Sofa Doodle

[Harvey's Mum]

Hi,

I'm just reading up on puppy training in advance of picking up our little Harvey on Saturday and I'm a little unsure what to do.

Most of the things I have read say that you shouldn't allow your dog on the sofa as this helps to establish that you are in charge. It also says that you shouldn't sit on the floor with them as this still sends out the wrong messages. What do I do when I get him home on Saturday - do we sit on the floor and cuddle him?

What did you lot do about sofas and what was the end result? Do you all have sofa hogging disrespectful doodles or is this not the problem that the books make out?

I'm really eager not to start out doing the wrong thing and having to correct it later but I'm wondering if I am reading too much!

Thanks

Linda

[Doodle Dee]

I actually did play with Lulu on the floor whilst she was a pup whether this was right or wrong made no difference to her. I am the boss and she knows it - I am her only boss hahaha

She wasn't allowed on the sofa - for a long while and when I knew she would more or less do what I say, she would sit on my lap on the sofa, but she chooses not to do this any more (I am a little upset about this as she was warm and snuggly)

I have her special blanket when I put that on the sofa she knows she can sit on it with me - it is lovely her waiting whilst I cover the sofa but...............................

that's not to say she wouldn't whilst I am not looking!!!! Although she doesn't have access to the living room whilst I am not there.

Good luck - I have one piece of advice - don't drive yourself mad too much and always be consistent =.

All puppies are different like children. I have three and they all did things different as babies -one child the rule book was made for her, the other there were no rules made for her and the third went down the middle (as I didn't follow any rules).

[elmo75]

Hello! I'm absolutely no expert but I believe that some of the ideas about pack leadership and dominance (where these thoughts stem from) are a little outdated now. I think it's down to personal choice. You need to reward positives and correct behaviour with a "happy voice", treats and toys. We originally thought we would keep Bronte off the sofas and when she was tiny she didn't get on. As she has got older tho, we decided that we would like cuddles on the sofa of an evening. So she has her spot / blanket and she waits to be invited up.
You must be so excited! Good luck at the weekend and don't forget to post lots of pics!

Ellie & Bronte xx

[EstelleB]

I think for most people, the sofa is about personal choice. My husband didn't want Tia on the sofa, so she now makes it her mission to get up there as often as possible! When she does get up, she tries the dominance thing with the kids so we have to make her get down, but I wonder if she would have been more chilled if we had let her up from the start?

We have always sat on the floor with Tia, you have to get cuddles somehow, and now I often sit on her bed with her when I'm brushing her! Only downside is that sometimes she will cry for someone to get off the sofa and sit with her when we are trying to relax!

I would say to stop reading and go with your instincts, give lots of cuddles (we didn't do this enough because Tia was very nippy, and I regret that) and see where it takes you. Good Luck x

[Liz!!]

It's entirely up to you - i read all that too, and didn't let Lola on my lap when i was on the sofa, only when I was on the floor. She used to sleep on my feet to get close to me.

Then I realised I had missed out on a lot of puppy cuddles! So now she is allowed up - BUT she HAS to ask. And only on a blanket. If she hasn't asked, she gets turfed off. you have to be very consistent with your desires so they get the point. No lap, or no blanket, they don't get up.

I suspect with a bigger dog it would have to be the blanket option as they would eventually get a bit big for laps, but Lola is lap-size!

Unless you have a terribly dominant dog, I don't think the being on a lap matters - you decide when they come up and when they go off, that is YOU in charge.

But if you do that now, it will be harder to keep them off when you aren't there - thus ruining the training - so you'd have to keep 'em out of the lounge when you aren't in it.

If you aren't worried - let them up. It's your dog, your cuddles.

The only proviso I would say, take great care if it is a dominant dog round children that it doesn't see its place on the sofa above theirs - if it growls even once, i wouldn't let it up at all.

[AustinsMumma]

I'm going to say the same old stuff as above
All down to personal choice, and of course the personality of the dog

Austin has been on the sofa from day dot. We don't tend to sit on the floor with him though as he sees this as 'yay they want to play rough and I can jump on their heads and be a tit' time
Our old passed dog however was not allowed on the sofa until he was about 9 as he was a Weimaraner and far too head-strong and dominant. Him being on the sofa at our level would have been a step too far. He was only allowed up when he was aged and was a bit ill, so he mellowed a heck of a lot. And we felt we should make his last time with us a comfy cuddly one.

As Liz has said if there is any growling or dominance at all when they up there, turf them off.
And don't read too much! You'll drive yourself mad

J xx

[elmo75]

We don't tend to sit on the floor with him though as he sees this as 'yay they want to play rough and I can jump on their heads and be a tit' time

Ha ha Jo,
I leave the "being a tit" episodes to Bronte and my husband. And then he wonders why she always tugs at his clothes and jumps on him. Two tits together I say!

Ellie xx

[Liz!!]

And don't read too much! You'll drive yourself mad
J xx

I read 37 books before I got Lola - every single one in the library and bought a load and borrowed some...

What it did was make me realise that there's a load of old-fashioned rubbish out there, still available!

Just make sure the book you read is about positive, reward-led training, with the only 'punishments' being the time-out in another room sort of thing.

Love, consistency, excitement, consistency, consistency, consistency are your best tools, ie making sure your whole family have read the same book, are using the same rules and the same words.

[Ally doodle]

I must say we let ally on the sofa from day one because she likes to sit on you and our youngest child encouraged it no end she now likes to lie on me on the evenings when the children go to bed! Which is fine with me except she is now 23kgs and by the time shes finished my legs are numb but I must say I would miss it if she ever decided not to do it

[Roodlepippin]

Oh no, we never let the dog on the sofa...!

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[AustinsMumma]

Nor me! I think it's downright disgusting

[elmo75]

Me neither!!! Awful behaviour!

[Harvey's Mum]

Thanks all. It looks as though a general pattern is emerging here.

[dutydruid]

DOG ON SOFA NEVER.... YEAH RIGHT


MY Dad always sits on MY sofa.... hahahaha and I try to get him off.... not really I just want to cuddle him but his belly is too big






I prefer my mum in her chair.



But I never get invited up.

[dutydruid]

Ps a good fleec throw from ikea is ideal and cheap as chips. DO what YOU feel is right, I always said no way is he getting on the sofa, now its meewho invites him up. there is nothing better than sitting there and he gets up and sits leaning back next to you then lays down with his paws and head on you knee. or even lays on his back with his head on you....TOTAL trust.