Dogs and Couches

Do you let your dog on the couch?

  • Yes

    Votes: 103 73.0%
  • No

    Votes: 38 27.0%

  • Total voters
    141
My reason for saying no is different than everyone else's. So many dog bites happen because a kid approaches a dog sleeping on a couch, or the dog deems the couch their territory and will snap at a child if they approach. My first dog was a pushover and I had no worries about him around kids, but I still didn't let him on the couches. My current dog had resource guarding issues when I adopted him, so setting boundaries was really important.
That said, when I'm not home I know full well my dog lays on the couch. I can hear him jump off when I open the door. :rolleyes:

I voted no. In terms of training a puppy, it’s best if you can make it very clear that you are the alpha dog in her pack. Letting the dog sit on the couch literally raises her place in the pack. The couch is for you, the alpha. Her place is close by, on the floor. These small things shift the power balance and you may get a dog that thinks she can try and be the alpha. Makes for a dog that does not obey and takes liberties in other areas.
You two beat me to it. We don't let our dogs on our furniture or our bed for exactly the above reasons. Our furniture is for the boss of the pack, the floor is for the dogs who are at the very, very bottom of the pack. Long, long ago, when we were young and stupid about dogs, we let our basset hound on the couch all the time. He was a powder puff and we never say any kind of aggression from him. Until the day a friend's toddler decided to park himself on the couch to watch some tv while the mom's were talking. Dear Basset Hound took exception to a stranger sitting on "his" couch and snapped and bit the boy. That was my introduction to the world of dog training. And yes, the boy was fine.

We have a breed that continuously challenges for the alpha spot. We have to be firm and consistent in order for the dogs to be safe. We also do the sit/stay before going out a door, ie: they NEVER go out the door before us, we make them do a down stay before they get their food bowl, and many other dominance establishing routines.

OP, with a German Shepherd, who is intelligent and protective, the last thing you want is for your dog to think they are above you in the pack. That is a bite waiting to happen.
 
I have a brand new off white sectional. I have two dogs, a yorkie and and English springer spaniel. Trying to tell the two of them they can’t sit with me or lay down beside me would not happen. They are definitely MY dogs and have to be touching me when not playing. 😂😂 I have two Orvis covers, one oversized couch cover and a loveseat cover. They were on my previous living room furniture and they actually got my sectional perfectly without covering the chaise where I sit. They can dig and play and chew treats without me having to worry about the sectional getting messed up. They are the best!!
 
You two beat me to it. We don't let our dogs on our furniture or our bed for exactly the above reasons. Our furniture is for the boss of the pack, the floor is for the dogs who are at the very, very bottom of the pack. Long, long ago, when we were young and stupid about dogs, we let our basset hound on the couch all the time. He was a powder puff and we never say any kind of aggression from him. Until the day a friend's toddler decided to park himself on the couch to watch some tv while the mom's were talking. Dear Basset Hound took exception to a stranger sitting on "his" couch and snapped and bit the boy. That was my introduction to the world of dog training. And yes, the boy was fine.

We have a breed that continuously challenges for the alpha spot. We have to be firm and consistent in order for the dogs to be safe. We also do the sit/stay before going out a door, ie: they NEVER go out the door before us, we make them do a down stay before they get their food bowl, and many other dominance establishing routines.

OP, with a German Shepherd, who is intelligent and protective, the last thing you want is for your dog to think they are above you in the pack. That is a bite waiting to happen.
We do all that you just outlined. Makes for very balanced dogs who always know what’s coming and know their place. We also have the kids feed the dogs so that the dogs must submit to them every day.

When they were puppies, we routinely took their food and their toys. This also helped establish the hierarchy. This puppy stage is really important for establishing boundaries.
 


Our dog is allowed on the couch but not on the two chairs in living room. However, I know she gets up on the one chair while we are gone, she just doesn’t know we know.
 


We let our dog up on the couch -- she's part of the family and to us it seems odd to restrict her from common places within the house that we are usually on. With that being said, most of our family and friends expect this and aren't really weirded out. We try our best to warn any new guests ahead of time.
 
Personally, I enjoy cuddling with a dog on the couch. The last dog I had put me off animals on furniture. He enjoyed rolling in animal poo (we lived on a farm, so there was lots of poo) outside and then coming in and jumping on the couch. After a few incidents we made a new rule that he was not allowed on the furniture anymore. Eventually, because of the poo thing and some health issues that made him incontinent, he was also banned from the carpeted areas of the house. It was very difficult to break his habit of jumping on the furniture, so if you are on the fence about whether to let the new puppy on your furniture and you think you may try to keep him off in the future, then I would just not allow it now.
 
We have two inside dogs. A mixed breed and a Pomeranian. The mixed breed can’t get on the couch anymore. He has blankets on the floor. But when he could, he did. The Pom is either in my lap or on a blanket on the couch.

They are bathed several times a week because of allergies and if they get particularly dirty outside bathed extra. Feet wiped when they come in. So no dirt issues. And I vacuum the couches a couple of times a week too.

We have never had any issue with who is alpha or protecting their area or any such. If the grandkids come in to sit down, they have always both gotten down because I always tell them to do it became automatic. They go right to their blanket on the floor.
 
I voted no. In terms of training a puppy, it’s best if you can make it very clear that you are the alpha dog in her pack. Letting the dog sit on the couch literally raises her place in the pack. The couch is for you, the alpha. Her place is close by, on the floor. These small things shift the power balance and you may get a dog that thinks she can try and be the alpha. Makes for a dog that does not obey and takes liberties in other areas.
This.

Mine is not allowed in the bedrooms either. Easy enough since all but one are upstairs. (We have a baby gate) We tried letting her sleep in older DD’s room (downstairs) but she just took too much liberty. I’ve learned with her that if I give an inch she’ll take a mile.

I don’t want my furniture/clothes covered in dog hair and smelling like dog. I could groom her everyday and it would still be a problem. And quite frankly, I’m not going to fight my dog for space on my couch. She has a nice cushy bed, gets a new blanket frequently and has plenty of chill spots throughout the house.
 
My very big puppy loves her couch. When she was a puppy, we would often put our hands in her food bowl and take away her marrow bones/high value treats mid-chew then give them back. I don’t think that just because she sits on the same surface as us makes her think she’s the alpha.
 

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Our dog is allowed on furniture. It seems mean to me to not allow it. He’s one of the family. I will vacuum couch before company but they don’t like it they don’t have to visit
I have a leather sofa b/c I have pets. And often they’ll get on when you’re not looking anyway. Guess I’m a bad host, but my DH, DS, & pets are more important to me than any guest who would ever come here so they take priority. But, I don’t think my guests care b/c they keep coming back. But all are pet ppl who allow their pets the same privileges.
 
My golden is allowed on the couch, the armchair, and the bed. We actually beg her to come up to snuggle with us and half the time, she's like no thanks...you guys are way clingy lol. People who come over know to expect to sit next to my dog. :dogdance:
My golden too! But, he prefers the floor actually especially in the summer he likes the cool floor. Now the dachshund is another story!
 
Sorry, but that makes me:rotfl: My dogs are allowed on all furniture, and I have never had a problem with a dog not knowing their place. That sounds like me to be an excuse for poor leadership by the humans.
Lol! I was thinking that. It’s not like I’m sitting on the floor while he sits on the couch. If there is no room for ppl I make him get it up.
 
I'm sorry, didn't mean it nasty at all! I wasn't meaning to say you were being a poor leader, it was a general comment.

And yeah, experts often disagree and/or change their minds. Dogs can know their place and still be allowed on the furniture.
What breed do you have?

Different breeds have different levels of submission. Never go into any dog with the attitude that all dogs can be treated the same. I can guarantee you that our dogs challenge the alpha position constantly. If we allowed them to think they were higher up in the pack, we would have very dangerous dogs.

Some breeds are more submissive, even individual dogs within a breed can need different approaches. It is naive to say it is all bullcrap. That is just asking for stitches one day. And I had 35 in my face due to an "alpha" dog when I went to visit her puppies for a potential dog. Best thing that ever happened to me as it made me realize what dogs are capable of. I had met the mother numerous times before and she was a sweetheart.
 

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