How to train a dog Lesson 10

The problem of keeping your dog off the furniture is one that is usually created by the owner. When you first bring your dog home as a puppy you may have encouraged him to jump up onto your lap whilst you were sat down on the sofa, thinking it was cute. However, once your dog gets older, and bigger, you may not want him to jump up onto the furniture anymore. As your dog has been used to doing this all his life and has learnt how to jump onto the furniture, it is difficult to teach him not to.

Have you ever been dressed up to go out, sat down on your sofa and then got up covered in dog hairs? It’s not a good look. There’s also the problem of inviting guests round only to have your 50lb dog slouched on the sofa, refusing to move, causing great embarrassment. Even smaller dogs can be a problem when trying to get them off a piece of furniture that they have claimed as theirs.

A simple but effective way of training your dog to keep off the furniture is to use a ‘rattle’. This is really a tin can with 20 beans or coins it and can make a lot of noise! Dogs hate to be startled and the noise the rattle makes works perfectly in every situation. If you are lucky enough to have a dog that jumps up on the furniture whilst you are in the room, use the rattle whilst firmly telling your dog ‘no’. Tell your dog ‘no’ sometimes with the rattle and sometimes without the rattle.

Once your dog has learnt the ‘no’ command, the problem of your dog jumping up on your furniture should end. If your dog is sneaky and jumps on the sofa when you are not around, make a couple of  tin rattles and line them up along the sofa. Then when your dog jumps up on your furniture they knock the rattles,
causing the loud noise and therefore startling your dog. As with training your dog, just like any animal, patience is vital. Although it may take a lot of time and effort, the benefits in the long run are well worth it.