I have a wonderful ridgy pup, 11 months old, named Jula. I allow him to climb onto and sleep on one particular couch in the living room. I often snuggle with him, lying on top of him and he loves it - no growling or protectiveness over 'HIS' teritory.
A couple of people have said that allowing onto a couch is bad, in that it might make him nasty and domineering. Are they talking absolute rubbish? Any particular steps I should follow to ensure that everything stays amicable with this arrangement?
Thanks
2007-05-02 11:53:30 · 36 answers · asked by shane b 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
it can lead to some dominance issues, especially if it does not move when you go to lay in that spot. When ever you go to lay or sit or move towards a place, the lower dog, or member of the pack should make way for the alpha (that would be you). As a puppy, it can be fine, but I would make it a habit of once in a while making it so that he gets his butt out of your way cause you are the boss.
2007-05-02 11:58:25 · answer #1 · answered by boleen03 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Basic Training of the Puppy - Read here https://tr.im/rn8fI
The new puppy is certainly one of the most adorable and cuddly creatures that has ever been created. It is the most natural thing in the world to shower it with love and affection. However, at the same time it is important to realize that if you want to have a well trained adult dog, you need to begin the training process right away. The dog, like its related ancestor, the wolf, is a pack animal. One of the features of a pack is that it has a single dominant leader. Your new puppy is going to want that leader to be you, but if you do not assume that role from the very beginning, the puppy’s instincts will push him to become the leader.
The most important thing to remember about training the puppy during its first six months of life is that it must see you as the leader of the family pack. The essential thing is gaining the trust and the respect of the puppy from the beginning. You will not do this by allowing the puppy to do whatever it wants to do whenever it wants to do it. On the other hand, a certain amount of patience is required. Most people err in their early training by going to extremes one way or the other. Although you need to begin the basic training process at once, you can not expect your dog to do too much at first. Basic obedience training is fine and should include simple commands like sit, stay, and come. Remember that trying to teach the dog advanced obedience techniques when it is a puppy is much like trying to teach a five year old child algebra.
It is also important to restrain from cruel or abusive treatment of the puppy. You can not beat obedience into your dog, and it certainly is not going to engender feeling of respect and trust. House breaking is an area where this usually becomes a problem because of the anger that is triggered when the puppy fails and creates a mess inside the home. Although this issue must be addressed without anger, it most be addressed. If you allow the puppy to eliminate inside the house, it will continue to do so as an adult dog. The same thing is true of other destructive or dangerous behavior such as chewing and biting. Do not expect the puppy to grow out of it. You are going to need to train the puppy out of it, but you should do so firmly but with a sense of play and fun using positive reinforcement and lots of love and praise for good behavior.
2016-07-19 12:44:42 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you train Jula to leave the spot if you, or any other person, tells them to, it's fine. It's good that he is willing to let you move him, or sit in "his" spot but he has to know that it is only "his" spot when no one else wants it. This includes your friends, or anyone that is invited into the house, even people that are strangers to him.
If you don't make this absolutely clear to him, you shouldn't let him have the couch. It may not be a problem now, but if you don't make it clear to him now it can cause serious issues later on.
I would also only allow him on the couch when he is invited. Be consistent and -always- make him get off the couch if he isn't invited up. This lets him know that the couch is still your territory, and he just gets to borrow it occasionally.
2007-05-02 12:33:55 · answer #3 · answered by Debrian 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have a female Husky/Lab mix..she has a "spot" on the couch that she is allowed to lay on..she knows better than to lay or get on anything else..I don't think it's a bad thing if the dog knows its limits (as mine does)..she will not get up on or lay anywhere else..except on my bed which she knows she can sleep on at night..at the end of the bed. It does not make her domineering or aggressive..I have a Pit/Boxer mix and he lays at the end of the bed on the floor...but he prefers the floor in the living room rather than the couch...they both are not aggressive nor have behavioural problems..but they do growl and raise hackles when they hear something out of the ordinary. They PROTECT!!
2007-05-02 12:08:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It could be a bad thing, but only if he starts with the bad behavior. I see that you share the couch, so it's not really HIS, but it seems it's the only one he's allowed on. I don't see anything wrong with that. It's when the dog gets up on the couch and he's not allowed and shows bad behavior, that's when you have a problem. My cat has his own couch, but it was bought from the petstore as a pet couch. It's on top of some really high furniture and sometimes he knocks it off. Being all soft, he drags it into another room and then may bite and attack it. But he's a weird cat.
2007-05-02 12:00:17 · answer #5 · answered by The Cat 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I've got 2 sofa's in my room and my little Yorkie has her spot where she sleeps, if ever I feel like having a rest and lie on the sofa she jumps up onto the back cause the cushions are big and soft and she snuggles down and it's like she is looking after me, she has a basket full of her toys but never sleeps in it. As long as your dog knows who's boss I don't think you have a problem. I suppose it depends on the breed and temperment of the dog.
2007-05-02 12:12:08 · answer #6 · answered by Bernie c 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
there is nothing wrong with letting him have the couch. it's no different than giving him a dog bed or pillow on the floor. dogs like to be comfy just like humans do. they like soft pillowy things to lay on. that's why they sneak up on the couch when we're not looking. as long as he isn't territorial about it he'll be fine. make sure others get to sit on the couch as well to let him know that it's for everyone. as far as making him domineering, you're right. it's rubbish. this is no different than anything else that is his. toys, bones, food bowls are all his property. teach him by taking them away from him, nicely, when he's using them to get him used to the idea and to prevent the bad behavior that comes with territorialism. have fun with your puppy.
2007-05-02 12:35:20 · answer #7 · answered by racer 51 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I doubt that it will become a problem as long as you don't mind the pup on your furniture. I have a 3 year old Shih Tzu and she always goes on the couch and my bed and she NEVER gives a problem. It is all about how the dog is raised. My girl has not 1 bad bone in her and that is because of the way that i have trained her. I wouldn't worry just keep loving your baby.
2007-05-02 12:03:38 · answer #8 · answered by Bri 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
i don't think it's a bad thing. in our van we have a seat that is strictly for our dog. it has a pop out window next to her seat that stays open all the time rain or shine. as our van will seat 5 ppl in back we never allow anyone to sit in her seat if she's with us (given if we have 4 or less.) now if i have 5 ppl that are riding in our van with us and have to give her seat to someone else she doesn't mind and will just lay on the floor or jump up in my lap in the front seat to have a window seat . she's never shown dominance over "her seat". i actually think it's how you raise and treat your dog, if they're raised to know other ppl will have to use their couch/seat from time to time then their shouldn't be to much of a problem
2007-05-02 20:16:13 · answer #9 · answered by Chellee 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My great dane has a couch that he sleeps on. We have 2 couches and he is ONLY aloud on the smaller one. Anybody alse can sleep on that couch also. Dogs are smart, they learn boundrys, they just enjoy testing you. A dog should NEVER dominate you over any of its belongings.
2007-05-02 12:06:16 · answer #10 · answered by Louise 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Talking rubbish, why shouldn't he sit on the couch, he's a member of the family too isn't he? I don't have a dog but I have 3 cats and they sleep where they like including in my bed when they fancy, I imagine some dogs may get a bit territorial but I think it's rare.
2007-05-02 11:58:57 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋