# Why dogs shouldn’t be allowed on furniture



## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)




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## NadDog24 (May 14, 2020)

Yikes that picture makes me uneasy and anxious just looking at it


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

NadDog24 said:


> Yikes that picture makes me uneasy and anxious just looking at it


Common sight


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

It's the "Resting Wolf Face"


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

I know many many do without issue and others that don't have issues....until they do.
I just don't see the benefits and too many potential real and perceived issues, especially with a 2nd dog involved; I don't mind getting down on the floor with them if we need to get on the same level.

No flaming required plz.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

This is just communication. Nothing to worry about unless it escalates. 

Bear is talking and Cion is throwing appeasement behaviors. Common for an older and younger dog interacting.


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

I love my dogs but they are hairy, big, and in my house belong on the floor. They sleep by my feet and are happy as clams. Plus I really like my furniture.


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

David Winners said:


> This is just communication. Nothing to worry about unless it escalates.
> 
> Bear is talking and Cion is throwing appeasement behaviors. Common for an older and younger dog interacting.


Just curious, what tells you that from this picture? Thanks.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

ksotto333 said:


> Just curious, what tells you that from this picture? Thanks.


Bear has ears back and his posture is chill. If he was serious, he would be forward and wouldn't be laying on his hip. His feet would be under him.

Cion is coming in low, ears low, muzzle lower than Bear, not posturing at all.


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## Zeppy (Aug 1, 2021)

ksotto333 said:


> I love my dogs but they are hairy, big, and in my house belong on the floor. They sleep by my feet and are happy as clams. Plus I really like my furniture.


Me too. Not only furniture in my house, either - Zepp doesn't go into the basement, and I try to keep him from going up stairs (lately he has been sneaking up while I’m WFH if I don’t block the stairwell with a chair). He lays outside my closed office door, and I can hear his tail thumping against the floor!

I am happy to snuggle on the floor with him, it is our special time at the end of the night.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Bear: Paws off that remote punk!I'm watching that game!


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

The problem with teaching dog behavior is you always have to consider the whole picture and context. The issue with using pictures is they are only snapshots in time and miss a lot of context. In this picture, it has nothing to do with the chair. It’s actually an invitation to play, which Bear half accepts. There is certainly communication the way David describes, and I look at it the exact way he says. I’ve only seen it once between these two over space. I was sitting down eating. Bear was laying in a narrow walkway. Cion tried to sneak his way through to be closer to me. There was a growl with more serious body language like David describes, appeasement behaviors from Cion while he backed away.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Bearshandler said:


> The problem with teaching dog behavior is you always have to consider the whole picture and context. The issue with using pictures is they are only snapshots in time and miss a lot of context. In this picture, it has nothing to do with the chair. It’s actually an invitation to play, which Bear half accepts. There is certainly communication the way David describes, and I look at it the exact way he says. I’ve only seen it once between these two over space. I was sitting down eating. Bear was laying in a narrow walkway. Cion tried to sneak his way through to be closer to me. There was a growl with more serious body language like David describes, appeasement behaviors from Cion while he backed away.
> View attachment 578420
> View attachment 578422


If a picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth a million 

Body language is a complete language. It's just hard for our audible species to recognize and learn.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

David Winners said:


> If a picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth a million
> 
> Body language is a complete language. It's just hard for our audible species to recognize and learn.


I do love video. Way easier to see what’s what.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

As for dogs on furniture, everyone is free to set whatever rules around it work for them. Obviously my dogs are allowed on furniture. I’m much bigger in respecting space. I would tell you if you run into issues with dogs on furniture, the issue probably isn’t the dogs on furniture.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Bearshandler said:


> As for dogs on furniture, everyone is free to set whatever rules around it work for them. Obviously my dogs are allowed on furniture. I’m much bigger in respecting space. I would tell you if you run into issues with dogs on furniture, the issue probably isn’t the dogs on furniture.


I think it's much more of a symptom than a problem. It goes back to leadership and relationship.

My dogs are allowed on furniture. They sleep with us. If I say get down, they get down.

Valor likes to occupy the front seat in my truck if I get out to run in somewhere and don't take him. It is the same situation. He wants to be in the driver's seat. I have a command (back, back) which means get in the back seat. He will jump right back there. I still mark and reward sometimes to reinforce if I have a treat or toy handy.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

David Winners said:


> I think it's much more of a symptom than a problem. It goes back to leadership and relationship.
> 
> My dogs are allowed on furniture. They sleep with us. If I say get down, they get down.
> 
> Valor likes to occupy the front seat in my truck if I get out to run in somewhere and don't take him. It is the same situation. He wants to be in the driver's seat. I have a command (back, back) which means get in the back seat. He will jump right back there. I still mark and reward sometimes to reinforce if I have a treat or toy handy.


Pretty much describes how I handle it to a t. I do have to check the rear view before I leave though. Somehow it’s always moved.


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## davewis (Jan 7, 2020)

David Winners said:


> Valor likes to occupy the front seat in my truck if I get out to run in somewhere and don't take him.


I call it the poor man's heated seat.

When I am driving, Ole likes to stand with his back paws on the back seat and his front paws on the center console. He leans his shoulder against the driver's seat for balance. If I need to look out the center rearview mirror, I say, "Scoot." He knows to get out of the way so I can see until I say, "OK."


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

NadDog24 said:


> Yikes that picture makes me uneasy and anxious just looking at it


That's funny, it just makes me laugh! They'll work out out I'm sure; contrary to popular belief, something like this seldom escalates into anything...at least IME.

And now, seeing some of the rest of the story, it's pretty clear. Cion was inviting Bear to play, so basically, it was all play!

Video really does show the true picture...we're lucky to have it at our disposal so effortlessly!


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

David Winners said:


> Bear has ears back and his posture is chill. If he was serious, he would be forward and wouldn't be laying on his hip. His feet would be under him.
> 
> Cion is coming in low, ears low, muzzle lower than Bear, not posturing at all.


Thank you.


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## NadDog24 (May 14, 2020)

tim_s_adams said:


> That's funny, it just makes me laugh! They'll work out out I'm sure; contrary to popular belief, something like this seldom escalates into anything...at least IME.
> 
> And now, seeing some of the rest of the story, it's pretty clear. Cion was inviting Bear to play, so basically, it was all play!
> 
> Video really does show the true picture...we're lucky to have it at our disposal so effortlessly!


I guess I’m just too used to what my dogs would’ve done in a situation like this


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## doubleroll (Jul 5, 2011)

Looks all normal to me…my girl makes sure the Chihuahua gets off the furniture since she is not allowed…LOL


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

NadDog24 said:


> Yikes that picture makes me uneasy and anxious just looking at it


To Me it’s all context. Lots of dogs make faces like that and if it is respected there is no problem.
My last 2 shepherds- one would raise his lip and do a nice wolf face but he never injured another dog in his life. The other hardly gave any warning but when she blew there were always puncture wounds.

I’ll take the snarky face any day over the “silent but deadly”


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

It depends on the dogs also there is a photo double roll posted with the chihuahua. The gsd is in the chihuahuas bubble. Topper my chihuahua would of bit if that was a male if he felt he had fo work it out and was forced to get off the couch. That outcome can be different easily with little dogs. All my dogs sleep in the beds on the furniture and have no issues and thekids jumping my bed squeezing them out of their spots.

At the beach Luna can get carried away at times and treat Max like he is crossed between a gazelle and the big bad wolf. She will stalk him. The photo is just a second in time. The play can escalte and cool down as fast as it started.








In the video they got in the way of my videoing they sunset. Luna doesn’t want Max in my space and tried to head him off head on. He has had it with the dance. Luna is then leashed up to chill a bit.




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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.




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## ChickiefromTN (Jun 16, 2020)

Way back when we got our first puppy my husband spent weeks telling me "there will be no dogs on the bed." Within 20 minutes of bringing him home my HUSBAND had him on the bed, lol! I live in a small 550 sq ft cabin so my husband and I, with 3 indoor cats, 3 GSD's and a Dutchie, all share that space. When a dog is in a spot i want to be they know "over dere" and quickly move out of the way. They all have their favorite spots staked out and are pretty good about it. My 20 month old boy likes to lay on me a lot. He can even curl up like a cat and pretty well fit on my lap in the recliner, lol! So basically I think we live in a 20XL dog crate WITH our dogs, lol!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## HandlingAkira (10 mo ago)

Bearshandler said:


> View attachment 578419


this is my exact worry


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

HandlingAkira said:


> this is my exact worry


You should probably read the entire thread.


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## HandlingAkira (10 mo ago)

Bearshandler said:


> You should probably read the entire thread.


I really it actually! I hear such splits from people though. Some say great fine some say **** no. Curious why such extremes I'm okay as long as im actually in control of the situation but sometimes it can be tough


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

HandlingAkira said:


> I really it actually! I hear such splits from people though. Some say great fine some say **** no. Curious why such extremes I'm okay as long as im actually in control of the situation but sometimes it can be tough


Reading will tell you what’s happening in that picture. It’s certainly not what you are afraid of. As for the difference in opinion, there will always be dissenters. You have to take the information presented and choose for yourself.


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## Rabidwolfie (Apr 9, 2021)

Bearshandler said:


> As for dogs on furniture, everyone is free to set whatever rules around it work for them. Obviously my dogs are allowed on furniture. I’m much bigger in respecting space. I would tell you if you run into issues with dogs on furniture, the issue probably isn’t the dogs on furniture.


The only reason I don't let Sutter Cain (or my other dogs) on my furniture is because the wear and tear happens much faster.

There's staining, no matter how clean I keep my dogs and no matter how often I bathe them (can't do it TOO often or they get dry skin) they STILL manage to leave black smudges where they lay. A lot of it is just oil from their own skin but some of it is dirt from outside.

FUR!! I brush Sutter Cain daily, with a brush AND love glove. I could STILL build another dog from the shed fur I dump out of my vacuum. Yes, I COULD get a lint roller, and add extra work to my day, but it's easier to just give him his OWN furniture to dirty up.

Claws. The dog doesn't NEED to chew up the couch, those claws are enough to tear things up. Even throwing a quilt or sheet over the dog's spot (tried it in the past) I STILL find broken threads and poked holes from claws. And I try to keep them trimmed so it's not like they all walk around with eagle talons.

Never had one of my dogs tried to fight me for space, and the last time a friend's dog did that I chased her off and made her spend my entire visit laying on the floor next to my feet. I do not tolerate bad manners. (Although said friend encouraged it and did not like me ordering her pup to watch her mouth) But the recliner/ couch/ whatever seems to fall apart faster when I share it with a pup versus when it's only for humans. (And the occasional cat but honestly, who can tell a cat to do ANYTHING?!)

Althooooooouuuuuuugh, sometimes I break my own rule and let him lay with me on the recliner. When he was about the size of a small cat, I used to pick him up and let him lay on his back next to me on the recliner. Not on my lap but literally between my hip and the arm rest. Sometimes we'd even fall asleep and take a nap together that way.
As an adult, on rare occasion, he will come over and lean on my legs in a way that indicates he wants to come up on the chair with me.

I'll hook my arms under his front legs, he sits up, and then I use the leg rest to push him all the way up so he's laying next to me again. That is the ONLY time he's allowed on the furniture. He used to sneak into my recliner when I wasn't using it but I just told him to get down and he figured out he wasn't allowed up there after 3 or 4 times.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

My "no dogs on the furniture" rule has nothing to do with potential resource guarding.
-hair, dirt, staining from body oils. unintentional damage.
We can meet on the floor, they have their own beds and I have nice furniture .... and never the two shall meet.


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## HandlingAkira (10 mo ago)

WNGD said:


> My "no dogs on the furniture" rule has nothing to do with potential resource guarding.
> -hair, dirt, staining from body oils. unintentional damage.
> We can meet on the floor, they have their own beds and I have nice furniture .... and never the two shall meet.


I can understand my cats have done enough damage from their oil and claws don’t need another member joining the committee


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Halo and Keefer played pretty rough. If you didn't know them (or didn't know that much about dog body language), you could easily mistake their play for aggression. But it never escalated, they were best buds until we lost Halo to DM at 9-1/2 years old. As long as they respect each other's signals and will back off accordingly, it shouldn't be a problem. Exhibit A:






They were both having a great time but it sounds like they're trying to kill each other. He outweighed her by 20-25 pounds and what may not be apparent is that Halo is totally controlling the situation. When he's standing over her while they play bite face, she had actually flung herself on the floor underneath him. 

If they had bully sticks I allowed them to issue warning growls to each other because I knew that's as far as it would ever get, it wasn't going to end up in an ugly fight. Halo would usually finish hers first and then slowly edge closer to Keef. She'd get to a certain point and he'd tell her nope and she wouldn't go any closer. She would try to trick him into leaving it (and sometimes succeeded!) just long enough for her to swoop in and snatch it up, but she never actually challenged him for it. They trusted each other. 

As far as the couch goes, that's a personal choice. We didn't allow dogs on the couch with our first 4 shepherds - over 20 years.Then we decided it was okay as long as we invited her up (it was Halo, of course) but she had to get off if we told her to. She always did. Finally we dispensed with that rule and just let her come up and cuddle on the couch when she wanted to. Cava has always had couch privileges. If I had a dog with rank issues, guarding issues, then I'd rethink it. But Cava isn't the slightest bit guardy, about anything, (well okay, maybe tennis balls, lol), and she has no issues with her place in the pack so it's not something we worry about.

Our dogs have always slept in their crates in our bedroom at night up until a year ago or so. Cava has slept in bed with us ever since October 2020 when we brought her home from her spay surgery. Again, no rank or guarding issues and she'll get off if we tell her to. That's nothing special we've done, no training has been involved, it's just her personality. She's generally very compliant, not the type to challenge our authority, so it really depends on the dog you have whether you're setting yourself up for problems down the road or not.


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## HandlingAkira (10 mo ago)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Halo and Keefer played pretty rough. If you didn't know them (or didn't know that much about dog body language), you could easily mistake their play for aggression. But it never escalated, they were best buds until we lost Halo to DM at 9-1/2 years old. As long as they respect each other's signals and will back off accordingly, it shouldn't be a problem. Exhibit A:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that’s really enlightening thank you


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

my big-boy didn't like getting onto the furniture except for a short time to visit and then he'd get himself down. When he got sick he spent more time next to use up on the leather couch. We were glad to let him have that small comfort.

Our gal-dog sleeps on the couch or the chair next to m'love. She hops up onto the bed for a short while, too. Sometimes she will lay on a pillow as a joke, but leaves just as quickly. What really annoys me is her sitting in my seat in the truck and shedding, but m'love spoils her that way since our big-boy left us.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Halo and Keefer played pretty rough. If you didn't know them (or didn't know that much about dog body language), you could easily mistake their play for aggression. But it never escalated, they were best buds until we lost Halo to DM at 9-1/2 years old. As long as they respect each other's signals and will back off accordingly, it shouldn't be a problem. Exhibit A:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Maybe just me but I doubt many would think that "trying to kill each other"
That's pure love language right there


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## AE316 (Oct 24, 2017)

Probably was watching Wheel of Fortune trying to solve the puzzle and the other dog said the answer. My grandpa has the same reaction on his chair when my grandma messes up like that.


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## davewis (Jan 7, 2020)

car2ner said:


> my big-boy didn't like getting onto the furniture except for a short time to visit and then he'd get himself down. When he got sick he spent more time next to use up on the leather couch. We were glad to let him have that small comfort.
> 
> Our gal-dog sleeps on the couch or the chair next to m'love. She hops up onto the bed for a short while, too. Sometimes she will lay on a pillow as a joke, but leaves just as quickly. What really annoys me is her sitting in my seat in the truck and shedding, but m'love spoils her that way since our big-boy left us.
> View attachment 584930


A boy and his dog... up to no good.

I like the matching grey color around their muzzles


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Oh my, that laugh just made my morning! I guess I'll just have to suck it up and get dog hair on my butt.


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## drparker151 (Apr 10, 2020)

A resource guarder will guard a rug, dog bed, favorite spot on the floor. It's not the furniture, all though the furniture will probably be higher valued since the human values it.

Dogs are allowed on our furniture but may not defend it from others and must move off as soon as told to.

Allowed on or off and no resource guarding are just house rules like any other, that needs to be trained and consistently enforced.


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