Dog's on furniture

Oh the things we go through for our pets! Our dog is a pound puppy as all of our dogs have been. This one was about a year old when we bought him and he was easy to train. He is now 13 and it has only been the last year or so that he thinks when we are not around he is entitled to the couches, beds and front bay window ledge. Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

We've never let our dogs on the furniture but they would occassionally disobey when we weren't in the room. The sleep in a crate and enjoy their crates so no issue there. I finally stopped even occassionally laying on the couch by finding a dog bed that is basically a couch cushion. I put it on the floor next to the couch and after wasting money on several beds that my boxer didn't like, that immediately became her preferred rest spot in the house.

I don't allow my dog to get on the furniture and he obeys the rule if I'm around or not. The time to teach a dog the rule is when they are puppies.
If you allow them to they will do it. If you enforce the rules when you see them breaking a rule they will learn.
If you fail to enforce the rule at all times don't fault the dog.

I had a couple of "X-mats": hard plastic mats with poke-y things. The nice thing about those was how easy it was to simply pick them up and place them between the sofa and end table when not needed.

x-mat

And I know this might confuse Pops, when I was talking about Ike wanting to sleep on the floor: Jack the Cattle Dog, on the other hand, was a total princess and wanted to sleep (and massively SHED on) the softest spot he could find, which was generally the guest bed.... hence the X-mats

Ed & Lynne wrote:
Nope, will not happen. I had dogs the majority of my life and a total believer that they don't belong on furniture. I've always had soft comfy beds for them and that's their space I want mine. Each to their own.

x2 When you let dogs on furniture or beds a subtle psychological shift takes place in their heads about their position in the "Pack" I think. This leads to problems of other kinds. I agree they dont belong on the furniture.

a dog crate

Yes, my dog is trained not to get on furniture and doesn't until we leave. He doesn't like not being with his people. But, as you know you can't always take them with you. We have even left a radio on but that didn't work either. So now I'm trying to find other ways that people have done to keep him off the furniture.

Ed & Lynne wrote:
Nope, will not happen. I had dogs the majority of my life and a total believer that they don't belong on furniture. I've always had soft comfy beds for them and that's their space I want mine. Each to their own.

I'm officially confused now.

If your dog has been trained to not get on furniture, why do you think that will change just because you get new couches?

Nope, will not happen. I had dogs the majority of my life and a total believer that they don't belong on furniture. I've always had soft comfy beds for them and that's their space I want mine. Each to their own.

Let them lay on the couch for crying out loud!

This is why you have a vacuum cleaner....