please help!! Goldie has all of a sudden decided its a good idea to make herself comfortable on the sofa while no one is around. She has never ever been allowed on the sofa and in the house she goes straight to her bed and has done for the 1.5 years ive had her.. Shes done it 3 or 4 times now and either me or the lodger have been in the other room. I dont want to have to start crating her when i go outside but i cant have her destroying the sofa. Her routine hasnt changed, she is well exercised, well trained so i cant understand this new rebellious outburst ....HELP!!!
Re: Suddenly going on sofa I think you will need to leave the door to the sofa room closed when you are not in it .
Re: Suddenly going on sofa Sofa covers and throws are very good things. Then you can stop worrying about the dog on the sofa, and just enjoy the sofa cuddles.
Re: Suddenly going on sofa i dont want her on the sofa though. She has 2 perfectly comfortable beds in the room and has never tried to get on the sofa before. She is also very hyper with physical affection so sofa cuddles are out of the question. Sounds harsh but she lives outside during the day while im at work so i dont want my sofa destroyed or have to cover it in throws as she gets wet and smelly. Edited to say: Shes an ex gundog/kennel bred and came to me at 3 years old. She had never been in the house before i got her and until now has been impecably behaved
Re: Suddenly going on sofa She is not cuddle trained? That's a shame. Sounds like she has the right idea about the sofa though, so you've got at least some natural talent showing in her if you wanted to give it a try... ;D ;D ;D
Re: Suddenly going on sofa Hahah ;D She is very familiar with cuddles but we must keep them to a minimum and under some kind of control as she glazes over, bum goes down and she loses the plot...woooosh
Re: Suddenly going on sofa It's definitely not rebellion. She sits on the sofa for exactly the same reason you do - because it is comfortable. That is the only reason The only one. She's just taken a long time to discover it! If you really don't want her on the sofa (fair enough) then shutting the door, as Boogie suggested, is the way to go. If she gets on the sofa entice her off with nice food treats and give her more food treats once her paws are on the floor or she's on her own bed.
Re: Suddenly going on sofa but how has she even discovered that the sofa is comfortable? Just as we would do when sofa shopping? She is not very often left in the room on her own to have the chance to discover the comfort. It is a really really comfortable sofa so i see her point. She has recently just started growling and barking at strange noises too so i guess its maybe just taken her this time to get really comfortable enough to come out of her shell and try new things. The other day when i was doing housework she was in her bed like usual and every 2 minutes i would go through and praise her for being in her own bed...hopefully if i keep that up she will get the message
Re: Suddenly going on sofa Gypsy is not allowed on the sofa and Tatze is. Gypsy has her bed next to my sofa. We keep the front room door closed 'till 8 or 9pm when we go in to watch TV. There are no toys, chews or anything in there - it's the 'settle down' room. As soon as she was able to jump up on the sofa she kept trying to do so. I had to use her lead to keep her off 'till she went to sleep. It took two months. Now she goes straight to her bed, no quibble, no questions. You just need to be very consistent and more determined than they are
Re: Suddenly going on sofa She has never even attempted to jump on the sofa and doesnt even come near the sofa. There is no playing/running around/games in the house (yes im a strict mummy but she gets plenty exercise outside with me) so the sofa room is the quiet/settle room and has been since day one. When we are in the house she is in her bed or on the hard floor (if hot) in front of it.
Re: Suddenly going on sofa I guess for whatever reason she has now trialled getting on the sofa and found it to her liking. Dogs do experiment with new behaviours Praising and rewarding her for being in her own bed is a good idea
Re: Suddenly going on sofa My, not on the sofa rule got broken by week three. I came down one morning to see the puppy lying on hubbies lap. All I got was a cheeky grin from both of them "but he's not ON the sofa!" !!
Re: Suddenly going on sofa I suppose she sees you sitting on the sofa every night and wants to be near where you were and smell your smell for comfort when you aren't there. When we leave Bob downstairs, he'll often grab something of ours when we leave him (welly boot, hat, slipper etc whatever he can find) and take it into his crate and snuggle up... guess that is what she is doing too. If it were me I'd not allow her in that room at all if you don't want her on the sofa. Bob isn't allowed on the sofa either.. he has a dog bed/mat. He's only allowed upstairs when we are in. The rest of the time he stays in the kitchen/dining room area where his crate is. Lou x
