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?

[Adina P]

leather!!

[Debbie and Thomas]

He has found his cozy place outside of his crate. My vote is to allow him on the couch. With my other dog, the same thing happened, I couldn't find him in the house and saw that he was curled up on the couch in front of the window. That was his place from then on. I covered it up with a nice cozy blanket and during the day-that was his place. We loved it and he never destroyed it or made a mess. If company came over, we removed the blanket.

[Stella]

Sandy, I have a funny story for you. We have never allowed Hartley onto the couch, he tried a couple of times when he got large enough, we shooed him off and thought that was it! A couple of times I have had a suspicion he may have been on there, but never caught him 'in the act'. Well, yesterday my husband came home, but stood outside chatting to a neighbour before he came in the house so I guess Hartley didn't realise he was home. When Dave came in the house, there he was, sitting on the couch just woken up! Hartley was very shocked at being caught and developed the deer in the headlights expression before leaping off the couch and charging into the kitchen, running towards the crate (where he used to hide when he was in trouble) before realising that the new puppy is in the crate and he had nowhere to hide. He then ran crazily everywhere trying to work out what to do with himself. My husband was laughing so hard that he couldn't tell him off!! Since then, I came home today and found him on the couch again, he very calmly got off and came to great me. So, it seems that he has decided he is going to sit on the couch when we are out!! He would never attempt it when we are home though! It is funny because I had just been thinking that he has been behaving so well lately that it would be nice to invite him up onto the couch with me when Dave is at work. Apparently he is a mind reader!!!

[Tamara & Giada]

That is so funny :)

[Sandy]

That is SO funny! Toby just comes up whenever we're up there. My husband likes to sit with him on the couch. We definitely don't leave Toby out of his crate when we're out - you're brave people! In fact, we just got a bigger crate for downstairs, as he outgrew his other one. So we have a sleeping crate upstairs, and a "we're going out and you'd better go in here" crate for downstairs. :)

[Stella]

We didn't leave him 'on the loose' until he was about 11 months old. Mainly we went for it because he was getting stressed about being confined, and hard started to escape from the exercise pen we had (even though we made a roof for it, he still found a way to climb out) and we were worried he was going to hurt himself in the process of escaping! We did lose a couple of cushions in the first few weeks, the feather ones were the messiest!! But, overall now he is really good. The wierdest thing he does is take the phone to his bed, but he doesn't chew it so I don't mind.

[Sandy]

Those are TOO cute! Toby loves the couch too.

[Adina P]

Bella is a riot!