTER our bed is the rug in the bathroom. Plus when it's hot, the tiles cool her down. When DIL and DS were living here the dog was NOT allowed in the bathroom. DIL really does not like dog hair, so the bathroom door stayed shut all the time. (unfortunately I only have 1 bathroom--I find it amazing that we were all able to share it for 5 months without any arguments)

I'm projecting of course, but I can only imagine how nice it was for her to be able to return to her little sancta sanctorum after they left. (The dog I mean.. well, it was probably nice for DIL to have her own bathroom at last also)

[awakenedsoul]

[QUOTE=catherine;177101]Clever little buggers, aren't they? :)


They are. They're so funny!

[Yarrow]

All the pets in my life now and in the past, have been allowed on the sofa. After all they are my cuddle buddies. :) I have always kept a sheet or a blanket/quilt on the sofa which is washed weekly. I do remove it when I have guests...

[larknm]

We have three big dogs and one middle-sized one. They are all allowed on all furniture they want up on, which means couch and bed. We have always had a naugahyde couch, so no hair sticks. But we got the current one second-hand and it's worn through in places on the pillows you sit on. I have put very good quality duct tape on those places and cover the seats with a doggy seatcover designed for cars. I wash it once in a while. It fits onto the seats with elastic. If for any reason I need one to get off the couch, I say Off and they do (having been reward trained to do this--like I would toss a few treats on the floor as I said off and they would dive for the treats. They are all allowed on the bed except one of the old ones when she's leaking and if she goes up there then, I tell her off and she doesn't try again until the leaking has stopped. They take turns on the bed--if one sees the bed's full, s/he waits until someone hops off. They are not allowed on the bare sheets, and we shake out the thin cotton bedspreads we use when they've come in with sand on their paws. We have five dogbeds, all designated for certain dogs (one old dog has two), though in the course of things in the night, some may end up on another dog's bed. If the 2nd dog objects, s/he comes and looks pointedly at me and I tell the interloper to get off and the dog whose bed that it gets right on it.
Three of our dogs have orthopedic pain, so sleeping on the bare (wood and Spanish tile) floor except when they choose to would aggravate that. When DH and I are ready to snuggle or go to sleep, we tell any dog who is up near our heads to go to the foot of the bed, and they do and sleep there for the night.

[peggy]

Oh hell no! LOL I look at it this way. I wouldn't want a person who doesn't wipe their butt sit on my couch with out underware. And there isn't even 'cheeks' to suspend the 'spot' above the cloth/cushion. Nope, it's direct contact with a dog! :0! I like to nap on the couch and the thought of putting my face where dog butt has been moments before is just yucky!
Besides, from what I understand about dog training, you are supposed to be the leader/dominant 'dog' so to speak. The lesser dogs expect to sleep on the floor(of course with cushion for those who want/need it), eat last, go out the door last, etc... I really love our new puppy, but she is going to be a GOOD dog, in every sense of the term. Look at the shelters. People don't give up good dogs, i.e. well behaved members of the family.* I plan for our Daisy to be with us for a long time.:)

*yes, yes, I realize there are exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, dogs given up have 'issues' and owners who don't know/can't handle them.

[Geila]

Update: the one-piece of furniture rule has been very successful! She learned very quickly that this was her spot and she no longer tries to get on the rest of the furniture. I kind of wish that I had tried a chair first. I found that she likes using the same spot - which is good - and curling up on a cushion. I have a wicker chair that would have been a perfect fit, and I wouldn't have to wash the whole blanket. I've been thinking of how I can switch her over to it.

I also saw these cute (and washable!) dog sofas at costco:
http://images.costco.com/image/media/oos350-773878-847__1.jpg
http://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature%E2%84%A2-34%22-x-22%22-Animal-Print-Sofa-Bed.product.100084895.html

[awakenedsoul]

I love those! I bought my shepherds beautiful dog beds at Costco. They really enjoy them. You can wash the covers, too.

[Glo]

Our 45-pound pit bull is allowed on our recliners if we're in them. However, when we leave the house, she sneaks on the sofa, arranges the four pillows into a bed and goes to sleep. LOL. All of our furniture is leather, so its easy to dust off.