The Five Stages of Keeping the Dog Off the New Furniture
A blog by Kristi Benson and Glenna Cupp of Practical Pup
Dogs love couches. This is an unassailable truth.
Credit: Fotoskat | © Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images
Cover photo credit: Dan70 | © Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images
Humans also enjoy a good sofa or chesterfield experience, of course, and many—most, I’d wager—modern homes have at least one around. In many modern homes, the humans and the dogs share this forgiving and comfortable resting surface easily and companionably. In the past, however, there existed an idea that having dogs on the couch was the first step to canine world domination, or that dogs would sprout some moral turpitude from having access to what humans have categorized (with utter randomness from the dog’s perspective) “human furniture”. Lingering remnants of this misunderstanding of canine motivations—they just find couches comfortable, the same as we do—along with a renewed spirit of cleanliness can bring about a proclamation from people who are upgrading their living room suite; a proclamation that dog trainers occasionally hear:
The Dog Shouldn’t Be Allowed on the New Furniture.
When a client asks us to help with this task, we certainly have our ways and means. We can help the owner train the dog to rest elsewhere, and we can help the owner prevent access when they aren’t training. But in my experience, the most expeditious, and the most kind, way forward is to just be frank with these owners. If your dog has a full and comprehensive reinforcement history of getting on the couch leading to comfortable napping location and delicious snoozles, the likely outcome is that the dog will eventually be allowed on the new couch, just as they were on the old couch. The training to change this ingrained habit in dogs is somewhat intensive, for one. And for two, most of our clients really do want to give their dogs more of what their dogs love, which...is the couch, in this case.
But that is not to say we invoke the mighty dog trainer’s diatribe to get our way with our newly be-couched clients. Nay, nay, we dog trainers are much more reasonable and gracious. We simply lay out the likely outcome: the five stages of keeping the dog off the new furniture.
Stage 1 is denial. You believe you’ll never let the dog on the new sofa. You bought a white sofa, after all. You are ready and you are righteous.
Stage 2 is anger. You constantly find the dog on the couch, because they've always been allowed (see “long and strong reinforcement history”, above). But shouldn’t they see that it’s new? I mean yes, they’re dogs, so understanding the social and economic value of the newness of couches is almost certainly outside of their cognitive capacity, but. But.
Stage 3 is bargaining. You read a bunch of articles online and might even consult a dog trainer. You buy huge and expensive dog beds and place them everywhere around the living room, including right on the couch ("just for now" you promise yourself), hoping the dog will eventually develop the correct preference. Before leaving the house, you even go so far as to pile bar stools, books and other tchotchkes onto the couch ("just for now" you promise yourself).
Stage 4 is depression. You see the muddy footprints, a bit of dog hair, or a warm indentation on the couch when you get home from work and you know your efforts have been for naught. You give way to tears and curse that beautiful white fabric you once loved.
Stage 5 is acceptance. You finally just buy a furniture cover and let the darn dog up on the darn couch. Balance is restored, birds sing, light and goodness suffuse.
If you’ve recently acquired new furniture and have plans to keep your dog from getting up the couch, this is absolutely an achievable outcome. Any good force-free trainer can help! But you can also take a quick, if thorough, journey through the five stages…and then let your sweet snuggler up on the couch with you today, right now. Take that extra energy you had set aside for training and make a souffle or a cake, or stuff a few Kongs. Take the cash you would have spent on new dog beds and buy a few gorgeous covers or throws. And don’t fret about it or wallow in recriminations about yourself or your dog: there is nothing, I repeat nothing, morally superior about keeping your dog off the couch. It’s a human preference, pure and simple...even if your mother-in-law disagrees.
So… go ahead and fast forward. You’ve earned it, plumbing the depths of your psyche in this way. After spending some time in stage 5, snuggled up with your dog on the new comfy couch cushions, you realize how wise you were to see into your own future with such certainty.