Doggie on the Couch?

No....... we occasionally invite him up, but even then, he feels he is doing something wrong.

(He is a 60 lb blue heeler border collie mix....)

He was unfortunately raised without human contact until he was almost 4 months old.... he was raised by pack rules, and understands that we are the pack leaders. He is not fearful or aggressive or anything... just understands his place in the family.

We've allowed dogs on the couch, but you might limit him to one couch or a couch with a blanket on it.

My dog is not allowed on the couch. She sheds to much. She sneaks up there sometimes at night and there is hair everywhere the next morning. Like, needs to be vacuumed immediately first thing in the morning when you see it.

She would never go up there when we are around... but she thinks she can get away with it sometimes in the middle of the night. If I remember I leave a bunch of stuff on the couch or put the piano bench on there before I go to bed. My aunt told me she would put car carpets upside down (you know with the poky things sticking up) on her couch when she left the house so her dogs wouldn't go up. Then she could just slide them easily under the couch when she came home.

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My dog is not allowed on the couch. She sheds to much. She sneaks up there sometimes at night and there is hair everywhere the next morning. Like, needs to be vacuumed immediately first thing in the morning when you see it.

She would never go up there when we are around... but she thinks she can get away with it sometimes in the middle of the night. If I remember I leave a bunch of stuff on the couch or put the piano bench on there before I go to bed. My aunt told me she would put car carpets upside down (you know with the poky things sticking up) on her couch when she left the house so her dogs wouldn't go up. Then she could just slide them easily under the couch when she came home.

Yes --- that's why it's called FUR niture.

I've had MANY dogs over my lifetime...most were allowed on the furniture.

Our first dog together, was NOT allowed on the furniture. He was a year round shedder and keeping the floors clean were enough...the furniture too?? No. Thank you!!

Our dog now? He doesn't shed as much and is a total furniture hog!! Sleeps with the boys too!!

We have settled on a compromise- one of our couches (love seat) is the "dog couch," which we keep covered with a thick fleece blanket except when we have people over. The dogs are allowed on that couch, but not on the "people couch." Sometimes we go on their couch to snuggle them :) They do know which is which, and it didn't take very long. Just like switching a shoe for an acceptable chew toy- as soon as they get on the people couch, "No, go on your couch!" and bring them over to the dog couch. Works for us!

We have a border collie/Brittany mix. She's a lot of fun. Be sure that you take her to a professional training class (not Petsmart, but a real trainer). Border collies are super smart dogs that NEED direction or they engage in destructiveness and hyperactivity. So basic obedience and intermediate obedience training before you do anything else.

As for the couch, absolutely not. Nor is she allowed on the bed. She can sit by our feet, on her own bed, or on the floor. But not on the couch. She has lots of fur, sheds, and eventually, no matter how clean she might be, the couch will smell like dog. No thanks. Also, we have 2 cats and they deserve a place where she's not allowed in order to feel safe from the dog who LOOOOOOOVES the kitties ALLLLLL the time. :-)

How exciting! I love border collies. They're smart, loyal and just plain wonderful dogs. Best of luck with your new family member!

I agree that mixing dogs and furniture is a totally personal choice. We have two dogs and have had anywhere from one to three dogs for the last 20+ years. My very strong suggestion and personal preference is to keep them off the furniture. First off, dogs respect limits and authority IF you set the limits and act with authority. This then translates to pretty much every situation. In my experience, dogs behave better if they know you're in charge -- and that includes telling them where they can and can't go. When I want to cuddle with my pupster, I scoot down onto the floor with them and sit with them there.

I've never met a dog who understood they could climb on the couch but not the bed and I'd NEVER want my dog in my bed! It's either all the furniture and every level of the house is available or it's not. Keeping it simple makes it easier for your dog to be successful -- and a better housemate. I can (& have) leave a whole roast on the kitchen counter to thaw and my dogs won't touch it. They know they're not allowed to jump up there (sadly, the bathroom trash is occasionally another story ;-) ). Butter or other food on the counter? Not an issue. They know if it's not on the floor, it's not for them.

Our dogs are short haired & single coat (a beagle x basset mix and a shepherd x boxer mix) but we've had golden retrievers and labs as well. Even with the short hairs, the hair and dirt travels enough. When we had longer hair and double coated dogs, there was even more of it. I can't imagine trying to keep up with dog hair on the furniture as well as the floor! Not how I want to spend my days.

Our younger kids (college students in their very early 20s) say the fur kids are spoiled. Yup. They are. But we spoil them on the floor -- and never on the furniture.

Have a blast with your new pupster! Enjoy.

ha! well, for years and years we had a 'no dogs on the couch' rule. and it worked- as long as we were in the room, anyway<G>.
now our dog is really really old. and he's a good dog. i decided to quit fighting that battle.
but i still think that 'no dogs on the couch' is a really good rule.
:) khairete
S.

Nope. Dogs sit/lay in the floor. Think about having company. There is nothing worse than having someone's dog jumping around on the couch when you're trying to visit. It would be enough to make me leave. People need to consider others when allowing that sort of behavior. Besides, your dog will shed like crazy and your furniture will be covered in dog hair. Who wants to sit on that?

My Boston terrier is sitting on the couch next to me right now.

My border collie mix sits on the couch and sleeps in my bed. So do our beagle/rat terrier mix and our wire haired Jack Russell.

ETA:
Cheryl B, I have a couple of plaques on my wall that sum things up. One says "My dogs live here. You don't. Any questions?" The other says, "If you don't want dog hair on your clothes, keep off the furniture."

Nope. It is hard enough to keep the floors clean! We have a big creamy golden and if we want to snuggle we sit on the floor with him. It kind of grosses me out to think that he walks around his poop and would then jump up where we lay.

We do have 2 cozy beds for him to lay on.

Congrats on your new puppy!

Border Collie breeds are extremely bright, quick to learn & eager to please. Make sure you engage your dog in a lot of activities (training, tricks, etc.) so that they are satisfied, & it will be even easier to live with them & enforce whatever rules you set in your household.

I have 5 (large!) dogs in my house, and we have had different furniture sets over the 14 years in our marriage. Some of them, we allowed dogs on, others we did not (until the furniture was older, & then we relented). It takes consistency, but dogs get it, & they will go lay where they are directed.

Given that, if you decide no dogs on the furniture, then make sure your dog has a special "bed" for themselves. It could be a crate with a comfy blanket, or a nice pillow on the floor. Our dogs don't think that carpet alone is cushy enough to lay on :)

Years past, we had a St. Poodle growing up, & he had his own chair. Never asked to come up on the couch, just went over to his (butt ugly) wingback throne & settled in when we were watching TV.

Now, if you decide no dogs on furniture, you may need to cover the furniture when you are gone. We have a few boxes that nest into each other that we put out on the couches when we leave. The dogs respect the rules when we are home, but the whole "when the cats away the mice will play" is very true!!

Good luck with whatever you decide & enjoy your new pooch! T.

Yes-our dogs are all allowed on the couch. We currently have three and they all weigh 50-75 pounds. Personally I think my kids (teenage boys) are harder on the furniture than my animals!!!

Our dog was allowed, which I hated but she had been doing it with my husband for a couple of years before I met him. When I bought a new couch, I put my foot down, as her spot on the old couch had been disgusting. So I bought her a comfy, cute dog bed and set it on the floor in front of her old spot on the couch, and in no time she was fine hanging out there. My husband would still hold her on his lap on the couch, but she knew if he wasn't around she had to go to her bed. And we enforced with our daughter that the dog bed was the dog's space and she was to stay out of it.

No pets on the couch or furniture. In fact, no pets are allowed in our bedrooms. Our dog is trained not to come in our rooms and he sleeps on his bed in our sunroom. (He snores something fierce!)

Yes, our dogs will sit on the couch. They are my fur babies!!!

The 10r old Cocker (about 25#) will sit up with her legs on the arm rest like she is trying to mimic how we sit... it is so funny.

The 8yr old Toy Poodle (8#) is my shadow and anywhere I go he goes. The poodle can't jump up on my bed and he sleeps curled up next to me so anytime he jumps off the bed to go get water or potty, he cries till I help him back up. Yes, he is very spoiled.

They are one reason we have leather furniture... easy peasy clean up.

Our dog, a shih tzu has free roam over our furniture! But mostly where ever I am, she is right there. She sleeps in bed with me. Unless we are out of the house she can do pretty much whatever she wants to. Congratulations on your new addition!!

Our first Corgi, Fergie, was not able to get on the furniture. She always had a bad hip.

Our second Corgi, Bella, was all over the furniture. I bought a special vacuum for pets and it had all sorts of attachments. I was still vacuuming fur a month after she died.

Its a personal choice. My son lets his dog sleep with him so she thinks she can sleep with us when she visits. Ah, NO!

Our 15lb Boston Terrier is our spoiled princess and we let her sit on the couch and she sleeps with my daughter in her bed. She is well behaved (most of the time, she is a Boston of course) so we allow her all over the house. Her favorite place is the back of the sofa (where your head would be).

My sister had a Border Collie mix and he was a good dog too, just a little hyper at times and they like to herd the children.

Congrats on your puppy!

My 100 lb red doberman is allowed on couch if invited... He is a red doberman that is a perfect match with our brown leather couch! Shedding may drive you nuts though... Invest in a vac attachment or lint roller and feed a premium grain free food to reduce shedding. I love to snuggle my big baby do I just lint roll the pillows and vac the couch as needed :)

Not usually. But I have mostly had large-ish dogs. Now that I have a leather couch, I might let a small dog sit on it.

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Not usually. But I have mostly had large-ish dogs. Now that I have a leather couch, I might let a small dog sit on it.

Nope, never. My husband isn't much of a dog person and that was part of the deal we struck when I begged for my first dog; no dogs allowed on the furniture or in the bedrooms. Which is fine with me, and it really does help contain the shedding. (Nor do the dogs seem to feel deprived since they've never been on the couch to begin with.)

Enjoy your new puppy!

I have a mini schnauzer and he is allowed on the couches and likes to sit on the back where your head goes. He is my cat since our big dog is our hunting dog and finds cats particularly fun to try to chase and.... well its not pretty.

My bigger dog a german long hair pointer (50lbs) isn't allowed on the couch but has a nice plush bed for her to go lay on. The only reason why I allow one and not the other is the shedding factor. I hate dog hair all over furniture. Although sometimes she makes her way up on my husbands lap the majority of the time she is not allowed.

I have little dogs, both under 20 pounds, and they are both allowed on the couch.

I'm supposed to say no, but well, Doggie is just so darned cute sometimes
Answer : yes, he goes on the couch. But we keep it covered with something so he doesn't get it icky (except for special times) and he is pretty good when we tell him to get off

Our neighbor has a chocolate lab who blends in perfectly with her leather couch.
They are happy with allowing the dog on the couch - at 70 lbs (and 6 yrs old) she still thinks she's a lap dog!

Yes and it is a personal choice. Not sure what I'll do with next dog. I do love having our dog up sometimes but the shedding is a pain and gets the couch dirty faster. So it's a trade-off...

No (not when we are around anyway, lol).

Nor on the beds or any of the other "people" furniture. A dog is a dog. Family, yes... but not human. They learn their place in your pack by where they are allowed to lounge. They should be subordinate to every PERSON in your family. That means they stay on the floor, not in your bed, not on the sofa, not in your chairs.
Start now. It's so easy to allow and even encourage when they are small and cute. But they grow. It is much more difficult to re-teach/re-train to eliminate problem behaviors. Much better to avoid them from the start.

We have a 10 1/2 year old GSD. Love her. Absolutely do. But she does not get on the furniture or in our beds. She has her own bed(s). And is perfectly fine on the floor. She sometimes curls up on the sofa when we are not home, though.. I've found evidence of it (warm areas where she just got up and some doggy hair). But, our furniture is almost 16 years old, and still looks brand new... b/c this has never been acceptable behavior for her to get on the furniture. It would stink and be covered in dog hair if she had been allowed on it. Now that she's old, we just accept that she will lie there when we aren't home and put a blanket over it when we leave. But she still knows she doesn't belong there. She wouldn't dream of getting there when we are home... she doesn't even put her feet up to catch toys when we are playing.

Do some reading on pack behavior/dog training, and understand how what you allow/teach sets the tone for your ENTIRE relationship with your pet.

Enjoy. Dogs are wonderful family additions.

We have a small dog yes he's allowed on the couch but not on our beds.

All my life I've had dogs (growing up, as an adult). Only 2wanted on the
couch.
The last 2 are allowed because we have leather couches so they fabric
doesn't stain.
They, also, have dog blankets to cuddle up w/and stay warm.
I have one fabric chair in the house & we put down a blanket in case he
gets up there.
And definitely get a dog bed for him so he has a cozy place to sleep &
curl up.
When he gets bigger you can one of those big dog pillows.

I've had 2 non-shedding dogs and so yes, we have let each on the couch. Keeping a dog off the couch is fine if you are pretty much with it all the time and if it's crated when you are not home. Otherwise you need to think about how you feel about constant vacuuming of cushions and brushing dog hair off clothes. Those lint rollers work to some degree but they can be a pain too.

For our dog, we keep a towel by the door and dry of her feet when we come in from outside on rainy/snowy days, and if she's somehow really muddy, we give her feet a quick "ankles down" rinse in the sink (but she's little and easy to lift/maneuver). Some people keep a basin of water in the garage and walk the dog through it and then onto an old towel, same as people with beach houses have a "foot bath" to keep the sand out.

But I grew up with dogs who were not allowed on the furniture, and for one of them my parents even banned her from the living room. (But in later years found her in there, sitting in the sun, when they'd been out).

I guess it's not high on my priority list. Housebreaking is the #1 focus, followed by only chewing/playing with dog toys vs. shoes and pencils and whatever else happens to be on the floor. We adopted a rescue dog a few years ago, and those were the 2 big issues. We have a basket with her toys in it - she knows now what HER stuff is. She ignores everything else. You've got a puppy so you have to deal with teething too - so I'd really focus on that. If you have kids and they tend to eat snacks on the couch, I'd eke the dog off just to be able to control the dog's begging for and access to food other than what it is given in its bowl or for training treats.

Next on the list are basic commands and establishing who's dominant in the household (that's basically everyone but the dog). Have you had a dog before so you know that you must reward exactly at the moment you see the desirable behavior, vs. yelling "no" when you find evidence of a transgression later on? My neighbor is all confused about this - she yells at the dog when she finds a pee spot or a poop (even though it's now ancient history for the dog), and she takes him out but gives him a treat when he comes back in! So now she can't figure out why the dog doesn't like to to out to pee - she doesn't realize it's because he doesn't get rewarded when he does it, only when he comes in the house! She's in for a long road!

Border collies and other herding dogs tend to patrol the house when people are active, and they only sit down when everyone else (their "flock") are settled. So be aware of that.

Our library offers a bunch of dog training DVDs and they can be very useful especially so that all family members are on the same page. When we adopted our dog, the shelter was very clear that they did not endorse the "Dog Whisperer" methods of Cesar Millan. I know he's popular and has a TV show. So decide on a philosophy and then make sure everyone does the same thing. The more consistent you can be in the beginning, the better off you will be. So for housebreaking, for example, decide about pee pads and crates and a bell by the door to signal when it's time to go out. You can also consider having a trainer come to the house to a) train the dog and b) train the family. Our neighbors did that and were very pleased.

Have fun with your new addition!

My cats sit where they want. If I have a place I don't want them I spritz them with a tiny spray bottle. They associate getting wet with that place and they eventually avoid it.

Yes, but she's 10 lbs and she doesn't shed (poodle mix).

They are not allowed on the couch or in our bed. They like to jump in my 6 year old's bed when we are saying good night to him, but they won't stay there once I leave the room. They are not terrible shedders being short haired, but I don't want the hair on there. Or the smell. Also, we have several family members who visit on a regular basis and are allergic. So I want them to be able to sit on the couch without itching. They both have spacious comfy crates to sleep in. We only lock them up when we leave the house or go to bed (cause otherwise they sneak on the couch!), but they often hang out and nap in there voluntarily. Plus, the crates are in the living room so they are right in the middle of all the action anyway. I am a huge fan of crate training. I think it helps a lot with housebreaking.

We have a 30 pound wheatie. He's not allowed on the living room couch or chairs. But we don't mind if the kids invite him to sit with them on the couch in the basement family room. He's not allowed on our bed. He usually sleeps in a crate in our bedroom, but sometimes one of the girls will take him into their room and we don't mind if they want to have him share their bed every so often.