We Have Officially Lost Control!
Tonight, Benson realized she was big enough to jump onto the daybed.  We were planning on sticking to our "no dogs on the furniture" rule, but honestly, she looks so pleased with herself, I'm losing my resolve! What do you think? |
|
|
| Might just as well change the name on your home's deed/lease; she owns it. You just live there. Good luck. Vance |
| Yay Benson~ get comfy it's starting to get chilly Hee Hee Schubert's almost there too. He tried to run as fast as he could to jump on to the daybed yesterday, and fell backwards. I almost had a heart attack but he seems to be fine. Now, I ask him if he wants to come up and he sticks his paw up. then I say, "OK" and carry him up. He doesn't stay up for too long. I think it's too plush and hot for him. I can't wait till he can climb on his own. I want him to sleep on our bed too.... |
It makes me giggle to think of the 'no dogs on furniture' rule. I remember practically foaming at the mouth before we got Mady as I tried to impress on David how important this rule was to me. It was non-negotiable and I even think that I said the rule was a 'deal-breaker' if David violated it by letting Mady on the furniture. So guess who was the first one who let her on the bed?  |
I'm probably in the minority here, but we don't allow Oscar (or Quincy before him) on the furniture. Here's why. I saw my SIL's 100 lb. OES destroy her couch and her bed while he rooted around with his claws looking for a comfy spot. He also used to growl at you if you had the audacity to sit on the couch while he was trying to sleep. (Murphy was a pistol.  )No thanks. (Quincy was 115 lbs. and Oscar is now 110 lbs.)The only bed Quincy ever got on was in a hotel room on our way back from Florida. We were trapped on Atlanta during an ice storm, and the hotel had charged us an extra $150 to have a dog in the room, claiming there were additional cleaning fees.  (The room itself was $139 per night.) Additional cleaning fees my a$$. At any rate, my dad decided to watch a NASCAR race, and was laying on the bed. I told Quincy he had to justify that $150 charge, and let him lay on the bed with his Grandpa. After Quincy, we got Oscar. It was tempting to let him up on the bed/couch when he was little, but I'm really glad we didn't. Oscar has autoimmune issues and is often battling a drug resistant skin infection, some of which can be transmitted to humans. I'm REALLY glad we kept four on the floor! (Plus, ticks have been bad the last couple of years, and I would hate for one to drop off in my bed. UGH.) Laurie and Oscar |
| Good luck at keeping her off! I will second the damage to furniture. Rastus completely destroyed our two leather chesterfield sofas. He chewed and licked his itchy feet making the leather all wet and then it ripped and then he chewed the stuffing. We just bought two new couches and have x pens fencing the front of them. It's the only way we can keep him off what he believes to be his beds. |
| When I got Ziggi there was no dogs on the furniture. Guess who I let on the furniture? Then she went to stay at a friends for a week who said no to Ziggi on the furniture. When I got home, I thought good, I will keep this up. Guess who has her very own daybed now?  |
| I used to let the dogs on the furniture. When we got new livingroom furniture 5 years ago, the hubby said no dogs. So that's what we did. It only took two weeks of reminders and they never even think about it now - and it has carried over to th lakehouse. We do let them on our beds. The cats do get everywhere. They love the back cushions on the armchairs, so the top of the cushion now has a permanent V-shape from cat bodies. |
| Carley doesn't get on the furniture unless she is trying to sit on Dales lap in the chair. She sleeps on a rug beside the bed. She gets the toss pillows down off the couch sometimes. Today the cat was laying on the back of the loveseat and she came by and tossed her off. The cat looked up and waited for a few minutes before she tried to go back up there. I wish I would have taken a picture of that.  |
| The rule in our house was always, as long as Rufus gets off the furniture when he's told to, then he can have access to it. He did get a little possessive once so we took the privilege away. Now he's not really interested in spending time on the furniture, he prefers the cool floor. If he climbs up for cuddles, he chooses to get down within a couple of minutes. He's rarely caught on the sofa. My cat Greebo though, that's a different story! He's ruined the leather sofa and my leather chair. And won't move if I ask him of course, I'm forever scooping that cat off the furniture so I can sit down. |
| I used to have a no dogs on furniture rule and you can definitely enforce it if you keep them out of the living room or bedroom (rooms with comfy furniture) when you are away from home. I adopted Maggie as a completely untrained 1 year old and that was just one of the numerous things she needed to learn. And she did. But when I got Henry as a puppy my resolve slipped because I really wanted him/them on the bed or on the couch with me and even on the bed. They were so darn cute together! Now, they both will get on the couch or living room chairs but really only Henry will sleep on my bed while I am home. I find Maggie up there (it is her favorite spot) when I come home or after I get up in the morning but she doesn't sleep on the bed at night. I think the training her "off" really stuck. So it really depends what you want. I think she looks mighty cute on the daybed. I'm not sure what you are using it for other than as a big cozy spot for a beautiful sheepdog. And if you do let Benson on the furniture, you should teach "off" so she knows to get off on command if a person wants to sit there. Also make sure you have a place you can secure her when she is wet or dirty so she doesn't just hop up and ruin the fabric, bedding, etc. |
| Thanks for the feedback everyone! It's been a big help. Hubby was all for "4 on the floor" until the seminar with Benson's new obedience trainer yesterday. (The seminar is "uprights only" and separate from the classes.) Her female is allowed on the sofa in her own house, and the trainer pointed out that the most important thing is not that "these rules" are what "all well-trained dogs" follow, but rather that we decide what is important to us, what our rules are, and then consistently teach and reinforce those behaviors. So our final decision . . . Benson will be allowed up on the day bed by invitation only, and must get down immediately when we ask. And she's only allowed on the daybed, of course! And the chaise . . . |
| None of our dogs ever cared for getting on the furniture much. Winston never got on furniture, never even tried. Now and again Lacy will get on the sofa, and Chap gets on my daughter's bed, but that was it. Harley was a year old when we rescued her and she got on all of the furniture all the time. I didn't really care so much about that as I cared that she would dive onto the sofa to be with the people on the sofa - and consequently be all over them, too. She trained pretty quick not to jump on people and to stay off when told, but she still gets on the kids' beds with them and she'll get on the furniture, too. Strangely, when we changed from an upholstered sofa to a leather one, she didn't like the new one and doesn't even try to get on it anymore. I remember the first time she felt it she jumped right off and looked at it like it hurt her and she slinked away. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|