...how about allowing her on furniture?

[jamiegirl]

We haven't allowed Jamie on the couch and our beds since we got her at 8 weeks. She is now 10 months old and there isn't a day that goes by when she doesn't try getting, at least, one of her hind legs if not her entire self on our couch or bed. Obviously, we have not been that effective in "claiming the space". Here's the thing: we actually would enjoy having her on the couch or on the bed with us once in a while. But we would want it to be on our terms, not hers. She is 80+ pounds right now and not getting any lighter. How do we get our couch potato without confusing her? Any ideas or experiences out there would be highly appreciated.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

You know I have all sorts of ideals for my kids! and my pets!...but they just wear you thin man, they wear you out, they break your spirit ! It is easier to say yes or to ignore because I just have no fight left man!

;o)~

[jamiegirl]

I have to laugh at this comment because it is true. With every single day going over the "Off" command, sometimes I do ask myself why I even bother. LOL

[Lorraine Bromley]

Neely has been encouraged since he came home to be in bed with us and on our furniture too. I also have an older lab shep cross that was never allowed on furniture. She snuck up on the couch to sleep or if we weren't home and we.d catch her and she'd do this sllow mo action move while looking at us as if see i'm looking at you how can I have possible been on the couch, wasn't me!
I have health issues so getting down to doggie level isn't always easy. Having a dog that is always available to snuggle and pet is sooo nice. I Miss not getting to pet Jazzie so much because she is always on the floor. I have tryed to bring her up on the bed but she freaks. I also didn't want her on the bed and furniture as she was a farm dog outside all day and she sheds and has longer nails ect. All good reasons. But not having tht interaction with her as she gets older and I know we won't have her for much longer is not a good feeling.
So when people come over and Neely hops on the couch to say hi and they freak I tell them well your not always here for company and he is and I like to snuggle and I 'm to old to snuggle on the floor anymore. Mind you Neely does listen to off when we have company so they don't have to sit with a dog on their laps. Think about how you want ot be able to interact with your doodle and think about your and thier future health concerns and how best you want to be able to live through those stages too, before you make that blanket statement no pets on furniture.

[jamiegirl]

Your reply is so insightful. There was one evening this week that I was so tired I crashed on our bed. Jamie went up on the bed and my first instinct was to tell her to get off. Of course, at that moment it would have been nice if she was able to just "be there" on the bed with me, snuggled or not. I think that that was her intent. I think that we are going to discuss this as a family so that we could all agree to do it one way or the other. Quite honestly, I think that they were just waiting for me to come around.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

We have a lap dog chihuahua that has always been allowed on furniture. It is really just too hard to tell Peri that she can't follow suit. So I have given in. But she is not allowed in our bed. That is for Taquito only since he is 6.5 pounds. We do allow her to snuggle on weekends in bed, but we invite her up (she can't jump on it anyway).

[Nancy Sunderland]

This convo is too funny for me because I WANT Sable on the couches, but she's too little still to jump up by herself! Maybe in a few weeks, LOL!