Pros And Cons Of Letting Your Doodle On The Couch.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Lately I have been wondering if our rule to not let Darwin on the couch is a bad one. We have only see him try to get on the couch twice, once we walked in the room and he was curled up and sound asleep. I would love to have him hop up and cuddle with me rather than having to sit on the floor... but I don't know if this would have negative consequences.
We initially didn't let him up for two reasons.
-We were afraid this would be a big contributing factor to the doggy smell. We bathe him every week, so perhaps this is not really a huge concern.
-I heard some information about how your dog may be confused about his place int he "pack" if you allow him to inhabit all the same spaces as you, such as a couch. Is this just mumbo jumbo in your opinion?

Do you allow your dog on the couch? Do the pros outweigh the cons?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I don't let Guinness on the furniture but I do let him on the bed...when I invite him. I keep a washable comforter on the bed, so that's not an issue. I have noticed that his nails have made tiny pulls in the comforter, so I would be worried about what he could do to the fabric of the other furniture. Also, since our recent battle with giardia I have been really thankful he was never allowed to lay on anything that was not easily washable. Because it takes some time before the diagnosis, I would have had to have all my furniture professionally cleaned to be sure that it was sanitary.

[1xar0x2rcx0li]

Absolutely they are allowed, if we give them to OK first. We almost always do but we like to be asked. A sit first eliminates the flying leap, which has the potential for punctures. Leather couches, clean up with warm water really fast if they get muddy.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Ha love the photo! I agree with you - we give them the okay first also - we do invite them up first!

[Brenda Hetzel]

My dog does not shed but he does stink. Even after a bath it does not take long before they start getting an odor. Plus the fact that they consume things that make them throw up whether that is grass, acorns, their own poop,( yes that has happened), and guess what, that rug you bought for your kids bedroom now has throw up on it laced with dog poop! Not to mention your own furniture! My couches have gone through the ringer with upchuck because we thought it was nice to have our dogs cuddle with us and the next thing you know the are upchucking what was outside that they couldn't resist but was upsetting to their stomach. Now the rule is no dogs on the furniture and we have not had to get out the carpet machine quite as often!

[CCMOM("Diney")]

We only allow Curly and Camo on the couch on weekends. It's a funny rule but it works. On weekends I have more time to clean them after they play and in general, we can keep the dirt off the living room area well enough. The pro is that they are so submissive when they curl up on the couch with us that it's just such a nice feeling. The con is that when it's bed time, they want to stay on the couch and we have to lift them up. they would play "dead" when it's time for bed.

[Christy and Yoda]

We let Yoda on the couch. I had a no couch rule for about a day(ok maybe a few hours) and then we realized that we didn't want to sit on the floor to cuddle with him. Ever since then he's allowed up and we just keep blankets on the sofa. I bought some that are the same color, tan, as our sofa. When we have company I just yank them off and tada, we have a clean couch. The only drawback that I have found is that he has no boundaries when we have company. It can be a bit shocking for our guests when they have an 80 pound dog launch himself onto their lap when they sit down. We obviously try to keep him down, but sometimes he sneaks past us!

[Doris]

Bodi is allowed up on all furniture. He loves to sit with us on the couch. I'm sure he sleeps there during the day. He doesn't shed much and does NOT have "butt ickies", no, not ever!! My son has been home sick a lot and Bodi lays at his feet. I wouldn't want to miss this interaction.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

My dogs are allowed on the furniture and personally, I wish they weren't unless invited! My son started it with his Doberman as a puppy. The son was in the 'rebellion stage' and he would do it behind my back. Until then our dogs were allowed on the beds but not on the furniture.

[Missi]

I think it depends on the doodle's personality. Lizzie is really submissive and we don't have many behavioral issues with her. She's allowed on the couch, but not on the bed (at least not when dbf is home!). I love cuddling with her on the couch when we watch tv, so it's worth it! Usually I keep a quilt on the couch that she lays on, so that it's easy to wash. And I have a dark-colored couch that hides dirt well! Lizzie does know the command "off" and will get down if for some reason I don't want her on there. I think it's totally worth it, except in the realm of guests. As others mentions, not all of my friends and family are used to having a 55# dog in their lap!

[Jenna B. & Chianti]

It is interesting to read everyone's opinions on this. Right now we allow Chianti on the couch, but she is only 25lbs. I could see the rules changing as she gets older & bigger. We love cuddly time on the couch, but really she is just as happy on her dog bed. I guess if we do allow her up there eventually she is going to have to learn to ask...I like that idea!

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

I love that you think the rules will change as he gets older and bigger. We started letting Timbow on the couch because he was a cute puppy. Now he's 65#+ and he still tries to sit on my lap and I love it! He is our baby and although he chooses to be on the floor most of the time and we are trying to teach him to only get on the couch from an invitation, he will always be welcome. :-)

[Cathy, Wally and Peaches]

We allowed Wally beginning when he was a pup but he got so used to our sectional and used it for "sofa surfing" which resulted in tears in the upholstery. He and our 15 lb Havanese would chase each other around the house and he would bound up on the sectional and run around on the cushions. It was a hysterical site to see. He also likes to drink out of the pool and liked to come in and park himself while he was wet. This has gone on for about 2 yrs so we had to throw out the sofa last weekend. It was so hideous looking and stinky.

So, we have another "used" old sofa in place now and we're doing our best to keep him off of it.

Tough decision because it is nice for them to cuddle with you.