Keep Your Dog Off the Furniture

Any dog owner will know the difficulty of keeping their couches and chairs clean. During the height of the shedding season, it’s almost impossible to keep their fur off your furniture and off your clothes.

The easiest way to stay clean is to keep your dog off your furniture. How do you keep your dog off the furniture? It’s easier than you might think.

Should You Let Your Dog On Your Furniture?

In all honesty, whether your dog should be on your furniture is up to you. It’s your house, your dog, and your furniture.

Some people love to have their dogs snuggle up on their lap. Other people hate to deal with the mess that a dog might leave on their furniture.

There is a middle ground too. You can keep your furniture covered normally, then uncover it when company comes over.

Whatever you find to be best is what you should do. But let’s assume that you don’t want your pets on the furniture. Here are some tips on how to keep them off.

Keeping Your Dog Off the Furniture

Dog Off the Furniture

Photo by Alejandro Trinidad from Unsplash

Be Consistent

Consistency is KEY. When you get a dog, you need to decide whether you want your pet on the couch, bed, or off all furniture entirely.

As soon as your pup comes home, you’ll need to make it clear that you don’t want them on the furniture. Dogs are creatures of habit, this is why consistency is so crucial. Once they learn a habit, it can take months or years to unlearn.

Teach Your Dog to Get “Off”

This is an important command. Your dog should know what “off” means. Every time you want your dog to come down off the furniture, say “off.” If you don’t like the word “off,” then try “down”.

Either word is useful. Pick whichever word you want, but pick it and only use that word when you mean to get your dog off the furniture. And it’s not just useful for getting your dog off the furniture.

You can use the command any time you want your dog to get off of something, from your neighbor’s grass to the countertop.

Give Your Dog Their Own Spot

Give Your Dog Their Own Spot

Photo by Ideli Dalva Ferrari from Unsplash

Even though you don’t want your dog on your furniture, they need a place to call their own. Dogs are very territorial.

If you completely restrict their access to the home, they will be stuck in one room. That’s no way to live. Instead, give your dog their own spot in a central place in the home.

The living room is usually a great communal spot that everyone likes to relax in. Choose a blanket or dog bed on the floor.

It could be a crate in a corner or some other safe space. Remember that this is the place you can send your dog when you don’t want them on the furniture.

It’s also a place that you want your dog to feel safe and comfortable, so make sure they want to be there.

Redirect Their Focus

If your dog is intent on sitting on the sofa or couch, you can redirect their focus by giving them something else to do. It can be a toy, treat, or a call to go sit in their bed or special place.

This redirection is always done calmly. This will help your dog understand that they shouldn’t be on the furniture and that there is something else for them to do.

A redirection can be helpful for other circumstances as well. If someone is at the door, or another dog passes by the window, feel free to redirect your dog.

Restrict Access to Your Furniture

Dogs who are home alone may have trouble staying off the furniture without your reminder. Or perhaps in their daily activity, they may try to get onto furniture while you’re distracted.

If you must, restrict access to furniture. You can close bedroom doors or even put up baby gates to keep them out of the room. Restricting access should really only be done when absolutely necessary.

It does the intended goal of keeping your dog off your furniture, but it doesn’t actually teach them to stay off the furniture in the first place.

You’re completely justified in keeping your dog off your furniture. There is no rule that says your dog should be able to do whatever they want.

But do take their needs into consideration. With a comfy spot of their own, your dog should have no reason to want a place on the couch.

About The Author:

Pamela Gentry is a writer and parent of two children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family. She is passionate about inspiring others to rescue animals!

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