Dogs on furniture

Should dogs be allowed on your furniture? There are a lot of different opinions on this matter. Some people say absolutely never while other dog owners allow their dogs to jump on any piece of furniture in their home. My husband and I do not allow our dogs up on the furniture or beds, but most of our dog owning friends do. My feeling is that it is a matter of personal preference, however, there must be a clear set of rules in place to avoid problems.

Here are a few simple rules you can teach your dog if you want to allow them on the couch with you:

Establish yourself as the leader. This simply means that you set the rules your dog lives by and he accepts that. When you want to invite your dog up, give a command like "up". Then it is very important to teach the "off" command. The rules are simple. Your dog may come up when you give permission and must get off immediately when you say so.

Do not allow young puppies and newly adopted dogs on the furniture until you have established leadership. If you are having behavior problems with your dogs in general, I also recommend keeping them off the furniture. Also make certain everyone in the household is following the same set of rules to be fair to the dog.

If your are 100% consistent in enforcing these rules, you will be able to snuggle with your dog when you want, then send him away when you would like your space back.

Written by Lynette Meissner