SusanG

A poodle quickly becomes an equal member of the family, which means they expect to earn furniture privileges. I let Callie on the furniture and beds. Its a great place to cuddle and that's what poodles do, cuddle. She's very respectful of the furniture, but I do put a soft thin blanket on the couch. She likes that! She does sleep in her crate at night though only because we are afraid she will fall off the bed in the night!

liljaker

SusanG: Love the avatar and very pretty poodle! Sunny fell off the bed a couple of times when I first got him as he slept pretty close to the edge --- kerplunk!......and he didn't know what happened. That was then and now, well, he has figured out how to navigate! Lol.

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Pluto

I have to confess, cuddling on the couch with a dog is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. We have not allowed any dogs in the bed for years, I just got tired of contorting myself, and our bed was getting filthy since they would come running back in the house and jump right up on the bed multiple times a day (gross).

I will say that when we implemented to "no bed rule" with our adult dogs it was a very difficult transition and we eventually got a loft bed with a ladder because it was just easier than dealing with them sneaking back on. So if you think you might not want the pup on a bed, couch, etc. it really is easier to just reinforce that from scratch - you can always invite them up later.

If you have concerns about your dog being very bold and somewhat dominant, I would reinforce the rules from the get go. Making sure the dog is invited up, and is asked to move off or over often. I also like to use the couch cuddling time to teach a new dog that I can do whatever I want. If I want to hold their feet, spread their toes, look in their ears, file nails, brush, etc., then I do and they may not move off until I am done.
There are definitely individual dogs that require additional reminders of who is boss, pick up on the little things, and push the limits, and you may need to adjust how you operate on a day to day basis if you have one of those. Whether you call it dominance, testing you, pushing the limits, etc. some dogs have their own agenda and making them work for the little things through the day really helps. We adopted an young adult Shiba Inu years ago and Nothing In Life is Free (NILF) changed our whole relationship with him.

Panda

Panda is allowed on the sofas and in our bed, in fact he demands to get under the covers with us and snuggle lol. He normally starts sleeping on the floor but then stands on his back legs and paws at me until I wake up so he can ask if he can get into bed, then I lift the duvet up for him and he gets in and cuddles up next to me. If i dont lift the duvet up he spends ages digging at it trying to get under so its just easier to help him lol. He does get off when told though although he will keep trying to get back on after a while.... I enjoy having him snuggle on the sofa and in bed, there is nothing nicer than cuddling your Poodle in bed, him having his head on your shoulder and cuddled up close to you!

Saying that we do have behavior issues with Panda although I really don't believe it is because we let him on the furniture, I think it is just because he is a very high strung dog who finds it all too easy to flip over the edge. Calming herbal tablets have helped him loads although we still have work to do helping him not to react to things, he is a million times better now and we are still having sofa/bed cuddles lol

fjm

I think there can be a safety issue with small pups which I solved by lifting them up and down carefully until they could jump up easily. Falling off the bed was made safe by spreading pillows and rolled quilts around the bed for the first week or so, until they learned where the edges were. And I do expect my dogs to budge over or get down when asked, no matter how comfy they are - easily taught with the on/off game, or in Poppy's case by picking her up and putting her on the floor if she grumbled about being asked to move (and being very profuse with thanks and praise when she complies!).

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To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring- it was peace.

~ Milan Kundera

Dusty Rose

I have had the best luck when potty training by having the puppies sleep on the bed. I have never had an accident. Dogs are allowed on the furniture, except for one couch, just in case a non dog person should visit. This, of course, is not encouraged!

pinkteaji

Shelton wasn't allowed on furniture due to the rules of being a service dog in training but now that he is my pet now I let him on furniture and i havent had any issues with him. I think the most important thing (like ppl said here previously) is tht you teach your dog the "off" command so the dog will listen to you and knows that he/she can come on the furniture but when it's "off" time they have to get off. Or you can teach them not to be on furniture unless invited to. Whichever you prefer I think some dogs don't come off the furniture because they're just being stubborn or sneaky and nothing dominant. Disclaimer: I'm no dog expert just my personal thoughts.


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meredian

Thank you all for the advice!

Now our problem is that Wade doesn't WANT to be on the furniture! HA! If we put him on the sofa he's like "Uh, can I get off of here?" and same thing goes for the bed. I guess he's gotten used to the incredible comfort offered by the cold kitchen floor

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sweetheartsrodeo

This is a very good thread! I have read and read and am sad there are no more posts to read.

Like many of you Remington is allowed on the bed and furniture. He sleeps in my chair if I am not in it lol. However, please note that when you are looking to buy a new matress, and laying down on it in the store to test it, they are not happy when your dog jumps up to snuggle beside you. LOL....

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"I know that dogs are pack animals, but it is difficult to imagine a pack of standard poodles ... and if there was such a thing as a pack of standard poodles, where would they rove to? Bloomingdale's? "
--Yvonne Clifford, American actress

fjm

Love the mental picture, sweetheartsrodeo! I'm wondering what the reaction would be if I turned up with two dogs and both cats in an effort to find the bed that suited all of us ...

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To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring- it was peace.

~ Milan Kundera