Couch or No Couch Puppy

[barbiedoll]

Hi there,

When we first brought Rocky home, we all agreed he would not be allowed on the couches.   Somehow, his puppy dog eyes have hypnotized us and he is now allowed up. Rocky is about 18-19weeks old.   

My girlfriend (giant schnauzer owner) just blasted me because she feels Rocky will think he is on the same level as my kids (6 and 7) and will become aggressive if we try to get him off when he is 100 pounds.  Her view is a dog needs to know his place.

So.....Is it a big deal? 

Barb

[jabear]

I personally see no problem with dogs on the couch. My Bear is 3 and a half, knows who is the boss and loves to be on the couch with my husband and I. He has "his side" of the the couch which is the only spot he sits in.
 
I guess it comes down to personal preference and whether or not you enjoy the dog there.

Also, I should let you know that Bear doesn't even attempt to get on couches anywhere else but at our home.Good luck!

[princessnmi]

All 3 of our dogs are allowed on the couch. Two great danes, and a black lab rott german shepherd mix. We do foster care so at times we have 5 kids (most of them under the age of 3) we have trained our dogs where if we want them off the couch we look at them point at them then point to the floor...we don't have to say a word and they jump off and go find a blanket on the floor. We have also trained them that the kids can give this command also. So the kids can go up look at them point at them and then point to the floor and the dogs respond. I have never had a problem with any of the dogs reacting to any of the kids in a negative way.

[chaos270]

I don't think it's a problem as long as he doesn't start to show dominance tendencies with the family.  My girls are both allowed on the couches and both are very dominant personalities but they're fine with us still.  But our family is all dominant adults though.  Lacey will challenge our authority more than Kali but we haven't had too many issues.  Maybe make the couch an invitation only deal where he has to be asked to come up onto the couch and he can't just get on it as he pleases.  Also if you're really worried about him with your kids have them do obedience training with him and maybe have them take turns feeding him so he learns to see them as dominant.  Make sure he sits before he gets his food from them.  There are other ways too that they can be dominant with him as well but feeding and obedience are the main things that come to mind. Plus it'll let your kids have some of the responsibility for his care and make him respect them more as he grows.

[CujoandShamus]

Shamus has a chair but if anyone is in it he is fine in the floor or another spot. But heaven forbid you get up he will wake out of a dead sleep to take his chair back.lol

[Nicole]

Cabeza has always been allowed on the couch. We've had zero dominance issues. I mean, he isn't about as dominant as...well, the couch itself, but still.

I think that its all about training. Being allowed on the couch isn't going to be the thing that makes the dog think he's in charge. If your dog is well-trained to understand his place (and if the kids are well-equipped to deal with the dog) then the couch isn't going to make it or break it, ya know?

[Magnus]

We used to be adamant about having the dogs on the couch... boy how things change. Its funny but Julie knows that she is allowed on the basement couch but when we are on it she will only com up if asked. Steve has a spot on the top cusion behind my wifes head.  Stan likes to lay between my wife and me.

I agree that most things alone wont create a dominace problem but if any of them show any signs concerning the couch or anything else for that matter we correct it at that time.  This goes for rough housing and tug games.

[Yaz]

The best advice I ever received about dogs, kids and dominance was from a trainer who told me that there is no way in h*ll that you can get a dog to believe that a little child is higher in rank than him, but you can train your dog well enough that it will obey that child when he/she gives it a command.

[NoDogNow]

Nobody I know has ever managed a strict "no couch" rule. How do you resist that face??

I think a better rule than "no furniture" is "furniture by command only" anyway, especially if you're concerned about dominance positioning

Teach that babies are ONLY allowed up on people seats when they're invited. Our family uses "goojie" for this; it's a nonsense word that doesn't have any other context. 'Snuggles' can be confusing if you're having a conversation about babies, and suddenly YOUR poor baby jumps on the couch thinking he's going to get all his lovies and then you're hollering for him to GET OFF!  What's a dog supposed to do?

This used to happen all the time with Katiedog, who was positively indiscriminate when it came to lovies, and took every chance she could squeeze into to get them.  My uncle knew a guy who did Schuntzhund (is that how you spell it?) with his German shepherds, and it gave Mom the idea for a out-of-context word---I don't know where she got goojie from, but that's what she decided on. It kept Katie from smothering anyone who mentioned any FORM of the words snuggle, or love, or hug...Katiedog needed a word of her OWN. 

Myself, I like nonsense words for things like getting to lay on the couch and be petted and loved on, becaues there's a clear privelege involved with the location and you can include clear behavior boundaries--only quiet, calm dogs get to goojie, for example.  Bed sleeping can include a word for being allowed to get up and sleep on the foot of the bed nicely and another word for being allowed to come lie next to you and have lovies in the bed.  My cousin adopted Mom's nonsense word theory, and in her house, dogs are sometimes allowed sleep on the foot of someone's bed ("torga") and sometimes to snuggle right next to you on the bed and have lovies before going to sleep ("drayda").


And of course, there's the entertainment value of the made up word. It's kind of fun to have company over, and in the middle of a heated political debate, say "Goojie, goojie" and have your baby jump up in your lap, snuggle down and go limp as a dishrag.  Cuts the tension every time.  Not to mention the 3 year old who walks up in the middle of Thanksgiving football and asked "Grampy, will you come drayda me for my nap?"   

[Stacey]

Tonka has his own couch, the loveseat.  Since no one else can fit on it when he is occupying it, it just sort of became his.  We have no problems with dominance towards our 4 yr old or 4 month old, as a matter of fact Tonka loves it when Macey (4yr)sits with him on his loveseat.  He covers her and loves all over her!

[GrumpyBunny]

Nobody I know has ever managed a strict "no couch" rule. How do you resist that face??

I think a better rule than "no furniture" is "furniture by command only" anyway, especially if you're concerned about dominance positioning

Teach that babies are ONLY allowed up on people seats when they're invited. Our family uses "goojie" for this; it's a nonsense word that doesn't have any other context. 'Snuggles' can be confusing if you're having a conversation about babies, and suddenly YOUR poor baby jumps on the couch thinking he's going to get all his lovies and then you're hollering for him to GET OFF!  What's a dog supposed to do?

This used to happen all the time with Katiedog, who was positively indiscriminate when it came to lovies, and took every chance she could squeeze into to get them.  My uncle knew a guy who did Schuntzhund (is that how you spell it?) with his German shepherds, and it gave Mom the idea for a out-of-context word---I don't know where she got goojie from, but that's what she decided on. It kept Katie from smothering anyone who mentioned any FORM of the words snuggle, or love, or hug...Katiedog needed a word of her OWN. 

Myself, I like nonsense words for things like getting to lay on the couch and be petted and loved on, becaues there's a clear privelege involved with the location and you can include clear behavior boundaries--only quiet, calm dogs get to goojie, for example.  Bed sleeping can include a word for being allowed to get up and sleep on the foot of the bed nicely and another word for being allowed to come lie next to you and have lovies in the bed.  My cousin adopted Mom's nonsense word theory, and in her house, dogs are sometimes allowed sleep on the foot of someone's bed ("torga") and sometimes to snuggle right next to you on the bed and have lovies before going to sleep ("drayda").


And of course, there's the entertainment value of the made up word. It's kind of fun to have company over, and in the middle of a heated political debate, say "Goojie, goojie" and have your baby jump up in your lap, snuggle down and go limp as a dishrag.  Cuts the tension every time.  Not to mention the 3 year old who walks up in the middle of Thanksgiving football and asked "Grampy, will you come drayda me for my nap?"   

That is hilarious!  Ranger has to have drayda every night!

[brandon]

I can't imagine not letting our pups get on the couch with us.  Our couches are a bit cramped for Bava, but just fine for the other two.  I think the agression would start before couch privilidges.  If I had an agressive dog I probably would not allow them on the couch, puts them too close to my face, but a well mannered pooch is not going to turn cujo because you cuddle him on the couch.