After a hard day at work, it's great to relax sitting comfortably on the sofa watching TV, reading a book or just chilling out. Your dog feels exactly the same way. He's smart enough to know that the sofa is the most comfortable place in the house.
It's up to you to decide whether to allow this behaviour or not. if you decide that being on the furniture is against the rules for your dog, then you have to teach him to stay off.
If Your Dog Is Not Allowed On the Furniture,
You need to be consistent in your approach. if your dog is not allowed on the furniture, then he must never be allowed on the furniture – no exceptions. All members of your family should be on board with the training program.
If, in the past, your dog has been allowed on furniture and now he is not, it will be quite a difficult task to teach him new rules. Yelling or scolding is not the answer. You need to be patient and persistent, rewarding your dog when he displays the desired behaviour.
You will need to give your dog an attractive alternative to lying on the sofa. If his choice is between the sofa and a hard floor, he will make exactly the same choice as you. On the other hand, if he has a beautiful bed of his own, it will be much easier to get him to use that rather than the sofa.
in the early stages of the change, you could occasionally give him a high value treat while he is in his bed to make it even more attractive to be there.
Manage The Furniture Access.
If you do your best to keep your dog off the furniture while you are at home. he might still be enjoying a comfortable day relaxing on the sofa while you are at work.
You can prevent this by placing objects on your comfortable furniture which will stop him getting up there. This can be as simple leaving some dining chairs upside down on the seats or placing books at the edge of the seats. You can stack the cushions in such a way that they keep him off.
There are commercial mats available which make a noise when compressed. if all else fails, you might want to try this.
Training Your Dog To Stay Off The Sofa.
To keep your dog off the sofa, you need to teach him the “off” cue.
When you catch your dog on the sofa, throw a small treat on the floor fairly close to him. You use the word “off” and signal with a sweeping arm the directions you want him to go. As soon as he has complied with your request, lead him to his bed, reward him with a treat and then praise him.
During the training period, you should reward your dog with a treat and praise whenever you find him sleeping in his bed.
Some trainers suggest encouraging your dog onto the couch in order start the training. This is really counter-productive, and it is better to wait until you find him on the couch before conducting the training.
