Help Needed! Need suggestions for keeping of of couch...

[MissPennyLue]

We made the mistake of letting Penny up on the couch when we first got her. We moved & got a new couch 3 months later, and we changed the rule to not allow her on the couch. We figured it was a new setting and if we were going to break of her it then was the time.

A little over a year later, we are still fighting the couch battle. In general, she knows to stay down. If we have company or if we take her to other people's houses she does not get on the furniture. However, as soon as my husband & I sit down on the couch she starts jumping on & off the couch. It's not to lay down, but more to pick. She will jump up & nip me on the back of the arm and jump back down. Or, she will run with her toy & ricochet off of the back of the couch. It's to the point where I sit on the floor & she stays down for the most part if I'm down with her. If I try to get her by the collar to get her down she is play-biting which can really hurt!

Here are some things we have tried:
- spray bottle (no longer effective)
- coins in a can (was never effective bc she thinks is a toy)
- "settle" basically a down stay on her bed or a blanket & she gets treats at random time intervals for staying put. This sometimes works. She always has her bed available in the living room when we are there.
- Putting her in "time out" when she jumps up...basically giving her a firm no & with holding attention (standing up & ignoring her for 10 seconds). We learned this from a behaviorist with a previous attention seeking dog & it worked wonders with him...no luck here
- toys....nyla bones, kongs, some other hide a treat toys for busyness & mental stimulation. This works sometimes, but other times she just brings them with her on the couch.

We really need to get this under control. Any other ideas or suggestions?

 

[Alice Kable]

Sorry, no help here. My dogs have always been couch dwelling lap dogs. Even when I'd take them somewhere like the vet's office I'd sit on a bench and they'd jump up there with me. They have no concept of being a "dog". I have a friend who gave her dogs their old couch when they got a new one!

 

[MissPennyLue]

Sorry, no help here. My dogs have always been couch dwelling lap dogs. Even when I'd take them somewhere like the vet's office I'd sit on a bench and they'd jump up there with me. They have no concept of being a "dog". I have a friend who gave her dogs their old couch when they got a new one!

I'm to the point where I honestly wouldn't mind if she'd just lay down, but she's a complete maniac!

 

[Alice Kable]

[MENTION=2594]MissPennyLue[/MENTION] she is just so excited to be up there and should settle down after a few!

 

[ChanelnBrutus]

Sorry no help here... I love to snuggle up with them on the couch...But dont get me wrong Brutus does laapss on over the couch at times he is crazy also

 

[2BullyMama]

No help at all.... they own the couch, love seat, ottoman, etc , etc

 

[MissPennyLue]

lol, I should have known this was not the site to find help for keeping her OFF the couch!!

 

[Davidh]

Well she is a defiant teenager and will eventually out grow this behavior. In the mean time just keep telling her "NO" and if you have to grab her when she jumps up there and tell her "no" or "down" and place her on the floor. It just takes time and patience. She needs to learn you are the boss.

 

[Vicaroo1000]

I agree with David. This nipping is just play behavior - and if you don't want it, by all means, disagree with it! Bo likes the couch, but Bea can't get up on it by herself so she has to be hoisted up there. The rule at my house is, if you're on the couch, it's nap time and that includes when both dogs are up there. If they start to get squirrely, I disagree with the behavior and off they go. They catch on fast.

 

[RiiSi]

We didn't have a couch, only big bean bags when Usko was a puppy. No that we have one he doesn't even understand that he could get on it
Try to make the couch an unpleasant place for her. Put some sticky tape or sellophane or something on the couch that she might think feels unpleasant in her paws???

 

[Bizzymammabee]

When you figure it out let me know. Raven has always been allowed up on the couches. Sadly it has taken it's toll, especially with her jumping on and off as well as dragging her bone on there to eat. The sofas are scratched to hell and back. We are going through the house room by room and repainting and want to buy new couches. We are trying to wean her from sitting on them, but she just loves to be wherever we are. Not sure if I am just going to have to put a blanket on them and take them off when we have company.