Willow has just started standing up against the sofa , something I want to discourage. She won't be allowed on the sofa and I don't want her to rip the leather with her claws. So, I started today with some clicker training. She jumped up, got ignored and when she put her feet on the floor, C&T. Repeated. Thing is, I think she's associating the whole movement with the click - jumping up, getting down and then she gets a treat, so I started to C&T for the continued behaviour of keeping her feet on the floor. After a few seconds, though, she'd just jump up again. So I'm worried I'm actually training her to jump up. I've only done about 5 minutes of this, but if there's any advice (even just "give it time"), I'd be very glad to hear it.
Re: Training feet off the sofa Ah, yes, unintentionally chaining an unwanted behaviour in with a wanted one So easy to do... One option is to teach her to lie on a comfy mat instead - actively train this so you can cue her to lie on her mat before she gets to the sofa. And never reward her if she has put her feet in the sofa within the last minute (that is not a scientifically derived time period, just a rough guess!). If she does put her feet on the sofa get her off it instantly. She will learn that there is no point in getting up in the first place. You can even go further and give her a little 'time out' for that. When we got our dog Obi we didn't want him on our new leather sofa. So we barricaded the sofa off with puppy pen panels and sat on the floor. After a few days we realised that this was a totally ridiculous situation (yes, it did take us days). So we put away the panels and covered the sofa with an old cotton blanket. After a few more days we started to wonder what the point of having a new sofa was if we were going to cover it with a tatty blanket. So we took off the blanket and everyone sat on the sofa, including the dog. Yes, it now has a lovely 'dog claw' patina but I guess life is meant to be somewhat patinated...(I tell myself : ).
Re: Training feet off the sofa You might find this article useful. It talks about "bad behaviour chains" looking at precisely the issue you are describing and introducing treat steaming as a training method to counteract this this in a positive way http://totallydogtraining.com/how-to-avoid-bad-behaviour-chains/ We are using this in a different context ,but I think the same principle can apply. We are using this method to reinforce the "hold" after recalling back from a particularly interesting distraction, which is continuing to be interesting, but moving away slowing i.e. an excited dog. Our bad behaviour chain in this instance looks like 1. Benson sees excited dog. 2. Runs towards dog. 3. Pauses..and we recall. 4. Benson recalls back..collects treat reward then.... 5. Runs off again!! ;D
Re: Training feet off the sofa [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=8318.msg117451#msg117451 date=1413538476] She won't be allowed on the sofa [/quote] Yeah right! Rachael lasted days,I lasted about 15 months before I got fed up of sitting on the floor for cuddles.....and it took about 18 months before he made it into the bed!!! All the longer members will tell you he was NEVER coming on the sofa and NEVER coming onto the bed ;D If life is to be patinated,I guess it's also meant to be fluid ;D Just teasing Fiona,Rachael has helped out with her usual great advice so hope you can make headway. I did give in but to be fair not until he understood he only gets access to the forbidden by his humans ....he doesn't just please himself .....well most of the time
Re: Training feet off the sofa Gypsy is not allowed on the sofa, but Tatze is. Gypsy is absolutely fine with this and has her lounge bed next to me by the sofa. She tried to jump up at first but I used treats to show her where to snooze. Perseverance is the key, never give in and they will eventually get the message
Re: Training feet off the sofa Thanks for all your advice. We'll see how we get on with our willpower, but for now we're both adamant about the sofa (and bed) thing. I don't mind sitting on the floor to play with her - I sit on the floor quite regularly anyway! But you're right; things change and it may not seem so important to us as time goes by. I've read that article on streaming and it's really interesting. I'll definitely be taking the concepts on board. She's not currently jumping in order to get up; she's too small to get up at the moment, but she seems to like to just put her paws on it and walk along the length of it to see if there's anything interesting up there (there isn't). Another mistake I made at first was to keep the clicker and treats in a certain place. Sadly, she learnt very quickly when I went there and picked them up, she had to be on her best behaviour and any other time she could run riot. Clever, these little mutts, aren't they?! Anyhow, now I've changed what I do, so I always have the clicker next to me and if I click it, I can get to where the treats are within a couple of paces to give her one. Hopefully this will get her thinking that she may get something even if she knows I don't have a treat on me right that second. There's a lot of guesswork going on here at the moment
Re: Training feet off the sofa [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=8318.msg117498#msg117498 date=1413548813] Anyhow, now I've changed what I do, so I always have the clicker next to me and if I click it, I can get to where the treats are within a couple of paces to give her one. Hopefully this will get her thinking that she may get something even if she knows I don't have a treat on me right that second. There's a lot of guesswork going on here at the moment [/quote] I think you are doing brilliantly - you seem to instinctively know what works, well done. ;D
Re: Training feet off the sofa [quote author=Dexter link=topic=8318.msg117481#msg117481 date=1413545449] [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=8318.msg117451#msg117451 date=1413538476] She won't be allowed on the sofa [/quote] Yeah right! Rachael lasted days,I lasted about 15 months before I got fed up of sitting on the floor for cuddles.....and it took about 18 months before he made it into the bed!!! [/quote] A week in our house....and nearly a year before he made it onto the bed. What a waste of puppy cuddles time... We have no cue to get the dog off the furniture. My OH did teach Charlie to get on the sofa on cue though, and the armchair. Just so he has a choice where to sit himself rather than having to take what was left after Charlie decided where he wanted to be. So the cue for Charlie to get off the sofa is "on your chair". ;D ;D ;D
Re: Training feet off the sofa You're doing really well, Snowbunny I'd definitely use the treat streaming method to train the behaviour you want, whether that's 'sit on your mat' or just 'four paws on the floor'.
Re: Training feet off the sofa [quote author=Oberon link=topic=8318.msg117550#msg117550 date=1413562928] You're doing really well, Snowbunny I'd definitely use the treat streaming method to train the behaviour you want, whether that's 'sit on your mat' or just 'four paws on the floor'. [/quote] Thank you, the positive encouragement really means a lot ... you just need to start clicking at me, and I'll be trained in no time We both really enjoy our training time and I want to make sure I'm making it as easy as possible for her. I know she's not going to always be an angel (bring on the adolescence!), but I'm going to work really hard to make sure she's as solid as can be expected, for her safety once we're out walking, and my peace of mind - and sanity!
Re: Training feet off the sofa Before we got Harley I said absolutely no to her on the sofa, upstairs and on the bed. Within the first week she was on the sofa (on a blanket which has now gone!), by the time she was 4.5 months old, she was sleeping upstairs with us, a week after that she was on our bed and has stayed there ever since. In all honesty, I wouldn't change it for anything......I love my cuddles with her
Re: Training feet off the sofa Dogs are so observant of our behaviour and they quickly make associations - we've all unintentionally trained things we didn't want, as a result, at one time or another! You're already ahead of 99.9% of dog owners by clueing in to the fact that it happens and thinking about how to head it off at the pass I think you have exactly the right approach. And you definitely can have a dog that does not go on the sofa or bed - despite all us failures. There are definitely times when I regret letting Obi sleep on our bed (like when I'm teetering precariously on the edge with nary a skerrick of bedsheet to my name while the dog snores, contentedly sprawled out across the middle).
Re: Training feet off the sofa As had been said already, it is totaly possibe to train a dog not to get onto the sofa. Just not my one :
Re: Training feet off the sofa Reading this thread looking round the room Elsie spread on one sofa cuddled up to my husband, Betty laying cuddled next to me with her toy, and visiting doglet Archibald is looking very relaxed in an armchair (he isn't allowed on furniture at home but loves coming here). Where we really decided we didn't want them was on the bed and that worked for about 2 hours when we first got them, now Betty is under duvet cuddled up to me and Elsie is under the top cover because she gets too hot under the duvet. Yes we really managed that one well.
Re: Training feet off the sofa We simply decided that a yellow lab on a dark couch looks like a really cool accesory. It's the one thing she's not eating.
Re: Training feet off the sofa You lot! *throws hand up in despair* *realises will be in the same boat in a few weeks* *shuts up*
Re: Training feet off the sofa I think it's in the Labrador law that they are allowed on the sofa for cuddles ;D I have to say it's the highlight of my day, with my boys snuggled up, one either side of me on the sofa. We got this sofa cover to protect our leather sofa and it's been great so far x http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IHDCLSQ/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item
Re: Training feet off the sofa My OH will not let my two on the sofa, Drift (no 1 Lab) has never attempted to get on the sofa; no 2 would like to They lie on their dog beds at my feet, next best thing for me.
Re: Training feet off the sofa We've just ordered a new sofa .....it's fabric this time,I may live to regret that : I tried to follow Rachael's advice and ask them to show me their selection in Labrador colours ......but we've gone a bit off menu...... We've ordered new rugs too.....these would be ok if you had a black lab but I'm anticipating visible drifts of yellow fur......our current ones match Dexter perfectly ;D I vacuum every day but there is still dropped hair in the rug :....and I count myself lucky,Dexter doesn't have a hugely thick coat to shed an awful lot x
