Do you allow your dog on the couch?

[Cindyz]

We have a new puppy and so far we have not allowed her on the couch, but it's hard to do. She really wants to and we really want her to. However, she's going to be Golden Retriever size and I am wondering if we will regret it in the future if we allow it.

 

If you do allow your dog on the couch, could you please mention the size of your dog as well as the condition of your couch? lol! Or maybe ideas of how you protect your couch.

 

Thanks!

[Mommee & Baba]

No. Neither of our dogs were ever allowed on furniture. They have doggie beds and we don't climb on them. :p

 

I'm only a ME dog person. I think it's gross to have animals on the furniture. Sorry!

[AK_Mom4]

No dogs on furniture here. We use the "just say no" method - when they try to jump up, we tell them "no" and put them back down. They get the idea fairly quickly.

 

We have always had very large dogs and I prefer to keep the furniture for people. There is a very large dog laying under the foot of my recliner right now.... and another one under DH's desk keeping his feet warm.

[Happy]

Nope. I don't want dog hair on the furniture and thus on my clothes...

[mom2denj]

No, but, we have white couches. It was tough at first, but after a couple of weeks, he just knew and didn't even try anymore.

[elegantlion]

Technically no. When dh is out of town, she gets to sleep on the ottoman. It's already covered with a blanket because the cat likes to get up there. Don't tell. It's a secret.

[ChristusG]

Nope....our dogs shed a lot and I don't want dog hair on the furniture. Plus, our couches are leather and I don't want their claws to go through.

[Tap]

Pet are NOT allowed on the furniture, in beds or on the counters. If someone wants a pet on their lap, that is fine but not just hanging out on the fabric.

 

 

My MIL has large dogs and her light colored leather couches (she bought them before the dogs) are filthy from them. It is amazing how much dirt their coats and paws carry. If it was a dark brown couch, you would never notice.

[Cindyz]

Ok! You are all talking me down. I was close to breaking. :)

[Paige]

We don't allow the dogs on the couch but we do allow the cats. For some reason it's just different to me- maybe the lack of slobber? We also just told them no and kept putting them down. That said, I think one of mine sneaks up there when nobody is around. My brother got some mats to put on the furniture when he leaves to keep his dog off the couches. They aren't the electronic ones. They look like big rubber door mats with spiky type things on them. They wouldn't hurt but they would not be comfortable to sit on either.

[Pamela H in Texas]

We let our dog on the couch, but she's a lhasa. We let our old dog (a lab mix) on the couch also. Because our couch was white microfibre and she was a black shedding dog, we did have her be only on a blanket on the couch.

[Bluegoat]

We've had both for various reasons - one dog who came that way and was too old to change, and one who was just sneaky and we gave up.

 

I wouldn't do it if you can manage, even though I really like cuddling with a dog. It trashes your couch, it makes it stinky, and when your dog gets really old and pees herself in her sleep you have to get rid of the couch.

 

My dh did used to have a very small old "dog couch" with washable cushions. And you can now get Velcro couch covers at places like Linens n' Things. They resist liquid, are washable,, and touch fabric.

[QuirkyKapers]

there is one couch the dog can sit on if his doggy bed is up there. Otherwise, it is on the floor.

[Melissa in Australia]

No, I don't allow the dogs in the house.

[Samiam]

We have in the past, with prior dogs.

 

They do trash the couch. If they get dirty, or muddy, and you don't realize, or they make it to the couch before you can stop them, it's a mess.

 

The hair, OMG, the hair....and sometimes you don't even realize until you sit down wearing darker clothing.

 

Also, I think that people may not realize the smell, since they are around it every day.

 

We don't now, starting with our current dog, when she was a puppy.

Now she does not even bother to try. They learn their rules quickly, if you stick to the rules.

Edited October 18, 2011 by Samiam

[endurancerider]

Nope, no pets on the furniture, regardless of size.

[Joker]

Our beagle is allowed on our furniture. We have a leather sectional and a fabric chair. He hasn't destroyed them after 4 years (we have his nails trimmed regularly) but he does shed so that's a bit of a hassle.

[dani3boys]

Yes, we let our beagle on the couch. He came trained to be on the couch and to sleep with people in their beds. He doesn't shed a lot, so it's not too big of a deal. We have a fairly new light brown couch. So far the couch is still in good shape. He sleeps with my youngest ds every night.

[mom4him]

We don't. Our dogs are larger but I wouldn't even if they were small. When we had Schnauzers we did and they destroyed the furniture. I made up my mind when the last one died that there would not be any more animals on the furniture nor in the beds.

[LBS]

Nope, well, sort of. There is one low couch on the porch/TV room, that she will get onto, once in a blue moon. I act like I don't notice, but she gets off when I come into the room, anyhow. She sneaks onto my daughter's bed, when she is away at college, but I think she is laying on it for the view of the driveway, watching for us to get home. She never gets on it when I can see her.

 

70 pound, Husky Mix. She has nice beds of her own in almost every room, and seems to prefer them.

[mytwomonkeys]

yes. i have 2 dogs. i call them "my girls" and they are allowed on my couch and they sleep in my bed. i think whatever you decide though, your new puppy will be very happy:)

 

ETA - oh, we have a short haired jack russell and a golden retriever mutt.

[nukeswife]

Yes my dog is allowed where I am. Our old dog (she's now passed) would lay on the couch but hop off as soon as anyone else sat down. We didn't make her, she just came that way. My pug is generally right next to me unless it's really hot, he's my shadow and has this thing about always touching me when we're not in bed. He sleeps in his kennel at night, but that's because he can't jump up on my bed (it is to tall) and he's too darn heavy for me to lift him up there every time he wants back up after getting a drink or what not.

[AlaskaGrownFamily]

Nope. My golden still tries, but no. The cats are allowed on the furniture, though.

[jenn-]

I have one curled in my arms and another right beside me. I have a mixed haired JRT and her mutt of a puppy (he's short haired and dying of cancer at a mere 4yos). Do they shed? Yep. Do they probably make it stink to some degree? More than likely. Do they do more harm to it than the various children that have colored on it, barfed on it, spilled milk on it, etc? I seriously doubt it. Life is too short to worry about dog hairs. Cuddle with your doggies while you can.

[CalicoKat]

No, my basenji (mid sized, shedding) dog isn't allowed on the couch.

 

Yes, my poochon (small, non shedding) dog is allowed on the couch. He prefers to perch on the back of the couch next to the cat. He came programed that way and nond of us have the heart to make him learn something new. He also sleeps with us instead of in his perfectly new and completely ignored doggie bed. He was our rescue dog this last January. And he's wormed his way into our hearts.

Edited October 18, 2011 by CalicoKat
spelling correction

[Splinter]

Our dog only weighs 13 pounds, so we don't mind having her on the couch. She doesn't shed and she's a great cuddler. Actually, she's only learned how to jump up onto the couch in the last few months. Before that, we all lifted her up to be by us.

 

Before I was married, I had a Black Lab that I allowed on the couch, but I don't think I would with small children around.

[kitten18]

We have a Golden Retriever and a Chihuahua and they are allowed on the couch. Our current Golden is only about 65lbs., our previous Golden was 85lbs.

Our couches are leather, they are 8 years old, and they have no damage from the dogs.

[Ellie]

I would not allow a dog that big to get on the furniture.

 

She'll be fine lying on the floor at your feet. Y'all just have to not feel guilty about keeping her off the furniture, lol.

[Beth in OH]

No dogs on the furniture. I have a golden retriever, and my reason is primarily the hair. I also don't want dog smell working into the furniture through the oil on her coat. It takes enough of my time to battle these two issues with the floors as it is. I don't need to add regular furniture cleaning to my routine.

[Murphy101]

New furniture.

18-20 pound miniature poodle.

 

Figure there's no way he can be worse for the furniture than the 10 kids.

Or me.

[SJ.]

Nope. Would you like to relax on a dog bed? Have you ever smelled one? Blech! I don't want my furniture smelling like my dog. This opinion is based off of having large stinky dogs. :tongue_smilie:

[SJ.]

BTW - dogs make nice foot warmers and foot stools!

[Rose in BC]

Yes but we're soft . . . we have three dogs and they do what they want :) . . . fortunately for us they're all nice girls. A bernese mountain dog, a yellow lab and a little lap dog.

 

We spoil our dogs.

[PhotoGal]

Sure! But our dogs are small (Shih Tzu and Bichon mix). They don't shed much at all, so that helps. We put a fitted sheet over the bottom cushion of the coach so we can wash it easily (or remove for guests). Also, our couch has a slipcover that can be washed.

 

Our dogs aren't that smelly compared to large dogs, nor do we have any muddy areas in the backyard, so things stay pretty clean. We might make a different choice if we had large dogs or a mud problem.

[RoughCollie]

We allow our dogs on the couch. We didn't have problems with Teddy, our rough collie (100 lbs) shedding on the couch, and he smelled great. His coat was always clean.

 

Aidan doesn't shed, and he smells great, too. His coat is not always clean -- it holds tightly to mud and everything else. When he is dirty, he gets a bath before he's let loose in the house.

 

We have a leather couch, which is easy to clean. Teddy took up 2 out of 3 cushions, and if I had another large dog, I might not let it on the couch simply because of that. Aidan buries things in the couch. I let him because any time something is missing, I find it there (a spatula, one shoe from each pair he finds, dog ear cleaner).

[TammyinTN]

Nope..Ella Bella has a deluxe bed from LLBean and that's where she resides. We also don't allow her upstairs or downstairs. She's restricted to the main floor of the house.

[Rtcrmine]

Nope

[Laura Corin]

Our dog is allowed on our lap if we invite her. She's not allowed on the couch itself. She's about the size of a cocker spaniel. She's also not allowed down the corridor which leads to the bedrooms.

 

Laura

[kolamum]

no.

[laundrycrisis]

No. The old couch was pretty much destroyed by the dogs and the kids. The new one is less than a month old. No dogs !!! Kids only when clean and no bare feet touching the couch !

 

The old couch is now in the dogs' room, which is the dining room we don't use. They have their own couch now !

[kalanamak]

No. I always had a dog bed right by my feet, so my beloveds could cast a loving chin up on my lap if they felt the need.

[vettechmomof2]

We do not allow the dogs on any human furniture. They have crib mattresses for dog beds in the main area of the house and bedroom. We have extra large size dogs but even our smaller terrier before he passed was not allowed on the furniture. He had his own chairs as bedding. (small children size chairs that were for him only)

[JFSinIL]

yes...but it is a $30 couch we got off Craig's list (and, yes, it IS our only couch, not just the dog bed, although Captain thinks otherwise!). If it was a decent piece of furniture - no dog. The cats however...... and I have washable throw blankets on the couch to cover the seats - when company is coming the dog is banned from the couch and fresh,clean covers go on.

 

PS our dog is a Lab - smaller dogs on a decent couch might be ok.

 

PS - we did buy a padded dog bed when Captain was smaller - he tore it up (only thing he ever tore up). A second, less padded dog bed...the cats take it and won't let him use it.

Edited October 18, 2011 by JFSinIL

[gingersmom]

The puppy sits more time sitting on the couch then I do. :001_smile:

 

She thinks she is a lap dog (60 pounds). So if I am sitting there she is sitting on top of me anyways.

[Mama Geek]

Only if he is in someone's lap.

[Impish]

When we had a pug, Wolf and the kids would sneak him up on the couch, until I gave up.

 

Now, with Cassie, our mini pony (Great Pyr x Akabash) no way in Hades. She's too dang big. And hairy. And sometimes drools.

 

I *know* Diva has allowed her into bed, and I ignore it. She wants to sleep with dog hair and smell, fiiiiine. She has been warned, though, that if the bed breaks, she's on the hook for replacing it.

 

Now, Jack the cat...I've never found a way to train a cat to do (or not do) squat. He tends to get on the couch when everyone is in bed.

 

One hard and fast rule: No animals in my bed that I didn't either marry or birth. Period. Pet hair in the sheets skeeves me out.

[LaxMom]

We have days here when the children are not allowed on the furniture. the dog, however, sleeps on the couch. Or her dog bed in front of the door or wood stove, or the floor... She doesn't jump up and down on the furniture, though.

 

No issues with destruction from her. We vacuum. And wash the coverlet on the bed (where she sleeps at night). She's around 40lbs and sheds like a yeti.

[Joules]

They are allowed on the living room couch which is leather, not the chairs or my mom's couch which are cloth. They are two poodles 60lbs and 40lbs. They don't shed and are bathed frequently. The leather wipes clean easily. We eat at the coffee table regularly, so we are the culprits for getting the couch messy more than the dogs!

 

The little one is on the couch all the time. The big one spends more time on the dog bed, but he's big and it can get too crowded on the couch. The little one is happy to lie stretched out behind me as lumbar support :D

 

They learn very quickly what is OK and what's not. As long as they have a comfortable bed, they will settle into it as their "spot."

[Joules]

The puppy sits more time sitting on the couch then I do. :001_smile:

 

Mine too! I find that I don't get much time to sit.

 

She thinks she is a lap dog (60 pounds). So if I am sitting there she is sitting on top of me anyways.

 

UGH, if my 60 pounder sat on me all the time, I think I'd avoid sitting! That's a weight and he is thin, so it's like he's like a heavy, bony skeleton when he sits on me.

[Impish]

My parents used to breed Dogues de Bordeaux.

 

They had recliners, and the minute you put the chair back, the female would come flying out of hiding and climb on top of you, her head resting right under your chin. 120+ lb dog. You were completely pinned until someone called her off. :lol: