The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

We do not want the puppy on the couch and we are having a hard time keeping him from jumping on the couch. How do we stop him from trying to get on the couch?

Hi: Welcome to the forum.

How old is your puppy and what are you doing right now that isn't working to keep him from jumping on the sofa? Maybe knowing what ISN'T working will help someone to give you some better advice.

Why do you not want the puppy on the couch? Cockers love to be with their people. I just cover the seats of my furniture with small quilted throws and wash them once weekly.

My husband doesn't want him on the couch because his family is not dog people. I am telling him off and taking him off the couch when he gets up on the couch. I sit on the floor with the puppy all the time. He is 8 months and his name is Tango.

I think that it is the dog's home too and if people don't like my dogs, they don't have to visit. That being said, I have trained my dogs that "out" means they stay behind the threshhold when we are eating so they are not in the same room (done for the dogs' sake, not the people). This may work for you when your un-dog relatives come to visit. Other alternatives would be to crate train him so he can have his own private time in the crate when then are on the couch.

Some people just prefer not to have their dogs on furniture,,I am not one of them lol, and if you think about it considering all the back problems our chosen breed can have,,,maybe they are more right about it than I am. Of course I have steps but that is a different topic. Training would be your best bet, when ever your puppy jumps up, have a treat ready and say off firmly, not pushing or dragging. Lure him off with the treat, once off praise alot. Dont expect progress overnite, takes alot of time and work. Of course I would make sure that puppy has plenty of nice cozy beds around so they have their own sweet spot. Just let me say that their are lot more people on here that know much more about this than I do,,,just saying what I would do if I had this problem.

Good Luck

Keep a spray bottle of water handy at all times. When he jumps up on the couch, spray him in the face with the water and tell him "off". He should learn pretty quickly to associate the couch with getting sprayed, and not want to get up there anymore. That being said, you need to have a way to keep him off when you're not home, too, or you'll be fighting a losing battle. Can you barricade him in a different room or crate him when you're not there?

Here's a link to some training that might help you:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1488

We'd love to see a picture of Tango, too!

This thread is bothering me just a bit...

One of God's creations wants to sit with you and share love and you deny it? Worst off, suggestions of squirting in the face with a water bottle?

Bring it in a PM anytime, rather yet call me on the phone. Yeah, PM me your number, I'll chat with you...

We enjoy him! I love having a dog but I just don't want him on the couch. I walk him 3 times a day and play with him in the house every night. I was hoping to find some helpful training tips and I have, thank you to everyone. I was not asking for people to tell me I am a bad owner.

We are not telling you that you are bad, we just hope you're learning...

I just want some healthy tips to help keep him off the couch.

Amanda, you are not a bad pet owner. The choice of pet and the rules of each house are different.

Since you are not dealing with other behaviors, you may want to try the rewards training. If he is food driven use treats, otherwise use another high value treat. Pick a cue word on like off.
both you and you and your husband have to be consistent.

Say anything off, move him off if he doesnt move. Give a treat as soon as he is on the floor.

They are smart. Soon he will realize what you want and you will be able to no longer have to give a treat.

Good luck.

How to keep a cocker off the couch......turn the couch upside down to NO ONE can sit on it.

Hi Amanda,

Welcome to the forum! I'm sorry you've been given a less than warm welcome. We all have different ways we raise our dogs, I'm quite sure no two people on this forum do it exactly alike.

I would try positive reinforecment before resorting to the spray bottle. Eventually in training, when you are sure the dog knows what you want, sometimes a consequence is needed. It could be a tap on the head with a finger, or a squirt in the face with a water bottle. I see nothing wrong with either, BUT I only incorporate a consequence when I'm sure the dog knows what I want, ie: he's followed the command 30 times but this time chooses to ignore me.
It's like people who bring their dog into the vet screaming sit sit sit sit over and over when in fact that poor dog has never been taught to sit, and has no idea what his owner wants.

Hey Stephen, ever killed a fly, or swatted a mosquito sucking your blood? God's creatures my friend, just trying to share your space. Lighten up.

Thank you, I will try the treats cause he loves food!

I am sort of feeling that a cocker is not the best choice for you. Maybe a large dog who doesn't want to be on your lap or petted while spending time with you. Like said before, cockers want to be with their people every second.

Maybe she should dump him on Craigslist. We can add this to another one of the reasons we moan about.

"Cocker for free. Wants on the couch."

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Even though I am fine with my dogs on the couch doesnt mean everyone should be. We also should not be telling her that she shouldnt have one because she doesnt want him on the couch.

As part of my discipline training and NILIF training with Lexi she is no longer allowed on the couch. Which is kinda causing a chain reaction with the rest not being allowed up there.

To me she sounds like she is doing a fantastic job. She is asking for training help instead of just beating the dog. She is trying to have a cohesive household instead of just giving up.

Its time to stop judging and start helping.

Aw, come on folks. She doesn't want the dog on the couch- it's not like she's saying that she's chaining it outside to a tree . Along those same lines misting a dog in the face to discourage unwanted behavior is hardly abusive. I applaud her wanting to have a dog with good house manners. It will make her family's visits less stressful, as well as making her dog welcome at their houses. Let's all remember to be supportive, especially to new forum guests. There is more than one way to raise a happy puppy.

For training, I preferred the rocks in the coffee can method rather than the spray bottle-easier for me to grab and shake than to aim the bottle. The loud noise always made them stop in their tracks and worked for me when training the puppies. Just be sure if you have kids also using the can that you seal it very very tight with duck tape-I learned the hard way that they shake it harder than me! Try shaking the can, saying off, and giving treat when he is off.

Many of us on the forum refer to the couch as "fur"niture, made for the dogs and that they allow us humans to share their "fur"niture. Cockers are very entitled dogs, and it is difficult to train them that the floor is for them because, well, they are cockers! At first hubby did not want the dogs on the bed, but Callie (daddy's lil princess!) persisted and wormed her way into bed gradually, and now she sleeps between us-daddy has accepted it and is OK with it. Callie always has to put her butt up against daddy! Years ago hubby did not want our old dog, Katie up on the new couch. Katie(a rescue mutt) would not jump on the couch when we were home, only when we left-we would line the couch with books and other stuff, even a TV tray, she would push it aside and wiggle on when we weren't home-never could train her! I didn't care, and I usually got home first to get rid of the evidence on the couch! Actually, I think she always did that, (hubby had her first before we met), but when I came into the picture she discovered what spoiled meant!

It IS a big deal to me because this is the kind of excuse we hear when a dog is turned in to the shelter because hubby has no patience when the dog wants.....to be a dog. He will get angry and take the dog when wifey is out shopping or working. And another is added to the "urgent or the dog will be euthanized" messages that we all get daily. Anyone who is a part of rescue understands this all too well.

Please be patient with your cocker. He is only wanting your love and attention. Perhaps he is not the best breed for your family's wants and needs.

Julie's many dogs are always in photos on her couch, snoozing with her children, and always being a part of her family.

My dogs are right now sleeping on our couches while we watch football. They are snuggled in and happy as can be.

My husband has patience with him! and we both love him, he is the perfect dog for us and I would never dump him anywhere and my husband would never I mean never take him somewhere while i was gone. Like I said before i didn't come to get told i shouldn't have a dog I wanted help but I see here that some people don't want to help. I don't know if any of you learned this from your parents but if you don't have something nice to say don't say anything nice to say but in this case anything helpful please don't say it at all!

I have friends and family that aren't comfortable with my dogs and/or cats or are even afraid. I really want people to feel comfortable in my home and I don't think it's a big deal to put the dogs in their crates and the cat's in Brian's office when these people visit. I've been told by some trainers that one of the best commands to teach any dog is to go to a particular place (such as a special rug or dog bed) and lay down which might work for you. Here is one website I found that explains this command: http://dogs.about.com/od/basiccommands/a/goto_place.htm. Best of luck.

Excellent advice Esther! The go to spot may be just the ticket.

Oh - My - Gosh! My dear Zim friends, please lighten up!

Let me share a story with you all. You know my little Feather is 17+ years old. I got her from a very experienced hobby breeder here in California, who gave me what I consider to have been the very best cocker training advice I've ever heard: "Train exactly what you want her to do: train her to the places where you want her to be and under what circumstances."

First, I trained "go pee" on command. Absolutely the best thing I ever did. That alone has allowed me to take her many, many places; she is still a great travel companion.

That training also involved her sleeping in her crate _beside_ my bed (gasp!) until she was nearly 3 years old: until I could trust her to stay there until I "released" her, even when she woke up in the night. Otherwise, how could I keep her safe while I slept? After learning to be thoroughly reliable, she has been on my bed almost every night since. And her crate is still her safe place.

My couch? She was/is only allowed there IF I invited her up. You see, I was not allowing her beautiful cocker exuberance full rein. I taught her to be bonded to me, to modulate her responses and seek permission. I gave her a job: she needs to think.

I also taught her to stop-and-sit on command- which saved her life a couple of times. We live in a city; I needed a way to keep her safe when we were out and about, without making her too dependent or fearful.

"Go to your bed"- and - "Crate!" were very handy commands, again, to keep her safe, from little grandson hands, pulling on her, or trying to feed her god-knows-what. My grandsons were 10-14 yrs before I stopped crating her during meals when they're here. They just couldn't help sharing their food with her. And she will eat just anything- then throw it up on my bed in the middle of the night!

IMHO being a good cocker guardian means careful training- to what we want and where we want them to be, so that they can be emotionally secure and physically safe.

For Feather, who is not at all food motivated, I needed to SHOW her what I wanted, Consistently, and say, "OH WHAT A GOOD GIRL!!"

In my experience, most cockers live to please their people. And they can be just as content resting their head on a foot, as lying on the couch.