How to keep a dog off of the couch?

Help please! We cannot seem to train my friend's black lab to stay off of her furniture. We scold him when we catch him up there and he looks contrite and jumps down, but he goes back up there the minute he thinks that we are not looking! She really wants to buy a new couch and love seat but would like to change his behavior first so that he does not wreck the new furniture. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Here's a bad idea. When the Lab's on the couch, just pretend not to see it. Then sit on the couch. On top of the Lab. Maybe it will get the idea that it's not safe to sit on the couch.

 

I think it was a hurting idea. LOL
Maybe just buy a new couch and give the old couch to the lab.
I used to have a dog that enjoys being in my wooden chair, and she just leave it off after she accidentally fell from it and be injured.

 

See what I mean? Dogs are smart. They won't sit in something that hurts them. So just sit on the Lab and that may be the last time the Lab sits on the couch. Just getting a new couch may not work. The Lab might think the new couch is a present for him.

 

Honestly, I have no idea how to keep a dog off of furniture unless you train them to stay off from the beginning. I have "ruined" my dogs by allowing them on furniture, so when I decided I'd really like them to stay off, it was an exercise in futility. No matter how many times I remove them and scold them for being on the couch, they still get on when I'm out of the room. So I gave up and decided to go another route - I bought a couch cover (it covers the bench and arms and is tucked into the cushions - I bought it at Target) called the Furniture Friend, which can be removed and easily washed.

 

That's a solution. Here's an idea. Try covering an old couch with that Furniture Friend. If your dogs would follow the Furniture Friend to the new location, you are on your way to de-dogging your furniture.

 

Once he jumps on the couch gently push him toward moving off the couch. do not push him until they are off because then he will not know how to do automatically. gently push him towards moving off, then once he jump off the couch pet him

 

Do you mean like nudging him to the end of the couch? So what happens if he gets smart and jump back on the couch at the other end?

 

Ask a dog trainer or an expert of dog psychology.

 

Good suggestion but it's not always necessary to do that. Ask anyone who has a lot of experience with dogs and you can still get a good answer.

 

I once read an article about why dogs sit on the couch. It's not about the place its about the fact that they consider themselves in the same line of hierarchy as the master. or rather they don't give the master his due spot. So the bottom line problem is his master is not assertive enough, hence the dog feels compelled to take the place of the leader. Perhaps your friend loves the dog too much and fuses over him a lot. this has led to confusion with the dog and he thinks he is in command. the couch is just to assert his position. If it is older than a year, will be very difficult to get him off that couch.

 

I've read that as well, but I also came across a recent article (sorry, I don't have a link) that said it's a myth, and that dogs are just looking for a comfy spot to lay down just like the rest of us. I am very assertive with my dogs, and they will hurry to get off when I tell them to. But as soon as I'm out of the room, they're back on. At any rate, it's best to start training early if you want the dogs to stay off the furniture - it's such a pain trying to enfore it when they're older and have been permitted on for some time.