And How to Set Them Effectively
When you bring a new dog or puppy into the home, it is very important to set clear boundaries immediately. This makes training the puppy or new dog to behave the way you want much easier. It is also a good idea to start with a stricter version of the rules you may want… you can always relax them later in the dogs life!
If you initially allow your dog on furniture, then decide they are too big and change your mind, it will confuse the dog and make training for being on furniture even harder. What confuses the dogs even more is when one person allows the dog on furniture and one person does not.
It is a good idea to sit down as a family and decide what the expectations for the dog will be. Will they be allowed on furniture? Where should they be during human mealtimes? What about greeting behaviors?
These are all things you should be asking yourself, plus more. Setting these boundaries from the start will make it very clear to your dog what is expected of them. Once you decide what the “rules” will be, it can be helpful to write them down, this way the whole family knows what to work towards.
Have an older dog that needs boundaries? While easier to do early on, it is never too late to set boundaries and expectations for your dog. You just have to be careful that you do not slide back into old habits. Once you decide to change something, stick with it!
What To Do
Decide on Expectations (making a list helps!)
TEACH the dog what you want
Prevent the dog from doing what you don't want
Interrupt and re-direct the dog when you catch them doing what you don't want
When we adopted our shepherd mix Chloe, she was never allowed on furniture, allowed to jump on us, or allowed to roam free in the house. As she got older, we started adding on to these rules. We taught her a “get on” and an “off” command. This allowed us to invite her up on the furniture when we were on it and send her off it when we wanted. We also started letting her get on furniture we are not on. And when we go to sit down? These days she gets off as soon as we sit down, and will "ask" to be invited back. Sometimes we invite her up and sometimes we send her to her dog bed. Part of keeping you AND your dog happy is both of you knowing (really knowing) the rules that need to be followed and the commands associated with those rules.
What do you mean OFF THE COUCH???
If you need help setting and enforcing these expectations and boundaries with your dog, contact Mountain Mutt Dog Training today. I will be happy to work with you and your dog to achieve your training goals!