Protecting Your Furniture
An older dog who has been well trained may be allowed to
roam free in the house while you are away. Leave her favorite house items, such
as her crate and a chew toy, available.
Start the off-the-furniture training when you can be home most
of the time for 2 or 3 days in a row.
Note: If you must leave the dog alone in the home
during the training period, make sure that he cannot get into the rooms with
off-limits furniture.
1. Invite the dog to follow you into the living room,
bedroom, or another room with “no-dogs-allowed†furniture. Choose a seat and
command the dog to “lie down and stay†at your feet. Reward him for doing so
with a treat.
2. If at any time the dog tries to get up on the furniture,
calmly but firmly give him the “off†command. Do not sound harsh, meek, or
guilty — just matter-of-fact. As soon as his paws leave the furniture, reward
him with a treat and warm praise that includes the word off, such as
“Good off.†Remind him again to lie down and stay at your feet.
3. After you’ve spent some time relaxing, release the dog
from the “lie down and stay†command and leave the room. Go about your
business in the house, but keep a close eye on the dog without his knowing it.
At some point, he’s likely to head for the furniture to make himself
comfortable. The minute he starts to get up on the furniture, tell him “Offâ€
again using a calm, firm tone. As soon as he pulls his feet off the furniture,
give him a pat on the head, say “Good off,†and reward him with a treat.
Then give him the “lie down and stay†command so that he is lying down in
front of, not on, the furniture. Leave him in the lie-down position for about 15
minutes, then release him.
4. Continue this routine several times over the course of a
couple of days, always remembering to reward him with a treat and the phrase
“Good off†when he removes his paws or body from the furniture.
Here are a few more tips for reinforcing off-the-furniture
behavior:
Make sure that your dog
has a comfortable spot or bed of his own in the rooms where you relax. If he has
a comfy bed or cushion to curl up on near you, your furniture will hold less
appeal for him. You can even put an old T-shirt of yours on his bed so that he
has your scent to snuggle into when you are not there.
Some dog owners have
great success by assigning one chair, usually an old one, as the dog’s chair.
The dog is allowed to lie exclusively on this piece of furniture anytime. In
this case, it works much like having a comfy bed available in the room for the
pet.
There are several
gadgets on the market that can help make the furniture less desirable to your
pet. Most of these work on the basis of motion sensitivity. (See chart on pages
10–11.)