Dog Training Advice

[SenatorShriv]

I've got a 6 year old black lab that loves to sleep on couches and beds when nobody is home. She knows that she's not supposed to do be there and will slink out of the house to avoid scolding whenever she is busted. For the last year or so I've resorted to closing all the bedroom doors and piling random objects on the furniture to keep her off them, but am really tired of doing so and even that doesn't always work. Does anyone have any advice for training a dog not to do something that they only do when no one is around?

[GoudaBrew]

If she's been getting away with it her whole life it's a habit that will probably be hard to break. When I was a kid we had a dog that would get on the furniture after we left the house, but wouldn't attempt it when we were home. We put the dining room chairs on the coaches to keep her off.

 

I would make sure she has a nice bed on the floor that she likes to sleep in. Teach her the "off" command and be consistent and patient with her.

 

You could try confining her to a room without furniture and then give her more space as she progresses. Keep some of her favorite toys put away when you're home. Then when you leave, give them to her and she'll have something to do when she's alone.

 

Have any tips on how to stop a dog from eating toilet paper?

[1992casey]

Teach her the "off" command and be consistent and patient with her.

 

It's important that you tell the dog to get "off" rather than to get "down."

 

"Down" is to tell the dog to lie down. "Off" is to tell him to get off of stuff. If a dog is on the couch, the correct response to "down" would be to lie down rather than get off.

 

As far as the problem at hand, I don't know how much success you can have when you're trying to train the dog how to behave when you're not home. I think denying access to that stuff is the best route.

 

That said, something less obtrusive than dining room chairs or random objects would be in order. Maybe a combination of closed doors and static mats?

[SenatorShriv]

I had a similar problem a few years ago when she would only dig holes in the backyard when she thought no one was home. Along with my roommates we started hiding in random rooms of the house with windows facing the back yard, on the roof of the garage, behind bushes, etc... and would spray her with the garden hose any time she started digging. It was a long drawn out process that involved a lot of beer drinking but eventually it worked. The problem is that I don't want to spray a garden hose in my house and that I don't have that much time on my hands anymore. I've thought about elaborate systems that involve webcams, walkie talkies and such but that seems like WAY too much work.

 

There has to be a simple solution out there...

[GoudaBrew]

Well, this product looks like the easiest fix. It's non-shock:

 

LINK

[dadofandrew]

I'd just let 'em sleep on the bed or sofa. They're part of the family.

[SenatorShriv]

I went with Al's route for a while. While I was in college and had girlfriends who loved dogs it wasn't a big deal to have the dog on the furniture. Now my roommates aren't thrilled about having the dog all over their furniture and I'm having trouble convincing the fairer sex that a dog-hair pillow is just as nice as a goose-down pillow.

 

Has anyone ever tried the Sofa Scram or the Scat Mat? Most of the reviews on the Amazon page linked a couple posts earlier seem to be a bit pre-fabricated...

[RobertR]

What I found works well were car floor mats turned upside down. And persistence. Crate training doesn't hurt either.

 

Robert

[dadofandrew]

I think MSC to stop in with advice like yelling at the sofa and hitting it with something, that's some sort of psychology.

 

Our dog is almost 14, he's beyond all hope.

[brewers19]

I think MSC to stop in with advice like yelling at the sofa and hitting it with something, that's some sort of psychology.

What is this supposed to even mean?

 

And for what it's worth, no animal is too old to train.

[dadofandrew]

It should have said "MSC will stop in". That's what he said about chewing on stuff.

 

And I don't think you've met my dog.