Couch Lover

[Guest Cassidy]

Hi everyone!

 

I am new to owning a greyhound but am already in love with my 4 year old boy , Flip. The first day we brought him home he jumped up on the couch and made himself comfortable. I quickly told him to get down and pointed to his bed and he layed down on it and fell asleep. He jumped up on the couch a few more times and every time i would tell him to get down. He now only gets on the couch when im not in the room or when he thinks im not home. Every morning my boyfriend wakes up, lets him outside to go for a walk, feeds him, and then leaves for work. All the while i am upstairs getting ready for work he is downstairs thinking that everyone has left the house and jumps right up on the couch. Is it unrealistic of me to expect him not to jump on our couches? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Wonder]

Put stuff on the couch so he can't jump up there

 

I have 3 couches in the living room but only 3 hounds actually go on the couch so there's still room for me

[Guest KennelMom]

Is it unrealistic of me to expect him not to jump on our couches?

 

From what you said...probably. He's figured out that there is no correction when the human isn't present. Not entirely unlike people (how many of us speed...until we see a cop?)

 

If you can keep him from getting up there long enough, the behavior may naturally extinguish itself.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

How badly to you want to keep him off the sofa? If it is imperative that he not be on the sofa, then go to the store and get those clear plastic carpet runners that have the small spikes on the bottom to hold them in place. When you are not around, put the plastic on the sofa, spikey side up. he will only jump up one time after that.

 

Chad

[Guest Johnpilot]

My female (who I have had for two years now) learned the couch was soft and starting the third night she owned it. I keep a blanket over the actual cushions and give her some extra towels and stuff and she loves it and has never hurt it. You may find out it is not that big a deal to let her be on the couch. she doesn't attempt any other piece of furniture so it works out great and she lets me share it with her to watch TV.

 

John

[Guest NJgrey]

How long have you had Flip? Give it a month or so and you'll be begging him to come up on the couch with you

[Guest Cassidy]

Thanks for the helpful responses. I wanted to try and stop him from getting on our couches so he will refrain from doing it when we take him to visit or stay at our parents houses as well. I think i might try placing the carpet runner up there to see if that could be a possible solution. Thank you all!

[Guest Houndstown]

Thanks for the helpful responses. I wanted to try and stop him from getting on our couches so he will refrain from doing it when we take him to visit or stay at our parents houses as well. I think i might try placing the carpet runner up there to see if that could be a possible solution. Thank you all!

 

I've also heard you can put aluminum foil on the couch when you aren't around. Something about the crinkling sound is supposed to startle them. We haven't tried it because we've given up on keeping ours off the couch but a friend of mine did.

Edited November 12, 2010 by Houndstown

[Guest Speks]

Alena is a couch queen in my house. It's her place in the room where she can see everything that goes on. I almost always take her when I go to visit family. Parents house is very clean and they usually don't have their dogs inside unless it's cold outside. I corrected Alena once, maybe twice when it looked like she was going to hop on the couch. She's never tried it since, but still loves my couch at home.

[GeorgeofNE]

Thanks for the helpful responses. I wanted to try and stop him from getting on our couches so he will refrain from doing it when we take him to visit or stay at our parents houses as well. I think i might try placing the carpet runner up there to see if that could be a possible solution. Thank you all!

 

I allow my dog on the bed at my house, and not at my parents. He has no problem distinguishing between OUR furniture and Granny's.

 

Same with my last dog. Actually, that dog got on my mother's furniture ONCE and she let him know in no uncertain terms it was not acceptable. It was priceless, the look on his face as Granny chewed him out wagging her bony finger at him!!!

 

So it may not be a problem making him understand that things are different at someone else's house.