Off the furniture!!

[Indy's mom]

Indy knows he's not allowed on the furniture. So of course he NEVER goes on it when we are home. Smart dog! But in recent months he has been going on the bed and couch when we leave. I have no problem with it, but to say DH is not amused it putting it mildly. The bedroom problem is easily solved by laying a gate across the hallway, Indy won't even nudge it. The couch is a bigger problem.

I used to lift the cushions and that worked. Then he started nesting in the hollow left. So, I rearranged. Well, I came home this morning after being gone a few hours, he not only managed to somehow get the cushions almost back the way they were supposed to be, but apparently it was too dark in the family room for him. He had hit the wall switch and turned on all 3 lamps as well! Silly dog.

This really and truly is the only thing he does to get into trouble. Has never chewed, counter surfed or anything like that. He doesn't get into packages or even food that is left on low surfaces. Hwvr, if I don't find a way to keep him off of the furniture, DH is going to insist that he be crated again. I don't want to see that happen when he is so amazing and I'm a bit impressed that he is creative enough to make this work for himself.

Any tips?

By the way, I've tried catching him....he's never on it when I come in. I've tried sneaking into the back yard and looking into the window. Always on the floor like a good dog. Usually looking for all the world like he's been snoozing there for hours.

 

[simmons]

Indy....your too smart for your own good silly boy!!!!

Since Indy isn't too fond of the baby gates, maybe try leaning one or two along the front of the couch.

BTW, you should remind your DH how truley lucky you are to have such a well behaved fur-baby. Maybe tell him the horror stories you've read on BW, some aren't as lucky

Hopefully other's have some advice...we don't want Indy back in the crate :eek:

Good Luck!

 

[TwoDogs]

They make a mat that goes on the furniture and makes a shrill sound if pressure is put on it. Or you can get the plastic runners made to go over carpet. They sell them by the foot at home improvement or carpeting stores. They have pokey nubs on the underside that are supposed to make them grip the carpet. Put them on your couch, pokey nubs up, and they make effective, cheap deterents.

Buy a blanket or throw for one corner of the couch and redirect your dog to lay only on that spot. You can throw the blanket in the wash every other day to keep it stink-free. Of course, the down side of this is that you have to concede to letting the dog on the couch. Or pick your least favorite chair/sofa and just resign yourself to letting it become the "dog chair". Often, if given a spot of their own, dogs will choose that spot over others.

Lastly, check for drafts. Is the weather getting colder where you are? If it is and your house is like mine, even though the heat is on, the floors still get drafty. Maybe he is looking for a warm, cozy spot. Consider a big cozy bed, maybe even the elevated kind. When my neice outgrew her toddler-sized bed (the kind that uses a crib mattress), my sister made it the dog bed. It even sports a comfy blanket and pillow! Her dogs love it.

Hope these ideas help.

 

[SaskiaTas]

I can only suggest what we did for our dobie when he was a pup and would try to crawl in bed with us kids...not sure if it would work for a boxer or not.

We would 'fake' going to bed and then mom would place several set mousetraps on top of us, near the edge where he would try to crawl up. She would then lightly lay a single sheet of newspaper lightly over the traps (so he wouldn't get nipped). We would pretend to be asleep and lie still, and after 5 minutes or so he would try to get onto the bed and the traps would go off with big SNAPS! and startled him so bad it broke him of the habit.

You might try something similar while you are gone during the day - just lie the traps on the sofa and cover with a sheet of newspaper and see if that will startle him enough to stay away.

 

[Indy's mom]

Indy....your too smart for your own good silly boy!!!!

Since Indy isn't too fond of the baby gates, maybe try leaning one or two along the front of the couch.

BTW, you should remind your DH how truley lucky you are to have such a well behaved fur-baby. Maybe tell him the horror stories you've read on BW, some aren't as lucky

Hopefully other's have some advice...we don't want Indy back in the crate :eek:

Good Luck!

You are tooooo right! DH is aware of some of the stories, Indy is far from being our first dog, we had lots of our own horror stories. Hwvr, since our skin kids have grown, he's had more 'intensive training' than the others had, less opportunity to truly get into trouble. I'd like to keep it that way and keep both Indy and DH happy if at all possible.

 

[trc4941]

We've given up long ago! I cover our couch with a blanket and our bedspread with an old sheet. We caught Dino standing on our dining room table so he could look out the window!

 

[kacee]

Even the newspapers without the mousetraps have been known to work as dogs don't like the rattle they make.