On or off the couch?

[Sandy]

In the last day, Toby has figured out he is big enough to get on the couch. He did it once yesterday, while my son and his girlfriend were sitting there. They shooed him down. Then this morning, it was dark, and I couldn't find the dog. Looked around....saw a dark blob on the couch. Upon further inspection I discovered it was Toby, quite happily curled up on the couch!

Now - I know different dog trainers say to maintain the proper order of things, no dogs on the furniture. And I am aware that sometimes I might have people over who wouldn't appreciate a dog on the couch. But...he looked really cute and comfy up there! :) So the question of the day is....doodles on or off the couch?

[GBK]

We love to snuggle with them on the couch too, how can you resist???

[Nicole Wayne]

Mazie "selected" herself an armchair almost as soon as she was big enough to climb into it. Occasionally, she lets a visitor sit on it, but she makes it clear that it is HER chair and she's letting him or her sit in it out of the goodness of her heart (such a big heart!)

The good news: having her own big, comfy armchair smack in front of the window in the living room keeps her off the couch and its matching armchair. The bad news: "her" armchair is (make that "was") one of the nicest pieces of furniture I ever owned. A hand-me-down from my parents, the chair has a fancy pedigree and has survived, frame intact for more than 30 years.

Sadly, it is now a complete eyesore as the fabric has been destroyed by years of wear and my alternately wet, muddy, snowy, and constantly shedding doodle. I looked into it and found that it would be more expensive to have it slipcovered than to actually purchase a new chair. Plus, why would I spend money sprucing up or replacing a chair that is used nearly exclusively my my dog? But, on the other hand, can I continue to live with a hideously worn and dirty armchair in my living room? To make matters more complicated, whenever somebody comes over, Mazie's chair is the chair they automatically gravitate toward due to its placement in the room. But I can't move it because then she'd lose her crucial spot by the window. A conundrum, to be sure. But back to the original topic, for a moment: Mazie doesn't get on the couch!

[Valerie and Cody]

I really like the idea of inviting him on the couch. There's no reason you shouldn't have a soft, comfy place to cuddle with Toby, but he does need to know you're the boss. So, make him stay off the couch / bed / chair until you invite him up. You could even have him do a trick first, so he knows he really has to work for the privilege. I typically make Cody sit before we do anything...that includes going outside or getting in the car.

Good luck!

[chastity]

send a pic of toby on the couch :) just so we can all get the full effect of him all comfy on it!!

[Sandy]

I should have taken a picture, but I didn't. He did look precious up there.

[Sandy]

Picture coming - Toby just casually climbed on while my husband was actually sitting there. No feelings of guilt at all. :)

[Sandy]

Here it is, the picture of Toby, quite content, and blatantly on the couch.

[Kay and Tanner.]

Tanner is also allowed on the couch...Thats where he usually spends his time...He loves sitting on the armrest of the couch and looking through the window...My set is also leather, its so easy to keep clean, the car is also leather, we just put one of his blankets on the seat...He just loves it when we sit down with him.

[Renee]

I was going to keep our Taffy off the couch but I couldn't resist cuddling with her. She keeps to the floor or her crate all day and at night we have our snuggle time on the couch.

[Jen]

We used to let Gingy on the furniture and are now training him to stay off it. It's not a big deal to us, but when the kids have friends over, we've found that Gingy won't stay off and will just jump right up on top of them - we're talking 7,8, 9 year olds. He leaves his stay and goes back to the couch the second I leave the room! He's a bit of a sneak in that way! He thinks he's one of the boys and should be there with them. I actually love having him on the couch because he's so cuddly and it's easier to groom him there. The plan is to retrain him not to get on the furniture and when that's ingrained, retrain him again to only come up when invited. I have friends who did that and it works so well for them. I really wish we'd done that from the beginning. Hind sight!

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

We have a cover on our couch so the doodles are welcome. Sometimes there are more doodles than humans on the couch. Mariner will lay down with his head on Boomer - they will sleep that way. Each one has a specific place on the couch that they like.

[Barbara Burrows]

We keep Abby and Molly off the couch. They are allowed on the bed. When we had 1 dog she waited to be invited before she got on the bed. After we got Molly they race into the room, jump up and make themselves comfortable..