I screwed up..
We got Betty when she was 10 weeks old and she was the most adorable little puppy. So on the first night with us, I popped her on my lap while we were watching TV and she snuggled up. Paul warned me that it was a mistake, but I was stubborn and ignored him. How could I not let the cute puppy sleep next to me in the evenings watching TV, after all she only took up a tiny bit of the sofa.
Fast forward 18 months and I have created a massive 75lb, 4 feet long problem. Betty now takes up pretty much a whole sofa to herself. And while she’s good about not eating the soft furnishings themselves, the hair, drool and doggy chews she consumes on the sofa is causing a disgusting mess and does mean that I’m having to wash the sofa covers on a regular basis.
But look at the stylish way she does it!
Obviously I’m not admitting this to Paul, but he was right I never should have allowed her up on the furniture. So what to do? I’ve a couple of sites which have some good advice about keeping animals off the furniture and training them to do so.
So following that advice, I’ve realised that first off she doesn’t have anywhere in the lounge other than the rug to lie on. So I’m going to buy her a pad/bed to sleep on and we’re going to have to enforce the command to stay off the sofa and be consistent, which is going to be so hard when she pulls her cute dog face at me
Or I could just buy a massive throw – couldn’t I???
{ 17 comments }
hehe, i did the same thing with my pup!
now she is 65 pounds and she too looks at me with a cute face.
I went to the fabric store and purchase fleece in different colours, about 2 to 3 yards each that I lay on the sofa. She loves the softness and I trained her that is where she eats her chews. they are easy to wash and dry.
I also bought a soft bed pad for the floor. She loves that too.
good luck.
Your dog is so very cute! that last photo is so sweet!!!
That’s a great idea!! I’m still feeling very guilty about making her be on the floor. She’s big and needs the comfort
Yes, we did that too. Wesley has colonised the armchair, thankfully, though he will also curl up next to us when we’re on one of the sofas. He also lies at the foot of the bed until we turn the light off, when he clomps upstairs to his bed in the office. All our furniture is dark, so his hair blends in, fortunately, and he only ever chews food at the foot of the stairs. Rosemary’s a far bigger culprit at getting food on the sofas. I don’t mind too much, really. It’s lovely when he curls up next me and puts his head in my lap.
Betty’s currently snuggled up next to me fast asleep, trying to be as small as she can. I now feel very guilty! I’m glad I’m not the only one who let’s their pets up on the furniture
Good luck with this! I am a complete sucker for those sad puppy faces (ie: the last photo)! I don’t know how I would be capable of saying ‘no’
~angela @ peonypatch
betty is the sweetest! a big throw sounds good
What a sweet pup!! How can you resist those eyes?
By the way, I love your banner!
Best,
Debbykay at Rose Cottage Gardens and Farm
oh my gosh. she is adorable. What a cutie.
Hehe, too cute! Thank goodness my Renoir only grew to about 20 pounds or I would be in the same mess! I think a soft bed that is special for her is the best way to go…then she will have her own “spot” and hopefully you will have a clean sofa!
awwwww – you can’t take her off the sofa now! Buy a throw!!
How could you not, with that sweet, furry face. We started our schnauzers the same way (on the sofa and in our bed). When I was pregnant with my daughter the bed got a bit tight, so we relegated them to the floor (on nice, plush doggie beds). It took some time for them to completely follow the new rules (and it was a bit heartbreaking), but they grew to love their beds. Now, when we left the house for a while they were known to sneak a snuggle in the bed
I’m still pleased to know I’m not the only one in the world who is a sucker for those puppy eyes
OMG-I cracked up when the picture went from the adorable puppy to the massive dog on the sofa…..you can’t even see the sofa! Good luck!
~Corinne
That is mostly the problem
Now….how could you say no to that face!
We did the same with our golden retriever…..up on the bed though….I’ve sence purchased her own throw for the corner of the bed so she doesn’t muck up the comforter!
Best of luck Betty!!
Aw, she was so cute I can see why you couldn’t resist her. I did the same with our dog and yes, now she hogs the sofa. Or tries to. If there is no room she wanders around and won’t settle (despite having a nice Cath Kidston basket behind the sofa). Let me know how you retrain her (and until then a throw it is I guess)!
Oh MY…that FACE! Reminds me of our Maggie. We adopted her two years ago…and she’s pretty old (8 or 9?) and seems to have learned some good house manners in her life…she’ll never try to get on furniture when we’re in the house. But if we leave without closing bedroom doors or pulling pillows of the couches. Try a big comfie floor bed for her…but you may be stuck with drool. Not that that’s a bad thing.
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