Have I ruined her!!?

[Amanda & Riley]

It all started when Riley was a 3pnd puppy! So small and cuddly... we would pick her up and snuggle up with her on the couch... innocent. Now that Riley is pushing over 30 pounds the couches are like a play pen to her. She runs all across them, is really rough ont hem and has to be near me on them ALL THE TIME. Whether its sitting on top of me, pushing my boyfriend off and taking his place or whichever. She acts like she owns them! I am realizing that allowing this behavior may contribute to her partial dominant behavior at home.

For instance, when I tell her to do something... she usually will, but will "back talk" first. Give a little growl.

 

We've decided that we need to train her that she is no longer allowed on the couch : / I will miss the snuggle time!! But how to do this?? Tonight while watching tv, as she would jump onto the couch I would say off, pull her off and then give her a treat. I thought this seemed like a tactic my trainer would suggest.

However, she realized that I had the treat and started barking non stop.

Does anyone have any suggestions??

Thankyou! 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Sounds like you have a problem with dominance for sure--better get on it right away. I am sure there are other discussions you can search for about proper training--there is so much you can do and NEED to do before it escalates. Some people have tried leaving the room and not coming back until the barking stops--ignoring her completely! Every time you tell her to be quiet as she barks, you are rewarding her behavior with attention--And if she gets that excited about a few treats, I would not offer them anymore for good behavior--a pat on the head will have to do! 

My puppy has been leaping up on my lap lately and I know what you mean about growth--he is almost 40 pounds now. I have gotten him down, told him to sit, then asked him to come up. That way, it is my decision not his--and if I want him down on the floor, he stays there. He is very dominant with my other two dogs ( one is his mom!) so I also take his favorite stuff away from him constantly so that I do not become dominated too. I reward him for letting it go easily--which he usually does. 

Good luck with this--you  may just be entering a rambunctious stage, but you need to be the boss and that has to start right away. The growling is a very bad sign.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I agree with Ginny. I do not tolerate the back talk and Bella started it when she first came to me at 10 weeks. She would stand under foot while I prepared their meal and bark and bark. Kind of a "Hurry up woman" sound.  I would tell her no and walk away from the bowl. Or tell her to sit and wait. If she sat I would proceed if she got up, I'd stop again and walk away. She soon learned and has waited patiently ever since that has stopped.

You can firmly tell her "off" the couch and repeat as needed. Bella gets fixated on treats too so when I am teaching her things I have to do head rubs and smiles and pats with an occasional treat, but barking would mean NO treats whatsoever! She will figure it out quickly, as all of our doodles are so smart. Good luck.

We are working on sock eating right now and it's pretty amazing how something she's been doing for over a year has almost completely stopped with consistant training. You can do it!

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Just one suggestion.....you said as she would jump "onto" the couch you would say" off" and give her a treat......you need to say off when she is jumping off of the couch...otherwise you are actually teaching her that "off" means "jumping on".  Does that make sense?  You have to get the behavior before you can name the behavior.  Good luck!

[Amanda & Riley]

Thanks for the suggestions. I like your suggestion Ginny about making it your decision if she is allowed up or not on the couch. Im just not sure if riley wou ld get that or not... since she has been allowed on so far.

I am going to stop using treats and instead a verbal/physical praise and see if that helps.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

I had this problem when I had Shih Tzu's, both of them would take over the couch.  They would just want to be up there with me but then I was shoved into the corner and they hand the whole couch to stretch out !!!  I eventually borke this habit, it took a while but I was persistant.  EVERY time they jumped up I would place them on the floor and say NO !!  Of course this would go on for about 50 times a night but they eventually got it.  If I would see them get ready to jump I would say NO very sternly and it worked after about a month of this !!!  They would eventually curl up on the floor right in front of me.

 

With the doodles now..... Sasha comes up on the couch with me, she is only 50 lbs., Oliver is 75 so we all can't fit on the couch so Ollie knows that he cannot come up when Sasha is up there with me.  If I am on the couch and Sasha is not I let Ollie come up and snuggle with me be he only stays up there for about 10 minutes then jumps off.  I really never had to train them they just worked this out them selves :)  My suggestion is to BE PERSISTANT, she will eventually get it, it may take a while but she will learn.  When she barks IGNORE her, Oliver barks in my face while I am on the couch, he wants me to pet him or play, I ignore him completely and just turn up the the TV - LOL, once he is quiet then I give him some lovin' and play a bit.  He is learning that "I" control what he gets and when.  Good Luck and remember PERSISTANCE !!!

[Becka]

Amanda, I think you can train Riley to come up on the couch when invited and that she can only stay on the couch when she behaves nicely--i.e. sits next to you and doesn't try to push you or anyone out of her way. I don't think that the fact that she comes up on the couch now will interfere with that, as long as you are firm and consistent with the rules. I like Ginny's suggestions about ignoring her bad behavior and rewarding the good. I don't think you've ruined her. :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

It is definitely possible to train her to come up only when invited.  My guys aren't allowed on furniture, but I do let them on my bed in the evening.  They will sit by the bed and wait for me to say "okay up".  When I want them to get down, I say "off" and they know just what that means.  I actually found this pretty easy to train, and I like that cuddle time is on my terms.

[KAHLUA]

How about THIS one?  Could this behavior be called dominance?  We will say "up" when we are on the couch and pat the spot where we want her to sit.  She will look at us, turn her head and (I swear) look out of the corner of her eye and see if we are looking at her.  We'll say it again, and she will totally look away.  We have learned to just ignore her, like she ignores us, because as soon as  ignore her, she will instantly jump on the couch and sit nice and pretty, as if to say....."I will come on the couch and sit with you when I want to and not when you want me to."  I believe she may have trained us?  Am I imagining this behavior or not?  Oh and let me also mention, if we are not on the couch, she will sit in DH's seat.  When he comes to sit on the couch she will get off the couch, allow him to sit in the spot, then sit next to him with her back towards him as she knows he will ask her to sit next to him on the couch.  Then the the whole ignoring thing begins until SHE is ready to sit next to him.

[Adina P]

It will take some tough love but you can do it! It will feel like you are hurting her feelings but you won't be. I wouldn't bother with a treat because this isn't a command or trick but merely new expected ALWAYS behavior (no couches) at least until she is a more calm and mature dog. Just get her off the couch quickly and say some kind of verbal correction and be consistent. Crate her if she is ornery. Have a comfy dog bed to redirect her to.

[Carol Brand]

I don't allow my dogs on my furniture. First, dogs are dirty.  I have show dogs who get bathed once a week, but I can tell you, that they still get dirty.  Allowing dogs up on the furniture is a sure way to quickly ruin a good couch or chair. I can't imagine asking guests in my home to sit on furniture that the dogs have climbed all over and slept on (remember.... not everyone is as enamored with our dogs as we are).

 

Next, in my experience, allowing dogs on the furniture confuses status in the home.  This is especially true if there are children involved.  I think allowing dogs on the furniture can lead to resource guarding of space and people.  I know that the first thing the "Nothing in Life is Free" method will tell people is to keep dogs off the furniture and on the floor.  

 

My advice is to make the furniture off limits.  I don't think it is fair allow the dog up sometimes but not others.  If you want to segregate and allow Riley up on the bed, then fine, but keep her off couches and chairs.  If Riley gets up on the couch, tell her OFF! in a stern voice that makes it clear that she has done something wrong.   If she does not get off, take her collar and pull her off.  DO NOT REWARD HER WITH A TREAT.   Being given the OFF! command or having to be pulled off is the consequence for having gotten up on the furniture.  If you are watching TV, tell her to GO LAY DOWN or whatever your "settle" command is.  PRAISE her when she settles into her own bed or down on the floor.  If she is going to be a brat about it and sit there and bark at you or constantly jump up on the couch, then I'd crate her for 15 minutes to let her think about her actions.  Let her out calmly, take her and show her her bed and tell her to GO LAY DOWN.  PRAISE and TREAT her if she does.

 

As far as the rest of her behavior, she is shaping up to be very pushy.  She is demanding attention and space on her terms.  The talking back makes it clear that she does not take you seriously and that she does not recognized your roll as leader.  Have you ruined her?  No.  Have you encouraged this behavior?  Probably.   I would Google NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE and start implementing some of the suggestions.  You need to bring some structure into your home.