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Yay! The parents are GONE!
Hi All!
I am still new to the dog training world and I am having some trouble coming up with ideas about this particular behavior. My clients dogs are not allowed on the couch, and they know this. That being said, they wait till their doggie parents are gone to get on the couch. Once the owners are back in the room, they jump down without being told.
If anyone could shoot me some ideas for problem solving this behavior, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. ????????????????????????????????
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9 Replies
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Hi @trainingwithbliss . I wonder if a really cushiony and RAISED dog bed could act as an attractive substitute…? And if the dogs are heat seekers, a towel fresh out of the dryer on top of their bed might beckon.
I’ve also occasionally recommended a nonslip floor runner, nubby side up, to lay on the sofa when the people are out of the room, to make it less attractive and to open up the possibility that the cozy dog beds are a great option instead.
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This makes sense!! THANK YOU! ????????????????????????
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Hi Trinity!
So glad you posted this question as it is a very common problem for pet owners! I usually tell my clients what a “lazy trainer” I am and that I choose to use management. That is, I use doors, gates and crates to keep the dogs where I want them to be when I’m gone.
Currently I have an old dog who marks bedding (including mine, if she has access!) and an adolescent whom I don’t trust to make good decisions in my absence. They have free run of the house when my listening ears are on, but are gated or crated when I’m away from home. Hope that helps!
Picture of my besties for tax. 😉
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Thank you so much! I have suggested this but they don’t seem to want to put gates up 🙁
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Hi @missblissdogtraining ! That’s pretty typical in my experience as a trainer, too. Many clients feel like dog gates are an inconvenience for them to work their lives and decor around doggy gates, but the truth is, most trainers will tell you that they use them in their own homes! Funny, huh?
I have had a dog who could open even the most baffling of gates. She was a beagle. She could open the baby gate that you had a handle on the top of it and had to depress a certain button while lifting in a different direction to walk through…She could open in with her mouth to get to whatever she wanted on the other side. She could also get out of crates (the kind like a clamshell, that bolt together from the outside.). Somehow (this was before doggie cameras were used in homes) she would slam her body into the sides of the gate rhythmically and the outside screws were undone and the crate in halves…she’d have the gate open and be waiting for me happily, sometimes on the couch.
I always tell clients to try the management method (for longer than a week) and tweak things as needed. Eventually, you may be able to dial back on all the gates around the house, because trained dogs usually learn patterned behaviors and they will learn to stay off that couch eventually, even when owner isn’t there.
I know someone (dog walking client, not training) who chooses to use slightly rumpled looking sheets of aluminum foil when he’s gone so his 3 year old Mastiff doesn’t lie on the black leather couch. He has doggie cameras too and seems to work.
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Love this picture of your beauties, @catherine!❤️
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Thanks Paula!
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Hi Trinity, I agree, trying to make the couch less attractive. you could take the cushions up on the end so they’re not flat to lay on. Maybe place a tarp on the cushions. It definitely would not feel soft and cozy.
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A tarp is a great idea, too – makes a cronchy sound! ????
@missblissdogtraining if the pet owners would consider it, an inexpensive removeable couch-cover could be another solution. Slightly more decorative than a tarp, and also removable. ????
Having conversations where we can brainstorm about “what they really want” is important. Try to find out what the issue really is…. is it that the dogs are on the furniture or that they are doing something unwanted (anything) when owners are gone? Is it EVER okay to be on the furniture? Is EVERYONE in the house in agreement on that point?
Sometimes reminding folks (gently) that they are living with opportunistic, intelligent,comfort-seeking beings who do NOT share our values for “what’s expensive” is a fun conversation and worth having. Again, what do they actually want?
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