You’ve just bought your new sofa and you’re feeling pretty pleased. Gone is the old, torn sofa that you’ve lovingly held on to for years and in place you have a great new, full cushioned sofa that brightens up your room and makes you want to sink into it and relax with a good film.
Then your dog ambles over and stares up at you, hoping you’ll give him permission to jump up and sit next to you on your brand new sofa. But what if this time you want to keep him off the sofa and on the floor? It didn’t matter with the old sofa – it was worn and tired – but with the new sofa you’re trying to start as you mean to go on and stop your old faithful dog from climbing up on this one.
It’s not easy, but what you can do? Here are 5 ways you can keep the dog off your new sofa.
Keep plenty of toys on the floor
If you encourage your dog to enjoy time on the floor, he will see this as the better place to be rather than sprawled up on the sofa. Keep a basket of toys in the living room and opt for toys which are treat filled (Kongs and puzzle toys are good) so they keep your pooch occupied whilst enjoying time on the floor. Kongs are especially good as they require the dog to hold them steady between their paws in order to get the treat out – something not as easy to do when on the sofa, meaning it’s a good way to keep them on the floor more.
Bring his bed into the living room
If your dog has his own base in the living room, he’ll be less likely to want to perch next to you on the sofa. Try bringing his bed into the room and putting it in a corner, or if you can stretch to buying a second dog bed do so – it will help your dog realise that he has a designated area to go to when he’s rejected from the sofa.
Make sure every family member abides by the ‘no dog on the sofa’ rule
If you start as you mean to go on, you should make sure every member of the family knows the plan. There’s little point in 3 of you using ‘no’ and keeping the dog off the sofa if the 4th member of the family just lets him jump up and sleep there. Encourage everyone to stick to it and it will pay off.
Be consistent with your routine
Using different words to train your dog not to jump on the sofa might not help your mission; you need to use one consistent phrase to ensure the dog knows the boundaries, what the word is and that he has to abide by it. Say ‘no’ in a firm voice and whenever the dog looks like he’s about to jump up on the sofa, keep reiterating the codeword and he’ll eventually get it.
Try putting an obstacle on the sofa
This can really be quite effective in the short-term for showing your dog the sofa is a ‘no go’ zone. Try turning a washing basket upside down and place it on the sofa to prevent your dog jumping up. You could also try putting the cushions down so that the sofa looks unobtainable too. Your dog will soon get the message!
We hope these tips help and we’re sure when you have your brand new Nabru sofa you’re going to want to attempt some of them to keep your sofa in pristine condition.
Of course, if all else fails and life on the sofa without your four-legged friend just isn’t an option, you could always put a blanket or throw over the sofa and allow your pooch to join you.
