hi there, I was wondering should or shouldn't we be letting oscra on to the sofa to sleep? is it teaching him abd habits or is it harmless? Previously i have read articles that same it makes the dog think it is dominant over you etc, but I'm not to sure. Since we first got him i hate to admit i was the person that allowed him onto the counch as i felt sorry for him sleeping on the hard floor; now he has a bed and sleeps in his crate at night, but during the day i do let him sleep on the sofa. I think this comes from my last dog as she had bad arthritis and she was always used to sleeping on the couch as she hated sleeping in a dog bed, the rest of the family all agreed it was a bad idea to let him onto the couch but i felt it was harmless- should we stop it now while he is young.
Re: on or off the sofa We are battling to train our 15 week old to keep off the sofa. Just don't want it trashed. If Mrs GreenBull its there he doesn't even think about going near. However if I am in charge he sees it as a big game to jump on the sofa and the subsequent telling off and removal.
Re: on or off the sofa I don't think it has anything to do with dominance and in fact many dominance theories have been drawn into question within dog training recently. I know Pippa has written about this in the past and if I get a chance I'll try and find the link. I think you have to choose which you want - on sofa or off - for whatever reason and be consistent. We don't allow our dog on the sofa but he's an entire male who cleans himself in his bed and we don't want that on the sofa. If we want a cuddle we get on the floor There are lots of other people who do have their dogs on the sofa and that's perfectly fine too! Although a full grown lab isn't a small sofa buddy.
Re: on or off the sofa I agree with Barbara , I dont go for the dominance theory either, its more about what you do or dont want and sticking to it . We do allow Sam on the sofa , I dont mind at all but if we have visitors, he knows that he will be told to get onto his bed for the duration , same when we are eating . Millie obviously never went onto furniture in her previous life as she hasnt ever tried since we had her , is happy with her basket
Re: on or off the sofa I agree. I think it's just a preference thing. Either you want them on or not. I will be trying to be an off person. Lol we will see how that ends up.
Re: on or off the sofa It is your decision to make. Puzzle is only allowed on the sofa when invited up for a cuddle and the majority of her has to stay on a lap, but that is getting more and more difficult as she is getting bigger and bigger
Re: on or off the sofa thanks for your replying yes i've started reading pippa's book and that's what made me think about the dominance theories being nonsense. Just wasn't sure if it was a bad habit that should be broken. Yes its only really me thta oscar sits right next to sometimes on top of on the sofa (no wonder i can't get him to do what he's told ;D), but my dad was talking about it the other day telling me about how we should be stopping it, but from reading pippa's book its not a dominance related thing. haha oh its the same in our house when my dads home oscars as good as gold, then as soon as he leaves oscar goes wild Thanks Kate, thats great just glad i'm not doing anything that will affect his training. Annette i tried but he cried on the floor and his wee face it was too much, lab's really know how to guilt trip you haha ;D Just wanted to get some advice on the issue.
Re: on or off the sofa [quote author=Puppypal link=topic=4093.msg47975#msg47975 date=1389959609] It is your decision to make. Puzzle is only allowed on the sofa when invited up for a cuddle and the majority of her has to stay on a lap, but that is getting more and more difficult as she is getting bigger and bigger [/quote] Couldn't agree more oscar, is getting bigger now and i think he's starting to need the whole sofa, he starts off curled up, and before you know it he's laying all over the sofa. ;D
Re: on or off the sofa Lol. That's why I said we will be trying.Milly doesn't arrive until Wednesday and I have 7 children to keep reminding that the little cute puppy that arrives won't stay so little very long.
Re: on or off the sofa [quote author=osca link=topic=4093.msg47978#msg47978 date=1389959848] [quote author=Puppypal link=topic=4093.msg47975#msg47975 date=1389959609] It is your decision to make. Puzzle is only allowed on the sofa when invited up for a cuddle and the majority of her has to stay on a lap, but that is getting more and more difficult as she is getting bigger and bigger [/quote] Couldn't agree more oscar, is getting bigger now and i think he's starting to need the whole sofa, he starts off curled up, and before you know it he's laying all over the sofa. ;D [/quote] Yes same here, but it when she jumps off then comes running back to the sofa to get back on again, even though she had no reason to get off. If the person says no she will try everyone else in the room in order of who is most likely to say yes : certainly not daft this little gingernut
Re: on or off the sofa haha no there not, i do agree with what people say about labs they are very intelligent (maybe too intelligent) they certainly know how to get their own way ;D
Re: on or off the sofa Before I got Harley I said not on the sofa, not upstairs and absolutely not on the bed Fast forward a few months: sofa is the normal sleeping place when we are home (she is in her cage when we are out or at work), she always goes upstairs and is now sneaking onto our bed. To be honest, I love it, she is part of my family , but I do understand why others don't allow it
Re: on or off the sofa Hi Naya, It's the terrible pup that is oscar again haha. We were the same but we are starting to let him explore more of the house now as we are building up to let oscar off of his lead. i complete agree with you love having a dog as part of the family, loving having oscar sitting next to me on the sofa. I know i've always been of th impression it was harmless to let your dog on the sofa, but other members of the family were sceptical ;D, good to know other allow it to
Re: on or off the sofa Obi is allowed on the sofa and armchairs (except if he's wet). If we have visitors and no spare chairs he gets the floor though. As others have said, it's totally up to you, but it is incredibly unlikely to cause any behaviour problems. Personally, I like cuddling my dog on the sofa, and I'm glad that my dog wants to sit with me
Re: on or off the sofa yes I'm in agreement with you love having oscar in the sofa ;D - just wanted to make sure i wasn't doing anything wrong
Re: on or off the sofa We've never allowed our pets on the sofa. Holly is very good about it. Cocoa would wait until we net to bed and sleep on the sofa. When she heard us get up she'd go back to her basket.
Re: on or off the sofa I haven't allowed Simba on sofa or bed, for one, he is too big! And secondly, when we got him at a year old we have some trouble with resource guarding, growling if you tried to take things away, etc. So I didn't want to add another thing for him to get possessive about. He is pretty much over the growling and guarding now, but he's got comfy beds all over the house for him to lie on so no sofa for him!
Re: on or off the sofa Most of you know I've only recently caved : Dexter at the grand old age of 14 months was finally allowed on the sofa! ;D ;D ;D A big part of him not coming up was to do with me being actually quite strict with him generally whilst we were working on good manners and obedience.Dexter is our first dog,all I'd read in preparation for him told me that Labradors can be a bit of a handful :so while we were all getting to know each other 'good' habits ( for eg not getting up on the sofa )were encouraged whilst we were working on some of the less appealing habits .... Dexter is generally a good boy who does what he is asked if he understands what is being asked of him.once I realised that he could be on the sofa calmly ie no mad leaps on or off and that he understands he only sits on his cover when he is told he can come up I relaxed.I was fearful of a dog that wouldn't understand and leap up as and when on visitors ;D Now I love my cuddles up there with him x
