How to Teach A Dog Not to Get On Furniture? How to Train A Dog At Home!
Training dogs to not climb on top of the furniture is generally carried out during puppyhood. That is, during the early stages of training your dog. But if you managed to slip past this training exercise during the initial months of training, you can always begin anew.
This means knowing how to teach a dog not to get on furniture at home. Probably you’re doing this now because your fully-grown dog is damaging the upholstery or dropping things from the furniture like the table or a chair.
Teaching a puppy not to get on the furniture is, in a lot of ways, easier than teaching a dog not to get on the furniture. Especially if your dog is already used to cozing up on the bed or sofa or the dining table!
1. Use Bars or Gates to Keep Your Dog From Climbing Furniture
To get your dog used to not climbing on furniture, for example, a sofa, you can block access to it. An effective way of doing this without physically moving your dog each time he/she gets on the sofa is to use safety gates. Panels that act as barriers that you can surround the sofa with.
In more layman terms, such gates/panels are used for babyproofing a house to keep babies away from sharp furniture, stairs, etc.
You can mount this yourself and also choose the height based on your dog’s breed. A pet dog gate is a foolproof and effective way of getting your dog to not get on the furniture.
2. Create A Comfy Dog Bed
By introducing a cozy place that is specifically for your dog, your dog may not mind not getting on furniture. It’s a good way to distract your dog from your home’s furniture.
Using cues like “go to your bed” you can praise and pet your dog as soon as he/she listens to you and moves away from the furniture towards his/her bed.
3. Use Short Cues
Do not train your dog with cues that are more difficult for him/her to remember. Teaching your dog a dependable and direct “off” cue, for example, should be enough to get him/her off the furniture.
Here’s how to go about it…
- Let’s say your dog’s been sitting on the couch you want to train him/her to get off. Get your dog’s attention, then say the word “off” in a firm but not too loud tone. Then wait for 2-3 seconds (not longer) and toss a treat on your dog’s bed. Dogs love treats. So he/she will immediately get up and off the couch to fetch the treat.
Pet and praise your dog for doing a good thing. You can also give him/her another treat to stay put on the dog bed. - You can repeat this training a few more times whenever your dog gets up furniture. Slowly observe how quickly your dog gets “off” the furniture as soon as you say the word, maintaining that same firm but not too loud tone.
- You can slowly reduce the number of times you give your dog a treat after saying the cue. Don’t stop giving treats altogether, But you can also praise and pet your dog for listening to you rather than always feeding him/her treats.
Luckily, this “off” cue can also be used to stop your dog from jumping up on guests entering your home. If you want your dog to sit on his/her bed, the “off” cue will always be helpful and effective.
Using 1-2 words instead of long sentences is a great way to accelerate the training process of a dog. Words like off, up, no, bed, or such one-word cues are easier to teach and your dog is smart enough to remember these cues.
What NOT To Do?
The aforementioned ways are healthy and effective ways of teaching a dog not to get on the furniture. But what you should NOT DO is punish your dog or treat him unkindly!
Many ignorant dog owners use punishment as a way of stopping their dogs from climbing on top of furniture. You shouldn’t yell at your dog either! Or smack him on the head when you catch them on furniture.
This will cause fear and anxiety in your dog, and in worse situations, anger and other psychosomatic health conditions such as vomiting, shaking, unusual peeing, and loss of appetite.
Then you’ll have a much bigger problem to deal with than just training your dog not to get on the furniture.
Be gentle and consistent with your training. It might take a few weeks but your dog will learn if you are a good teacher.
Final Thoughts
Consistency Is Key!
Staying consistent with your training sessions is very important in keeping your dog from climbing furniture. If you live alone, you can focus on training your dog on your own terms. But if you live with other family members, get them to agree with your methods of training so that will not confuse your dog. If everyone at home has their own method of keeping your dog off the furniture, your dog won’t end up learning anything.
While it’s true that adult dogs take longer to adapt to new changes and learn, puppy behavior is easier to sculpt. But still, with these tips, you can teach a fully-grown dog to not climb on furniture.
The use of doggy treats, lots of praise, and loving attention and care are necessary. Without this, and without proper exercise and diet, your dog will be agitated and as a result, will not take your commands or training sessions seriously.
If your dog shows aggression while you’re training him/her, consult with a vet for better, safer behavioral techniques to get your dog to calm down.
