You may have heard at some point that you shouldn’t allow your dog to get on the couch. Is this true? If so, why not? Do you currently allow your dog to be on the couch? Many pet parents enjoy cozying up with their dogs on the couch. There really isn’t anything wrong with it either. If it brings you joy and brings your dog joy then why not? The outdated advice that you’ve heard was all coming from the idea that dogs will think they’re in charge if they get on the couch. This is no truth to this. What if you want to allow your dog on sometimes but not at other times? This is a possibility as well. Maybe you’re going to have guests over and you don’t want your dog jumping up on them on the couch. This is where setting up a comfy dog beds comes in handy. Ahead of time you’ll want to practice having your dog lie on their comfy bed for small treats. Practice this daily (maybe during your meals) and before you know it your dog will be able to stay on their bed without jumping all over guests and the couch. There are also plenty of pet parents who’d rather not have their dog on their couch at all. In some of these cases, dogs never realize the comfort of the couch and never try to get on it. In many cases though, dogs do realize the comfort and seek out any opportunity that they see it available. This means that when their parent is upstairs or leaves the house, the couch is fair game. If this is happening to you then you’ll have to put a management plan together to prevent access to the couch. Some homes are set up where the couch can be gated off. Other homes aren’t set up that way so pet parents end up sticking chairs on their couches. There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way as long as you’re preventing access. In closing, it’s fine to allow your dog on the couch if you want them to be up there. The only time you may need to reconsider is if there is resource guarding of the couch happening and it’s becoming a safety risk. Other than that, do what makes you and your dog happy.
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