...mine's just trained to stay off furniture.

Let them sleep in your bed :)

Oh, I let mine on the couch, he has his corner. and on his corner there is a cute little blanket.

I stretch an old blanket on it and let them up. Dogs mean more to me than the sofa. I also ditched fabric in favor of leather. Much easier.

my dog has free reign of the house. i wouldn't have it any other way.

You can go the "scat mat" route- it's an electrical device that gives a beastie a static shock when they climb/walk onto a forbidden area when you're not around to order them down.

Or you can give in, keep the dog bathed/flea free and make a washable sofa-wrap to protect your sofa:

http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3749/make-a-sofa-wrap

I love this design, and am saving up to buy some upholstery weight ultra suede to make one for our sofa before we go into baby/puppy territory.

Per the first reply, dogs don't understand exceptions. They only understand 'yes' and 'no'.

Train them to stay off all furniture (including your bed) if that is what you want. Every time you see them attempt to hop on furniture, give them a firm 'No!' and get them off the furniture. Even better, teach them the command of 'Off!'.

They will stay off the furniture while you are at home. Cover your sofas and close your bedroom doors while you are away.

This is her home, if she wants to sit on the sofa, she does. I just put a cover over where she sits. You can always get another one. Lola's comfort is far more important to me than a piece of furniture.

Our pupper sleeps in her crate - which she loves - and, in our 800 sqft apartment, doesn't prevent her from doing her guard dog duty (alerting us to a possible intruder). Plus, it gives me peace of mind knowing where she is in the night (in the hallway just outside the bedroom door) so that if there were an emergency she's just a few steps away.

When she's home alone we set up two baby gates, keeping her out of the living room and bedroom. This is a holdover from her puppyhood, and probably unnecessary, but it does keep her safe and off the bed/sofa should the temptation be too great.

Of course my dog means more to me than my furniture, but I think that for her well being it's important to have some boundaries and that she be treated as a dog first and as my best friend second.

I had this same problem -- the dogs knew they weren't allowed on the couch so they were good when I was home. But at night or when I was out of the house, I'd come back to find two warm furry spots on the cushions.

Finally, I realized I just had to make the couch less comfortable than their dog beds. I had an extra piece of wire shelving in the garage, so I now put that on the couch when I'm gone. And I just stash it under the couch when not in use.

Our pup is allowed on the beds (washable) and not on the sofa (not so much). He figured it out pretty quickly, and in nine years I've never come home to find him on the sofa...

(It may help that he has a comfy dog bed right next to the sofa.)

We have a lab/shepherd mix and he sheds, so where ever he goes...we know. He got the idea that our couches/beds were more comfy than the floor. We would come home after being away for the day and find the couch warm. Now, this was probably partially our fault, as we invited him to join us on the couch and snuggle up. I am sure he was confused because we invited him up sometimes, but would tell him to get off when we came home and when others were over. Over time, we found that it was best to let him know that he can not get on the couch or bed, instead of sometimes letting him up. So here is what we did:

When we would leave the house...we placed items on the couches/beds so he wouldn't jump up and find a cozy place to take a nap. We tried magazines, but he just came up anyway. So we had to put bigger things on the couch/bed such as book bags, dishes, nick nacks, and other larger items. Over time, coming home to find him snoozing on the couch no longer occurred. Since then, he hasn't jumped on the furniture at all!

Another thing that has helped us with this doggy habit, is getting him a nice, comfy mat that he can lay on. He love it!

Good luck!

When I'm home, the dog knows not to get on the couch or she'll get scolded. When I'm away, I put empty laundry baskets on the couch (because she's terrified of laundry baskets). It's ugly and adds a step to my homecoming routine, but it works.

Why would you want to keep the dog off of the sofa? I enjoy my dog sitting next to me with her head on my lap. She's reasonable clean and I have a brush to remove the fur.

Consistency is the key with any dog so every single time you see him put a paw on the couch you correct him with a stern "No".

In order to train my lab while we were away or overnight, we would lay a sheet of foil on top of the couch. Tuck it into the edges so it doesnt blow away when a fan is on. It made a scary sound anytime she brushed it and she didnt like the feel of it. After a month of using foil every day and night (when we weren't sitting on it) she was fine and wouldn't try.

We have since come to a compromise that she is only allowed on the couch or our bed when she is laying on her special blanket. Its a lap blanket she sleeps with and if we put it on the couch then she can jump up and lay on the blanket covered part of the couch only. After a year of this if she wants to sit up with us she will go get her blanket and drag it over to us to "ask" to be let up.

I can wash the blanket as much as I want and still keep the furniture fur free.

Good luck, different breeds aren't as easy to train.

One of the best parts of having a dog is having a buddy to snuggle with. A blanket on the couch and a duvet cover can both be thrown in the washer when needed.

My crazy neatnik tendencies have relaxed a LOT since adopting these two mutts. A change for the better, if you ask my kids :)

lay out a sheet of tin foil on the sofa. one test of trying to jump on the couch results in a jumping off the couch.

My oh so cute baby girl chihuahuas have full run of the house. They sleep on the sofa (somewhat expensive, wool upholstery) when my partner and I are away at work. They sleep in our bed at night on top of a Marimekko duvet. Wouldn't have any other way. My latest project is to make the stairs less slippery, so that they can feel comfortable going up and down the stairs, in case they feel like going to bed early on their own.

My chihuahuas hit the jackpot when we adopted them. We spoil them like nothing else and wouldn't have it any other way.

We don't. I'm convinced she gets up while we're at work. Which is why I try to keep a blanket thrown up there.

I have to make note that we have been able to teach our dog to stay only off of the sofa. We let him on all other chairs and beds, but the new sofa is not an option. Not sure why, except for possibly consistency and a watchful eye (as if we were housebreaking him when he was a puppy), but he does actually understand that exception......... Sofa; no. All other furniture; free-for-all........

Um..training?? My dog is trained to stay off furniture unless invited. She's also trained to stay out of certain rooms and stops at the threshold (without baby gates.)

run tinfoil the length of the couch, two peaces for deeper couches. They'll only touch it once and they'll never jump up again.

"Consistency is the key with any dog so every single time you see him put a paw on the couch you correct him with a stern "No". "

Indeed - Obedience training is rarely about training the dog...
...but teaching the owner to stay consistent.

(Kinda like Parenthood, in a way)

I agree with the "No exceptions!" rule (which is the same as consistency, I suppose). My dog never goes on the couch because he isn't allowed on any furniture, including beds. In fact, I'm pretty sure he doesn't know it's an option. I've never seen him even try to get up on the couch. On the other hand, when I try to keep him off of one particular rug, he refuses to listen. And I'm pretty sure that's because he's allowed on all of the other rugs.

My dog is 19 yrs old and he has always been allowed anywhere he wants..but the mohair lounge chair. He is very clean and I cover the sofa with a cover and wash it weekly and my sofa still looks brand new.

We went sofa shopping last night, to replace our current leather sectional with another sectional in a durable microfiber. The two of us and the dog share the sofa. She climbed up there the first night she arrived from the SPCA, hip dysplasia and all. It's been her sofa ever since and I wouldn't have it any other way.

My couch is leather and very durable, so the pup is allowed up on it. It's easier that way, and I don't mind unless I'm eating or have guests, in which case he gets pushed off.

my dog sheds so much so i put all the back cushions down and then flip them back up when i get home. embarrassing when guests walk in with you but i can't brush the upholstery every time i come home. she never does anything bad when we're around - just sneaky stuff when we're gone at work so we can't train her since she never even goes near the couch or the trash when we're home! dogs ...

How about buying your dog a very comfortable, large pillow or bed and putting it in a place it really likes. Then you can shout no when it tries to go on the couch, and pet it when it goes to it's own space. Positive reinforcement.

I agree with training. Dogs are pack animals and you're the leader. Right?

Leather sofa. Enough said. We have a boxer, aka sofa hog.

When we brought home our rescued Pit, the first thing she did was dash excitedly for the couch and jump onto it. We said NO and shooed her off and she has never broken the rule. She has 2 or 3 comfy beds to choose from, and seems happy with them. Occasionally, she will get so snuggly that she creeps onto a lap on the couch, but never ever have we found evidence of her sneaking on there when we're out. She is also not allowed upstairs into the bedrooms, which we thought was only fair to our 2 cats who had never met a dog. She respects the stairs rule very well, too. Visits to grandma's in Vt is a whole 'nother set of rules - bed snuggling welcome, and she loves it!

I agree with the people who recommend getting the dog his own bed/pillow/blanket. If the pup has its own place to go, the temptation would be less and they know they have their spot where only they get to go.

If nothing else works and you need to have your dog off the couch, mouse traps work. Just set a mouse trap on each cushion and have it set. When she tries to get on the couch, the trap will snap and the sound should scare her. My parents did this with their dogs for a while and they learned to stay away from the mouse traps. They never got hit by the traps; the traps just scared them because of the sound. Unfortunately, they learned how to tell when the trap was set and when it wasn't, but it took a while for that.

I agree with the folks who say "no exceptions". I adopted a rescue much like mpee's pit- he jumped on the couch, I said "OFF!", and that was the end of it. He was never allowed on any furniture, ever. He was a large labrador and took up a person sized space.

I give in to my kitties, but my next dog is also a floor dog (with his dog beds). I'm alpha dog in this house, and alpha dog gets to sit on the couch. And eat first. And go in the doors first. Oddly, I have had very well behaved dogs...

A mix of leather furniture and a sofa with a washable slipcover means they can sit on the sofa or chairs.

My dogs are good about not scratching things (though the puppy surreptitiously gnawed on the leg of a dining chair for a while).

They do have dog beds and choose those sometimes, but it's nice to have a dog on my shoulder (or more often, my head) when I nap. Cuddly!

We don't. And we have leather sofas, too. Keep the dogs nails well trimmed and fur groomed and be thankful that he doesn't rip those cushions apart instead of just arranging them artfully on the floor to sleep on!

My pug (pugs are not dogs...) gets everywhere, including our dinning table to eat the outside of a lone burrito left there to cool before moving it to the fridge.

The only place she stays off is a fabric sofa in our office (she spends her whole days in front of the sofa, on a little ottoman, or on a lil chair next to me), but sofa is a no-no from the moment we got it. "BAD DOG" and a few guilt trips seemed to work.

Don't adapt the dog to the sofa, adapt the sofa to the dog. An immaculate sofa is a poor substitute for the unconditional love your pet will give you. That's why all my furniture is thick distressed leather from craigslist and garage sales. It's cheap, beautiful and returns all the abuse you and your dog hand out by developing more character.

My pug thinks he owns the furniture and I've never been able to teach him otherwise. Washable slipcovers do the trick for me. Getting ready to move to a leather couch - I already have a leather chair and it's so simple to keep clean. With that said, when I don't want him to get on the furniture (say, when I've just washed the slipcover), I put a piece of tin foil on it and it really works. He's terrified of it. However, this doesn't work with all dogs - I once had a dog at my house for a few weeks, and he attempted to eat the tin foil.

I agree with the aluminum foil idea. Our trainer told us to wash out a few soda cans and, when totally dry, put some pennies in them and place them precariously on the cushions, they hate the noise. Also, sometimes I just park my vacuum in front of the couch before going to bed:-)

Ours is sneaky too, she'll lay down next to our bed until we're asleep, then move in the night, and then come back to our room when she hears the first alarm go off in the morning. She has definitely figured our that we're not morning people, it took me ages to figure out!

I have never though furniture should outweigh family -- and my pets are like family to me. (Especially when they get sick and vet bills mount up!)

I buy furniture that I know my pets will be allowed on -- it's one of the criteria for selection. I made three window seats especially for the cats -- I rarely sit on them, but they do a lot.

Each to his own, of course, but to me it's not only a difficult job to train pets (particularly cats) to stay off things, it's not important.

I don't. Free reign to go where she wants in our house.

However, she's not allowed in the bed at my sister's or on the navajo rugs at my mothers...couple repetitions of "no" and praise when she got off did the trick. Spray bottles with lemon esential oil work too. (she HATES the smell of lemon)

My dog can get on any piece of furniture in the house. He pretty much has the plycraft lounger to himself now, but he can get up on anything. He is a member of the family. He slept with me for 12 years, but now that he's older he sleeps in a large hutch so that he can sleep in more comfort.

If I didn't want a dog on my furniture I wouldn't own a dog.

I don't know if it's possible to train a dog not to go on a couch if you've already allowed it for years. It'll be confusing to the dog, to say the least.

My dog used to spend all her time on the couch. Then I bought her a super-comfy bed, and now she prefers it to the couch. I don't care whether she's on the couch or not, but if she prefers the dog bed, maybe your dog would too.

I don't know but the wainscotting on the back wall in the picture is to *die* for.

Put a blanket in their favorite spot.

I never reward for "OFF". They can too easily get the message "get off/get reward". So then it's on/off, on/off. What you want is STAY OFF. I've had good success with a citronella collar when praise and blocking just won't do it. Not harmful, but sends a much clearer message than humans can sometimes do. She won't associate the spray with you (it's remote), she'll just think the couch doesn't like her anymore for some reason and decide her bed is a better place to be (make sure it really IS).

Do I keep my dogs (and cats) off the sofa? Hell, no. They are a huge part of what makes this a home and not a furniture showroom.

On the other hand, I prefer that my partner does not fall asleep on our newly reupholstered chaise. He tend to drool a little. Have had good luck with the mild shock collar I sneak onto his ankle, but will think about aluminum foil, cans of pennies, or a quick spritz of the Hugo Boss he loathes.

Altoids tins ( or soda cans ) filled with coins or screws, hidden inside the throw pillows.
They were only in place a few weeks, but while she lays out on the leather my Airedale will not touch those upholstered pieces in the sunroom.

Well, I did a blog post a while back about it here...

http://sparky-youngbloodstudios.blogspot.com/2010/04/pets-off-furniture.html

Place an open magazine on each cushion. Evidently it is uncomfortable enough to work.

You have a dog. Expect it to make itself comfortable, or don't have one.

My dog loves soda cans, bottles, and tin foil but she knows she's not allowed on the couch unless there is a layered blanket on it. Otherwise there is no invitation for her to get on it. She also knows that we will taunt her by saying "Ohhh BATH TIME!" :-) She hates those words and runs at the slightest letter being said. She's a sweet border collie :-D

Try training your pup from its first step into your house. You're not mean. He will still love you. Plus, he'll respect that you're his pack leader.

My dog is allowed on my bed upon my invitation, and you couldn't coax her onto the sofa on a bet. (She gives you a look of, "This is a trick, right?") When we need a cuddle, I hit the floor so as not to confuse her.

Interesting... some commenters seem to suggest that having some restrictions on where a dog can go in the home is somehow cruel. I have a dog who sheds and who can be a little bit smelly at times because he likes to roll around in the dirt outside (he's a dog after all!). I don't want all his shedding hair and dirt on my couch. Sorry. He has a beautiful, comfortable dog bed, which he loves, and he gets plenty of cuddles and affection. I don't think he is suffering, because he can't sleep in my bed or get on the couch, and if I feel I need someone to cuddle with in bed, I choose my husband first.

Try tinfoil on the cushions for a while. The noise kind of scares them and plus it's just plain uncomfortable, they'll learn eventually. Make sure to enforce the behavior though, we got lazy and our dog just kinda got used to being on the couch again.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "x-mats." They sell them at most pet stores. They are large rubber squares with spikes on top. I keep them on the good couch and then stash them underneath when people come over.

They do have the couch in the TV room available to them whenever they want. And they like our beds. So I have to do a little more laundry than most people? They are cuddly and soft and the best companions anyone could ask for.

if you don't want dogs as "part of your family/pack" don't get a dog at all.

dogs are pack animals and want to be where you are.

my dogs are on our couch, on our bed, and anywhere else we are at.

can't imagine having a dog and not having it next to me on the couch.

oh..and my boy dog is part lab. big shedder and quite stinky even a day or two after a bath. he has a blanket on the couch and on the bed and he waits to jump up on either piece of furniture until his blanky is in place!

I have seen devices that contain a motion sensor. When the dog jumps up on the couch it makes a loud noise, the dog doesn't like it and jumps down. Pretty soon they learn. it's kind of like the zap mat but without the zap.

The only thing that keeps my boxer off my couch is the plastic thing that you put under an office chair in a carpeted room. I cut it into squares for each cushion and put the sharp part face up. I just stash them under the couch when I am home.

Our friend with Labs uses no-slip rubber floor mats turned upside down on the couch when they leave - the tines on the bottom of the mats are uncomfortable to lay on, and the dog stays away! when they get home, they just slide the mats underneath the couch. Easy!

a spare kayak paddle laid across it keeps our Vallhund off the couch....works great....

Our dog has a crate for night time sleeping and 3 dog beds throughout the home that are made to his tastes (the prissy beast has preferences about the stuffing type & loft). He's been trained to stay off the furniture. The only time he's ever snuck onto the furniture was this week when I moved his bed in the living room because it needed a repair.

When I got my first dog six years ago, I swore he would never get on the furniture, not go in the bedroom, etc. because of my allergies. That didn't last long and it has been so nice to have a snuggle-bug dog that I don't mind a bit that he (and now his little doggy sister) are allowed on the furniture and sleep under the covers with me. I keep the pooches clean and it doesn't bother me. I would suggest for the dog in question that you get her a super cushy dog bed that maybe feels similar to those sofa cushions she loves so much and use lots of praise or treats to make her understand that the dog bed is a wonderful place. Or just get over it and enjoy your lovely beast!

A few nights' surprises from double sided tape couch will keep him off.

I had the same problem with my dog. While he is trained to stay off the furniture when I'm around, we're still working on a bit of separation anxiety,so when I leave, his brains and manners go out the window. If you have hardwood floors, pull any rugs away from the furniture. Without the rugs, they won't have traction to jump up. My dog has stubby legs, so this may work well for better for some dogs than others.

Why would you want t keep your dog(or cat) off the couch?

Well, in the city, it's because it's like having a roommate who walks around barefoot then puts their feet on your bed, no?

Wow, you people are full of surprises....always!

Thanks to all who offered some helpful suggestions! Double sided tape! who would have thought? :)

And to everyone who questioned why I'd want to keep my lovable dog off the furniture...well, it's basically what Patrick said.

As much as we love our dog, she does things and goes places that we don't...gross things like occasionally rolling in deer carcasses in Rock Creek Park and....(I think you get the point...) AND we're also into taking care of the things that we own so we won't need to replace them anytime soon. But regardless of our cruel wish to keep her off the furniture, we still give her lots of love, and like having her as "part of our pack" :)

I'd love to cross-reference this post with the posts where people get all hyper about requiring guests to remove their shoes when they enter their homes.

Just sayin'.

We use the scat mat - http://www.safepetproducts.com/scat-mat-for-cats-and-dogs.html - we don't even turn them on anymore, he just won't go near it.

Does it annoy anyone else that when someone posts the question "how do I keep my dog off the couch?" there are so many posts by people saying how they would never try to keep their dog off the couch? That doesn't really answer the question. There are, in fact, very few replies that are relevant to the question.

an easier solution is to buy a Couch Defender. I bought one recently and it works so great! it's actually the first thing i have ever used that works 100% of the time. you can find them at the following website: www.couchdefender.com.

www.couchdefender.com has products that work really well. i bough a couch defender not long ago and it is the easier/only thing that has worked 100% of the time.

You can get nice dog blankets made just for furniture - waterproof stuff - fleece or microvelvet all the dog product sites have this -try http://www.dogbedworks.com they have tons of dog blankets and furniture blankets- on sale now for 30% off! I just checked.