# Spoo puppy on bed or sofa... I know it's wrong but HOW wrong?!



## My babies (Aug 14, 2012)

I think that is your preference if you want him on your furnitures or not. I have 2 toys and they are allowed everywhere. They both sleep with us on our bed. But then again they are toys and are much smaller than a standard. If you let him on your bed...it's soon going to be his bed. Lol


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## meredian (Nov 5, 2012)

Thank you! I should note that we won't mind him being on the sofa or bed when he is older. We're just worried about him not thinking we are in control/dominant anymore (we have been reading heavily about training!)


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

My opinion is the only thing to be concerned with is whether you are willing to continue to allow Wade on the furniture as he grows. You want to be consistent in what you permit him to do now so you don't confuse him or create behaviors you don't want. I allow our mpoo on the furniture, but he's been taught to wait to be invited up and to get off when asked. Here's some related information from the* Association of Pet Dog Trainers Website.*

*Behavior Myth:* Dogs get on the furniture and/or beds to show that they rule the household. 

* Why Your Dog Really Does This*: Dogs get on furniture and/or beds for the same reasons that people do - because they're very comfortable.

*How to Change the Behavior*: Teach your dog an "off" command so they learn to get down off the furniture when you ask them to.

If you do not want your dog on the furniture at any time, manage the household so that the dog is not able to get up on the furniture unawares. If they do, this reinforces that it's ok to sit on the furniture - you want to be able to block this from happening using baby gates, tethers, etc.

Provide the dog with a comfy dog bed or beds of his own and reinforce the dog for choosing to lay on them.

* Finally, if you don't mind having your dog on the furniture but are afraid this means they're dominating you - relax! As long as you are setting the rules and guidelines in your house, it's ok for your dog to be on the furniture with you*.

I trust Wade is snuggled up on the couch next to you right now? (Just be mindful of giving him potty breaks--he's a baby and accidents on the furniture are not a good thing!)


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## meredian (Nov 5, 2012)

Aw, thank you so much for a great reply


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

meredian said:


> Our Spoo puppy is so adorable that sometimes he is hard to resist! We are being very, very diligent about keeping him in a pen (this is also where his crate is) and we only let him out to go outside to the bathroom, for training, or for a short playtime. Sometimes when he is sleepy though I just want to pick him up and sit him on the sofa next to me or in the bed to watch a movie. I haven't ever let him on the bed but he napped on the sofa on his first day home, but never since then.
> 
> Is this a HUGE no no that we should avoid no matter what? He is 9 weeks-old. I've heard that this can affect dominance/training issues.
> 
> ...


As I sit here on my laptop on my bed surrounded by three dogs, I say- what the heck. They're on the bed. They don't sleep on the bed (they sleep in crates in the bedrooms). That said, they also get off the furniture and the bed when I tell them to. And, I can tell them not to get on the furntiure and they won't. My favorite time of night is lying on the couch watching TV with my dogs. 

Poodles don't shed and whippet hairs are teeny tiny. That's my excuse. :act-up:


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

We had a toy who was allowed everywhere, she even slept under the covers. When we got a spoo, I actually uttered the words "I will not have a big dog on the furniture." It lasted twenty four hours.  She was about a year old before she started sleeping on the end of the bed. She will sleep in her crate as well. The only thing I wish I had figured out sooner was to dremel her nails on the leather furniture. Live and learn. Like others have said as well, she will get off of the furniture or bed if told to do so. It just boils down to what you are comfortable with and being consistant with whatever that is.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

The whole "dogs will be dominant if allowed on the furniture" is a bunch of bologna. My dogs sleep with me all the time, I've never had an issue. They get off when told, and stay off when told. That's all I ask. As others have said, it's all about personal preference and consistency once you make up your mind. 

I will say this about the dominance stuff though. My mom's Lhasa as a younger dog would jump into our lap and then try to stand over/above us. Not sure what he was trying to do, but he is a naturally bossy dog so I suspect he was testing to see if the humans could be "bossed". We proved to him we couldn't and he doesn't try anymore.


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

Sorry, I know you are asking a serious question, but when I read the thread title I really did laugh out loud. (Well, an evil chuckle, anyway.) You see, your poodle OWNs the couch, bed, and every other comfy spot in the house. You just don't know it yet . . . . :aetsch:


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Lots of good advice - but if you are reading books that emphasise the need to "dominate" or "be boss", or be "pack leader", etc, etc I think you may find it helpful to put them away and find something more up to date! There is lots of excellent advice on raising a puppy into a happy adult available for free on the Dog Star Daily site Dog Star Daily There is even a free puppy training book to download, and Dr Ian Dunbar who wrote it is a genuine expert when it comes to dog behaviour and training.


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## Marta Elmer (Sep 29, 2012)

I resisted for few months allowing Zorba on our bed or sofa, but finally, we let him join us where ever we are. And what happened was my biggest surprise: he slept few nights with us, and then decided that his pillow was either more comfortable, or less hot for him, so now he sleeps in his place. The same with sofa. He does jump sometimes up on it, to be with me or my husband for a moment, but soon he goes off and spends most of the time on the wooden floor. 

As for the dominance issue, I have not noticed that allowing him on our furniture changed anything in our relationship, he knows well where I am the boss, and where he can get it his way. 

I would say, just relax and enjoy your poodle. My approach is train my Zorba with love. ANd when he understands that something is very important for me, he simply adopts the rule, and never makes any problems about anything.


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## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

My dog's are allowed on the furniture when and if another human says so and not a second before. They can ask to come up by walking up to us and sit politely in front which normally we allow since they are being polite. We have leather furniture too so tearing around the sofa is strictly forbidden. Sometimes we let them sleep with us and sometimes hey sleep in their crate. Just depends on how we're feeling. It's all in our terms, so they listen really well when we tell them to get off and lay in their own comfy beds.


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## alienz (Jan 2, 2010)

My girls like to get on the couch or bed. They move when I want the couch. I want to enjoy my spoos and not have to worry about being a doggy discplinarian.. We hang out together as a group. Enjoy your pup let them do what your comfortable with Just be in control of the situation. Besides how can you snuggle comforably if they can't get up on the couch with you. We cover couches so covers can be washed and they stay clean.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

I second much of the advice you've received already. I just thought I'd share that Begley, our 14 week old spoo puppy, has been sleeping on our bed and sitting with us on our sofa ever since he came home (deliberately our choice). I actually find it's been helpful in teaching him that some times when we're together are "settle in calmly together" times instead of "let's play!" times. One thing I remember is to bring a non-messy chewy with us onto the sofa (a wooly toy or his antler) to give him something quiet to do. When he was a few weeks younger it was also helpful to have a nylabone in/near bed, as sometimes he needed to go out at night and was a bit chewy when he came back in. The nylabone was interesting enough to chew for a few minutes as he settled down, but not so interesting as to get him excited (and no residue left on the bed covers).

Our last mpoo was on any furniture he liked his entire life (17.5 years). I think both dog and people enjoy it! And, after all, one of the reasons I love having a dog is the cuddles.

I guess the only other thing I'd mention is that we're already planning on buying a King size bed and a larger sofa (we currently have a queen size bed and only a loveseat).


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## murphys (Mar 1, 2012)

It's a personal decision whether your puppy is allowed on beds or furniture. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. It's personal preference. Fritz is not allowed on furniture in our home. When he goes to my brother's and SIL's he is. He knows the rules are different and abides by them.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

Carley was trained not to get on beds or furniture before I got her and she doesn't. Stella gets on both. I don't let her sleep with me, tried it once and she is so big that she kept me up with all her movements. I let her on the leather sofa where she enjoys looking out into the backyard, but she will get off when told. I love laying there with her all cuddled up next to me, she is a big cuddler. It is up to you and your family what is allowed and what is not. I will say that they do get things dirty and that is a problem. I used to have an all white bed, now I have a unmade bed with a dark brown blanket over the top of all my white stuff...


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I have been looking for bed linen that comes pre-printed with cat paw marks. That way the ones Pip and Tilly leave when they come in to warm up fresh from muddy fields may not be quite so obvious ...


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

I have an all-white bed too! My dogs jump all over it, although they sleep in their own bed. We had quite the discussion about whether to let them on the living room furniture. We actually decided to get them a couch of their own (husband's idea) because the girls were 6 months old then and VERY rambunctious...he was mostly concerned about sitting on the couch watching t.v. and the dogs leaping through the air to land on him and the couch mid-wrestle, knocking his coffee through the air and generally scaring the wits out of him. This actually did happen a few times, hee, hee. Anyway, we did get them a couch but they don't use it. They do however cuddle on our laps every night. Now we sit on THEIR couch, ha,ha!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I do not see how it is a huge "no no" to have your baby puppy snuggle with you on the couch! As long as pup doesn't have accidents on the couch.  What fun would having a puppy be if not allowed to snuggle on the couch?! I do not believe one bit that it leads to dominance issues. 

I have always let my puppies on the furniture with me from the time they come home. And once reliably potty and crate trained, I let them sleep in the bed with me too. Mil started sleeping in the bed with me every night at like 4 or 5 months I think! 

Enjoy your pup!


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I slept on the couch with my 8 week old spoo for the first week after I got him. I put him between my body and the back of the couch, so he couldn't roll off and hurt himself in the middle of the night. When he needed to go potty he'd get squirmy and wake me up. I'd rush him outside; after he did his business we'd go cuddle on the couch again and fall back to sleep. I only started crating him after he was old enough to make it through the whole night without needing to go out. He still likes to sleep on the couch. I've never had any sort of territorial snarkiness problems.
I didn't let the dogs sleep on the bed for the first year and a half. First, the bed is really high, and I didn't want him hurting himself jumping off. Second, I didn't want him tracking barn debris into my bedding. Third, the cat sleeps with me, and I wanted the cat to feel like he still had his own special dog free zone. Then I had to have surgery and sleep in a special bed for a month. During my recuperation my spouse let the dogs sleep on my side of the bed. One of the dogs continues to sleep in the bed; the other one prefers the laundry pile, lol.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I had to laugh at my photo of Carley on the sofa when I just stated that she did not get on the furniture... I asked her to get on it for the photo! Then she did start to sleep there at night , but was getting it dirty, so I now keep the cushions up all the time unless we are using it....that was the only piece of furniture that Carley ever got on. She loved it there because she could see so much of the house both inside and outside. I would prefer my dogs not get on the furniture, but you would miss all the cuddles...


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

I don't believe it's a dominant thing...I think they like to be close. And it's comfortable. My dog never goes on the furniture but I have had him cuddle with me on the couch while I watch TV and he gets off when I tell him (i.e. DH coming!). I wouldn't worry.


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## hunny518 (Jun 5, 2012)

Our spoo is aloud on the furniture and bed, I feel she deserves the same luxury we do. But when we don't want her on those things we tell her "off" and she immediately gets down. 

She is becoming very well behaved and this has never interfered with any of her training.


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## meredian (Nov 5, 2012)

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies! We definitely don't want to be in the "dominant" mindset but we heard a lot of advice about not letting puppies on furniture - that is to say, that we should wait until the dog is older to let him on. But after this thread I'm going to put that theory to bed! We actually let Wade on the sofa last night and after a little while he was over it and wanted to go lay down on the floor next to his bowl (his most beloved spot).

Thanks again


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## Jacamar (Jun 2, 2012)

Panda is allowed on the couch and sleeps in bed with me.









:laugh: :laugh:

Ha.. This reminded me that I used to have a coworker who had many pets, some of them somewhat unusual, like a huge iguana, and they all slept in bed with her. She said sometimes it got so crowded she went and slept on the couch! :laugh:


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## tokipoke (Sep 3, 2011)

Leroy was not allowed on furniture till he was nearly 2 years old. We used to be so strict about the no-furiniture rule but we are relaxing. It first started with letting him sleep in our bed. Most of the time he prefers to sleep on the floor after an hour. Then my sister has been visiting the past week and she's been letting him on the couch! My husband doesn't want him on the couch, and he got in big trouble when Leroy decided to get on the couch himself. So now he will get on the couch ONLY when my sister invites him. I've tried inviting him but he won't do it cause he thinks he'll get in trouble. He's funny cause his to-go spot is first the floor or dog bed. Then he thinks about getting on the bed. When we are on vacation and staying in hotel rooms, he has no hesitation at all about jumping on the bed. It's like he knows he's on vacation too. He also gets on the couch at my friend's house but all of her dogs are allowed to lounge on the couch. I like the fact he can differentiate the environment and figure out where he should go. The main reason my husband doesn't want him on the couch is he doesn't want him thinking he can go on couches at other people's homes. He is also a very big poodle and takes up a lot of room! My husband lets our Havanese go where ever he wants though. On the bed, the couch, he's been sleeping with us in the bed at our in-laws - so I guess size matters if you want your dog on the furniture.


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## Petey&Moo (Jan 1, 2013)

when i'm good, Missy lets me sleep on the bed


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

*Couch or Sofa?*

Dogs should not be on furniture PERIOD. No exceptions. And, heaven forbid, don't let them on the bed!!!! Sorry, couldn't resist. I am sure wherever the pup sleeps it will be fine and it won't impact your training.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

My kids are allowed on any furniture they like, and I wouldn't have it any other way!


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## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

Fluffy loved the white baby sprawled Garfield style lol


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

A poodle quickly becomes an equal member of the family, which means they expect to earn furniture privileges. I let Callie on the furniture and beds. Its a great place to cuddle and that's what poodles do, cuddle. She's very respectful of the furniture, but I do put a soft thin blanket on the couch. She likes that! She does sleep in her crate at night though only because we are afraid she will fall off the bed in the night!


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

SusanG said:


> A poodle quickly becomes an equal member of the family, which means they expect to earn furniture privileges. I let Callie on the furniture and beds. Its a great place to cuddle and that's what poodles do, cuddle. She's very respectful of the furniture, but I do put a soft thin blanket on the couch. She likes that! She does sleep in her crate at night though only because we are afraid she will fall off the bed in the night!


SusanG: Love the avatar and very pretty poodle! Sunny fell off the bed a couple of times when I first got him as he slept pretty close to the edge --- kerplunk!......and he didn't know what happened. That was then and now, well, he has figured out how to navigate! Lol.


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## Pluto (Jul 8, 2012)

I have to confess, cuddling on the couch with a dog is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. We have not allowed any dogs in the bed for years, I just got tired of contorting myself, and our bed was getting filthy since they would come running back in the house and jump right up on the bed multiple times a day (gross). 

I will say that when we implemented to "no bed rule" with our adult dogs it was a very difficult transition and we eventually got a loft bed with a ladder because it was just easier than dealing with them sneaking back on. So if you think you might not want the pup on a bed, couch, etc. it really is easier to just reinforce that from scratch - you can always invite them up later.

If you have concerns about your dog being very bold and somewhat dominant, I would reinforce the rules from the get go. Making sure the dog is invited up, and is asked to move off or over often. I also like to use the couch cuddling time to teach a new dog that I can do whatever I want. If I want to hold their feet, spread their toes, look in their ears, file nails, brush, etc., then I do and they may not move off until I am done. 
There are definitely individual dogs that require additional reminders of who is boss, pick up on the little things, and push the limits, and you may need to adjust how you operate on a day to day basis if you have one of those. Whether you call it dominance, testing you, pushing the limits, etc. some dogs have their own agenda and making them work for the little things through the day really helps. We adopted an young adult Shiba Inu years ago and Nothing In Life is Free (NILF) changed our whole relationship with him.


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

Panda is allowed on the sofas and in our bed, in fact he demands to get under the covers with us and snuggle lol. He normally starts sleeping on the floor but then stands on his back legs and paws at me until I wake up so he can ask if he can get into bed, then I lift the duvet up for him and he gets in and cuddles up next to me. If i dont lift the duvet up he spends ages digging at it trying to get under so its just easier to help him lol. He does get off when told though although he will keep trying to get back on after a while.... I enjoy having him snuggle on the sofa and in bed, there is nothing nicer than cuddling your Poodle in bed, him having his head on your shoulder and cuddled up close to you!

Saying that we do have behavior issues with Panda although I really don't believe it is because we let him on the furniture, I think it is just because he is a very high strung dog who finds it all too easy to flip over the edge. Calming herbal tablets have helped him loads although we still have work to do helping him not to react to things, he is a million times better now and we are still having sofa/bed cuddles lol


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think there can be a safety issue with small pups which I solved by lifting them up and down carefully until they could jump up easily. Falling off the bed was made safe by spreading pillows and rolled quilts around the bed for the first week or so, until they learned where the edges were. And I do expect my dogs to budge over or get down when asked, no matter how comfy they are - easily taught with the on/off game, or in Poppy's case by picking her up and putting her on the floor if she grumbled about being asked to move (and being very profuse with thanks and praise when she complies!).


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## Dusty Rose (Nov 19, 2012)

I have had the best luck when potty training by having the puppies sleep on the bed. I have never had an accident. Dogs are allowed on the furniture, except for one couch, just in case a non dog person should visit. This, of course, is not encouraged!


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## pinkteaji (Dec 7, 2012)

Shelton wasn't allowed on furniture due to the rules of being a service dog in training but now that he is my pet now I let him on furniture and i havent had any issues with him. I think the most important thing (like ppl said here previously) is tht you teach your dog the "off" command so the dog will listen to you and knows that he/she can come on the furniture but when it's "off" time they have to get off. Or you can teach them not to be on furniture unless invited to. Whichever you prefer  I think some dogs don't come off the furniture because they're just being stubborn or sneaky and nothing dominant. Disclaimer: I'm no dog expert just my personal thoughts. 


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## meredian (Nov 5, 2012)

Thank you all for the advice! 

Now our problem is that Wade doesn't WANT to be on the furniture! HA! If we put him on the sofa he's like "Uh, can I get off of here?" and same thing goes for the bed. I guess he's gotten used to the incredible comfort offered by the cold kitchen floor :crazy:


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## sweetheartsrodeo (Sep 19, 2012)

This is a very good thread! I have read and read and am sad there are no more posts to read. 

Like many of you Remington is allowed on the bed and furniture. He sleeps in my chair if I am not in it lol. However, please note that when you are looking to buy a new matress, and laying down on it in the store to test it, they are not happy when your dog jumps up to snuggle beside you. LOL....


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Love the mental picture, sweetheartsrodeo! I'm wondering what the reaction would be if I turned up with two dogs and both cats in an effort to find the bed that suited all of us ...


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## ClassyRedneck (Jan 7, 2013)

Our dogs are not allowed on the furniture now. They were for years, but they damaged it so badly, and when we got slipcovers, they quickly ruined them by digging around "nesting". I had to put my foot down. I did buy them a big fluffy bed for the living room as a peace offering though :angel2:
I like the idea of having a "no dog" couch as stated above for visitors. Sometimes it isn't even about a person not liking dogs on them (I do understand that too, however) or dog smell, but a visiting pastor (whom I love!) comes to our house all the time to visit my grandma that I care for that is on hospice care, and he is horribly allergic. As a family with a lot of food issues, I appreciate it so much when people cater to our needs even though they do not have to. I like to be considerate as well. 
I don't sleep with my dogs. They are crated at night. I co-sleep with my babies, no dogs allowed. Maybe when they are grown, but not in the meantime.


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## Oklahoma (Dec 10, 2012)

Agree that this is 100% preference. We are a casual family (and we have a toddler, so we only by stain resistent furniture). We don't mind our dogs being on the furniture when they are clean. 

The one thing we did was made sure that they know they're only allowed up by invitation. They aren't allowed to run into the room and launch onto the sofa or someone's lap. They sit at the foot of the couch and they wait to be invited up. If we don't want them on the furniture, we tell them to go lay down and they'll crash in their dog beds.


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## My babies (Aug 14, 2012)

sweetheartsrodeo and fjm-I laughed so hard just picturing it in my head. That would be pretty funny.


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## ClassyRedneck (Jan 7, 2013)

Oklahoma said:


> Agree that this is 100% preference. We are a casual family (and we have a toddler, so we only by stain resistent furniture). We don't mind our dogs being on the furniture when they are clean.
> 
> The one thing we did was made sure that they know they're only allowed up by invitation. They aren't allowed to run into the room and launch onto the sofa or someone's lap. They sit at the foot of the couch and they wait to be invited up. If we don't want them on the furniture, we tell them to go lay down and they'll crash in their dog beds.


We have leather furniture. We purchased it specifically because we have children (8 kids 14 and under) so it would he easy to clean and sanitize. We bought that before we had the dogs, and little nails jumping up and grabbing has scratched it all up.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I would love it if Molly wanted to sit with me on the couch, but she prefers the kitchen floor! Now the bed is a different matter! It's really kinda weird. During the evening I like to watch TV & use my laptop sitting on my bed. Molly lays on the bathroom floor where she can see me, and no matter if I call her to me to get up on the bed, unless I have a treat, that's where she lies until I turn off the lamp and lay prone....then she's up on the bed to snuggle cuz it's 'bedtime'. She lies on my side with her head on my chest until I close my eyes and then she moves to the foot of my bed! It's almost as if she's making sure I'm OK before she 'goes to bed'! I sure wish she were that considerate at 6am when she starts banging on the door to be let out, or jumping on my chest with a toy in her mouth to play......


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## Jacamar (Jun 2, 2012)

MollyMuiMa said:


> I would love it if Molly wanted to sit with me on the couch, but she prefers the kitchen floor! Now the bed is a different matter! It's really kinda weird. During the evening I like to watch TV & use my laptop sitting on my bed. Molly lays on the bathroom floor where she can see me, and no matter if I call her to me to get up on the bed, unless I have a treat, that's where she lies until I turn off the lamp and lay prone....then she's up on the bed to snuggle cuz it's 'bedtime'. She lies on my side with her head on my chest until I close my eyes and then she moves to the foot of my bed! It's almost as if she's making sure I'm OK before she 'goes to bed'!


Panda is similar. When Im downstairs he usually sleeps on the tile instead of the carpet or couch, and I think he does that because its cooler, so maybe thats why Molly likes the bathroom floor. Panda cuddles close when I first turn out the lights at bedtime, but when I stop petting and start to fall asleep he moves to the foot of the bed. Sometimes when the alarm goes off he comes back up and lays on me. A doggie hug first thing in the morning is the best thing in the world!


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## Pamela (Sep 9, 2008)

awwwww how can youi resist! I will tell you a funny story aboty Ginger. I gave in also when she was a puppy and let her lay on my bed - well she fell asleep and I moved my legs and she growled at me! lol that was the end of the bed! lol


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## Pamela (Sep 9, 2008)

PS she is allowed on the couch when I say so though


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