Does your dog spend more time on the couch than you do?

You have had your white sofa cleaned twice in the last month. You love your dog like she is part of the family, but you there are certain places that are off limits.

It is normal for your dog to want to spend time on the same furniture you do. She considers your home her den and your family her pack. Togetherness is great, but your new furniture isn´t holding up well to a dog that spends a lot of time outside. The following tips should help you keep your pooch off the good furniture.

1. If your dog already has already mastered the basic commands (sit and stay) now would be a great time to teach the "leave it" and "off" command. When training your dog to "leave it". Put a dog treat on the ground, but tell her to "leave it" when she approaches and block her from taking the treat. Let her have it after a short time. Practice this frequently lengthening the amount of time that she has to leave the treat alone before she can indulge. Eventually move on to other objects rewarding her after a period of leaving the object alone. This command takes a while to teach but is very effective. While she is still jumping on the couch, teach her the "off" command. When she jumps up, take her down while saying "off" and then reward her. After a while, only reward her when she takes herself down. Eventually she will follow the command without a treat.
2. You are working on behavior modification. However, you are still tired of the long black hair all over your white couch. What can you do to immediately stop your dog from jumping on the couch? Try a repellant spray. This spray will keep your dog away from the object that has been sprayed. Remember two things. Keep one piece of furniture untreated so you have a place to teach your commands and test the fabric of your furniture in an inconspicuous area.
3. If there is just a room or two of furniture that you want to keep your dog away from, consider gating off the areas. Indoor gates come in a variety of styles and are most frequently installed without any hardware so they are portable should your needs change. Who doesn´t want to live in a gated community?

The above tips should help you save your sanity and your furniture. Make sure you have a piece of furniture in each room that your dog is allowed on. This should make the fact that certain pieces of furniture are off limits to her much easier to handle. Make sure you reward her with a treat or a favorite toy when she chooses her furniture over the forbidden furniture.