I had a Lab and my wife didn't want him up on the furniture. We bought a doggie couch (very low to the ground, attractive and - - - his). If he tried to get up on our furniture we just said a stern "NO" and re-directed him to his furniture. We also kept him off the bed by just saying "NO". He usually slept on the floor, on my side of the bed. There is no trick to it except for being consistent. Everyone in the household uses the same word and uses it every time pup tries to get away with it. If the dog can not be trusted when you are away, crate him. You can use the crate as a "time-out". If pup won't listen to you, crate him. Leave him in there for awhile. There were times when my dog would do something he knew he wasn't supposed to and all I had to do was give him a harsh look and he would slink off and crate himself.
We sometimes dog sit a friend's dog and she is allowed up on their furniture. We know we are not going to break her of this in the short time we have her. We just drag her off our furniture and place stuff on the furniture that we are not occupying that makes it difficult for her to get comfortable and if that's not working, we crate her.
Dog training is all about establishing your dominance and being consistent and persistent. I also believe in using food and praise for positive reinforcement of good behavior.
Last edited by cooper57m; 01/17/18.
