How to teach my dog ​​not to climb on the couch

Whenever you get home you find the sofa full of hairs ? It is clear that your best friend takes advantage of your absence to get on the sofa and sleep comfortably on their comfortable cushions. If you want to correct this habit and avoid getting on the couch when you are not there or when you are at home, you can educate him by following some specific guidelines that will help you get the message across and understand it. In this article we are going to give you advice so that you know how to teach a dog not to climb on the sofa and that you can, thus, improve your coexistence. You will only need patience, perseverance and rewards.

one

Getting on the couch is one of the most common habits of dogs but why do they do it? There are different causes that can cause the animal to feel free to invade that space that, at first, is not intended for him:

• Puppy memories : dogs are animals with a great capacity for retention and, therefore, if when you were little you went up on the couch or held him in your arms and you sat on the couch now, as he grows up, it is logical that he continues believing that You accept it and do not understand that now you can not do it. That's why, since they are puppies, we should avoid putting them on the couch so they can be educated from their childhood.
• They miss us : it is also likely that they get on the sofa when we leave home because there is a trace of our smell. The animal climbs to be in contact with our smell and, thus, not miss us so much during the absence.

two

If you find your dog on the couch when you return from work or anywhere else you must react immediately, that is, do not greet or make love to him but you have to scold him right then and there to understand that he has done something wrong . When we get home it is normal that we always pay attention to the animal because we have been outside for a while and we want to see it, as he does to us. So, if upon arriving, you break with the habit and scold him, then he will understand that there is something he has not done well and will be predisposed to understand it.

You will have to say an authoritative and forceful "NO" while accompanying him to get off the couch. It is important that you do not laugh or give him any kiss or carantoña then, but, the animal will not understand what you mean. You may have to insist with the "NO" and that, on another occasion, you have to repeat this behavior so that, little by little, you will understand the message.

3

But it is important that you can teach your dog not to climb the sofa through a training session that will help you to improve the understanding of the animal. To do it you will have to stand up next to the sofa and holding your dog by your side ; Then point to the couch and say no, release it from the collar and watch its reaction. If you see that you intend to get up, take it again by the collar and say "NO", you can accompany your voice with a slap to be scared and alert. When you stay still you should give him a reward so he begins to understand you.

You must repeat this method for several days and even weeks until the animal understands the learning you want to send him. Keep in mind that, for assimilation to be easier, it is recommended that this training be done since he is a puppy because it is easier to instill a new message than to modify a behavior habit. In we give you other tips to train a puppy and teach him from very small.

4

It is important that in order for the animal to understand exactly what you are saying, offer an alternative to the sofa, therefore, it is recommended that you buy a comfortable bed or cushion that will make the animal comfortable and does not want to go up on the couch with you or when you are not at home You have to make sure that you enjoy your things and do not want to usurp yours, so it is important to buy a quality bed so you can rest properly without having to change places.

When the animal stays in his bed, especially during the first days of learning, give him a reward so he understands that this behavior is appropriate. We recommend that you be close to you, place it next to the sofa so that you feel your presence and do not have to go looking, think that they are very affectionate animals and that they will always want to be in contact with you. In we tell you how to teach a dog to sleep in his bed so that he feels comfortable in the cushion that you have bought him.

5

We have spoken several times that in order to teach a dog not to get on the couch you have to reward him when his behavior is as expected. The system of positive rewards is one of the most suitable for the training of animals because it is the way to understand that if you perform an act in question, you will receive a prize. This must be done during the first days or weeks but, afterwards, you will have to reduce the prizes because the animal will already have understood the concept.

In addition, when we refer to "awards" we do not only talk about food or treats for dogs but we also talk about samples of affection or attention because it is a way for the animal to obey our message if, in exchange, we play with it, we embrace it or we give him affection.

6

There is the possibility of being able to teach that the animal does not get on the couch only when there are visitors because there are people who do want to cuddle with their friend but do not want to impose their territory when there are people at home. Thus, you can specify two very different orders, for example, "up" and "down", words that the dog will associate with the message you give it and, therefore, help the coexistence of both.

To be able to teach this concept, you will have to stand next to it on the sofa and with the order of "up" to accompany it to the sofa, reward it, and then say "below" accompanying it down. This concept is more complicated to teach but not impossible: with patience and repetition you will get the dog to get your message.

7

But if you want the animal never to get on the couch then you can accompany the method that we have mentioned before with other praxis that will help you keep the dog at bay when you leave home. So, you can do the following:

• Close the door of the dining room : it is one of the simplest ways that the dog does not get on the sofa because you can not access the room when you are away from home. This practice especially you will have to carry it out at the beginning of the training because, until you understand the message, it is better that you do not have temptations.
• Sheet with dog repellent : in the market there are some products prepared whose aroma acts as a repellent for dogs so, a good way, is to surround the sofa with a sheet and spray it with this product so that the smell serves as a repeller.
• The edges of the sofa with aluminum foil : it is a very good trick to avoid getting the dog on the sofa. When you leave home and try to climb you will hear the noise of aluminum and you will be frightened when you do not understand where it comes from or what it is about.