Letting Dogs On Furniture

Should you allow your dog on your furniture

Whether or not to let your dog on your furniture is an important decision for you to make. It has implications other than the possibility of damage to your bed, couch, or armchair. The main implication is the dominance factor.

If your dog is given free access to all the furniture in your home, especially your bed, your dog may think that he's just as important as you are. It means that your dog may not respect the fact that you are the boss. That can lead to all sorts of complications in your human-dog relationship.

 You must be the dominant or alpha dog. If you're not, then your dog will be the alpha dog, and that can lead to aggression toward other dogs, other people, and possibly you. If your dog is the alpha dog, dog obedience is out of the question since your dog thinks that he can do what ever he wants to, and not do anything you want him to do unless he wants to. Obviously, that is not a good situation.

Whether or not you decide to let your dog on the furniture, you should definitely not allow it until your dog is at least five or six months old. When a puppy is growing up, he’s learning what is acceptable behavior and he’s figuring out where he is in the social hierarchy of the household. When your dog knows that he has the lowest ranking, and that there is no question that you and all the other humans in your household have a higher ranking than him, then you can then start to invite him to sit on the couch with you. You can, if you really want to, give him free access to all the furniture, but you must maintain your dominance over your dog.

Whatever you do decide, once the decision is made, you have to be consistent. For example, if your dog is allowed on the couch, but not on your bed, he must never be allowed on your bed. If you let him on your bed after you have forbidden him to be there, he will have less respect for you as the alpha dog.

You have to remember that your dog does not know the difference between clean dry paws and wet muddy ones, or the difference between an expensive new couch and an old grubby one. If you allow him on your new couch and he jumps up on it with muddy paws, don't take your frustration out on your dog. He doesn't know what he did wrong and will only be confused.

The best way to approach the topic of letting your dog on the furniture is to let him let him up by invitation only. When he learns that he can only get on any piece of furniture when you invite him, life will be simpler and more pleasant for both you and your dog.

For more information on dog training, go to: Train Your Dog

A trained dog is a happy dog and has a happy owner.