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Every pet owner has at least once come home to find their dog situated themselves on their favorite chair.
After that, you know you can't sit in there unless you want to be covered in your dog's hair.
So how to keep dogs off furniture for free, without spending any cash on those tools and “inventions”? Simple.
The reason dogs (and cats) prefer sleeping on certain types of furniture is because:
- It's more comfortable than the floor
- It's colder or warmer than the floor
- It smells like their owner (aww!)
Some pet owners believe that this type of behavior is because dogs want to claim a higher rank by sitting higher, but that is a myth.
In the article of 25 best dog books that we've previously listed, a few dog psychology specialists have disproved this notion.
Most often, the most simple explanation for dogs wanting to sleep on furniture is simply “comfort.”
And if you're truly a caring dog owner who loves pets very much.
I would say you need to take a few things into consideration before shooing your Fido off furniture.
How to Keep Dogs Off Furniture: What to Consider First
Sure, the floor can be a decent place for a dog to sleep on, but that isn't always the case.
What if your pet feels seriously uncomfortable on the floor, possibly because it gives them some strains on the joints, back, and so forth?
Making your pet feel uncomfortable all the time will quickly develop into arthritis.
I don't think you want to deal with buying orthopedic dog beds and all kinds of dog steps for arthritic pets.
For example, if you have a dog and all your floor is ceramic tile, what do you expect will happen?
Ceramic tile is not the same as carpet.
If you don't have a dog bed, how do you think your dog will feel sleeping on that type of surface all the time?
It's cold, and hard, even for a canine.
So even if you can't afford any of those more expensive dog beds (although this would be the best option by far!)
At least get your pet a MidWest Bolster Pet Bed, or something similar which they can use to a) be very comfortable sleeping on without any issues, and b) consider their own place, which is very important in this case.
Okay, now let's get to instructions on how to keep dogs off furniture for free.
Should you allow your pets to sleep on furniture?
The better question would be: is there any reason for you, specifically, that you don't want your pet to be sleeping on the furniture?
If you personally don't have any issues and don't need to know how to keep dogs off furniture, then, by all means, let it go.
Pets love to be comfortable, and their owners should understand that.
Two of the biggest issues with having dogs sleep on your sofas, couches, other upholstery, and so forth are that:
1) they can leave a whole bunch of hair on there, and
2) they can potentially chew something off.
Well, when it comes to this, it's all about trial and error.
If you figured out that your dog doesn't do any of that, or leaves very little hair, then why not let them sleep on the furniture?
I can't imagine a dog owner can be so lazy to clean up a few hairs in exchange for their pet living a more comfortable life.
This is more for those people who keep their dogs on chains outside. You aren't one of those, are you?
So with that being said, there's really no scientifically proven reason to keep pets off furniture aside from a few messes.
If you're not afraid of that, then there's no reason for you to even continue reading the rest of this post on how to keep dogs off furniture for free, because you don't need to keep them off the furniture!
How to Keep Dogs Off Furniture for FREE
Solution 1: Make your furniture inaccessible
The first thing you can try is if it's at all possible considering your home and decor.
This is to make all that upholstery inaccessible and unreachable for the dog.
You can try to upend some sofas or couches, chairs when you leave home so that your dog wouldn't have any way to get on them.
This will take a lot of tries, but eventually, the dog will find another place where to sleep and get used to it, thereby forgetting about that comfy couch they used to sleep on.
Solution 2: Bring over the sound cavalry
You can also booby-trap your sofas with any type of “loud” stuff, like empty cans.
When the dog jumps on the furniture, they should start falling on the dog and/or the floor, that way scaring them.
A few tries will ingrain this experience into the dog's brain, and they will remember that if they jump onto the furniture, they will be scared.
This is the free solution to how to keep dogs off furniture, which is a little more complicated of course.
But if you want to spend a few bucks on this and make the process easier for yourself.
You can try the famous Sofa Scram Sonic Dog Repellent Mat – it works perfectly.
If you're going to use the above mat, by the way, make sure your dog will not be scared straight and traumatized.
Those mats scream you know, even if not too loud, but if the dog is small – it might just be enough to scare them a bit too much.
You must know your dog well to understand what is suitable for them and what isn't.
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Photo credits: midtowncarpetcare.com & merchantcircle.com
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