New dog sofa training

[biffa10]

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hello all

new member here, I wonder if I can get some advice please ,I have just collected ossie a jack Russell from a rescue centre ,he is brilliant and so happy now ,he really is happy . the problem I have is he likes sleeping on the sofas when not supervised ,he has been allowed by my stupid self at times .

does anyone know if it is possible to deter/stop this without him feeling punished .he is 3-4 years old but I have absolutely no history with him as to his background . don't want to confuse the little fella anymore than he is but he is now starting to choose where he wants to sleep !thanks in advance.

 

[goldenbear2013]

You need to have bed for him (you probably have one obviously!) and you need to enforce the "bed" command.

When you dont want him on the sofa tell him to go to his bed and he will know what to do. This will take time i may add, so you need to train him using whatever he likes, whether it be a toy, bone or treat. There are various methods for this, but start off by saying "good bed" when he is on his bed and he will soon learn that that is his bed.

Then have him sit and then send him off to his bed. First do this by keeping him on his bed and leading him to his bed and when he goes on it say "bed" and then treat him.

Jack Russels are super clever so it wont take long for him to catch on, BUT they are also one of the most stubborn breeds and vert strong willed who always wants their own way, and you will have a battle of the wills as he will keep pushing until he gets his way, but you must perservre!

However, Jack Russells are even more amazing once they learn who is boss as you will be surprised what you will be able to get him to do if you continue training him.

He will learn eventually that he can come on the sofa when you invite and only then. I let mine on from a puppy and then tried to stop him; it didnt work....... so now i invite him up as I said when I want him on there with me. He either sleeps under my legs or goes to his bed, so it is possible!

Good luck

Sophie x

 

[Hagrid]

Goldenbear2013 has the right idea, give him ownernship of his bed so that he knows when he is invited onto the sofa as a treat!

 

[poppy2714]

It is something you want to get right now, I made sure that poppy was never on the sofa if she was alone, and when I was in the room when she was a puppy I made the effort to sit on the floor so we could play, then when she was starting to get sleepy I would move onto the sofa so she could sleep by my feet. She did try but it was just a matter of being more stubborn and not taking any notice of her puppy dog eyes!

She also had her own bed in the room so if she jumped on the sofa she was told bed and put into her own bed.

They do pick it up pretty quickly!!

 

[biffa10]

thank you all for your reply' I can see the pattern here and indeed have followed most of it , hossie is very clever and very eager tp please ,however not knowing his history is a problem ,he sleeps down stairs and thats when he decides to sleep on all of the sofas !,I have placed his bed in the kitchen and sat with him a while until he is settled , I have a board to slide across the opening ,never the less he is determined that he will be on the sofas in the morning, guess I need to persist and upgrade the barrier .

thanks again

 

[goldenbear2013]

You could always try crate training him. This way you dont have to worry about trying to hurdle everything to get to the sofa. You will be amazed at how high jack russells can jump!!

If you do you will need to introduce this slowly to him. make it his bed and give him lots of cuddles and a bone or a stuffed kong (kongs always a winner!) in the crate so he will stay in there and chew it quite happily. He will begin to associate the crate with a positive outcome. You can then, do this then shut the crate door. then do this and leave the room and come back in, then leave the room for a bit longer etc etc.

You will soon have a crate trained dog that isnt scared of his crate, and have a safe place for him to sleep.

This will have to be a very slow and gradual process as you dont know his history and you dont want to stress him in anyway as this may set him back in rehibilitating him, so it could be weeks before you get to the point where he will sleep all night in the crate.

Good luck

Sophie x

 

[poppy2714]

Crate training is a fantastic thing as it also allows him to travel safely in the car, and it can also make trips to the vets etc easier as he will be used to the crate. It is good for them to have a place they feel safe and have a den, a crate allows that to happen!