My dog isn't allowed on the bed, but when we leave she climbs up and sleeps on it. How can we train her to stay off it when we are gone?

First, provide your dog with the same type of comfort of her own if s/he does not have this already. (A comfortable dog bed, cozy blanket on the floor that is his/hers to 'claim' - their place). Nice Tip - You can move the dog bed (like from one room to another - we do this during the day) - and they will learn that it is still their place to 'go to bed'.

Next, when you do catch your dog asking or jumping up on the bed - bring them to their dog bed and give them praise. Teach them to "go to bed" when they are ready to nap or have some down time - their bed - NOT yours :). Stick with it, if this is in fact a 'battle' that you don't want to lose - consistency and clear messages will pay off.

Provide lost of positive reinforcement when the dog rests in the place you want them to sleep in. Brush up on your overall dog obedience training with your pup and you may find that this helps. A crate or kennel is a nice way to provide a quiet and comfortable place for your dog when you cannot supervise them - if you want to go with this option.

For some tips on how to crate train a puppy or dog take a look at the Mahalo page - links provided to other great web resources from there. Good luck.

Unfortunately, it's really hard to teach a dog not to do something, when you aren't home when they do it. I've been trying to teach my own dog to stay off the couch for quite some time, and have resulted to 'managing' the situation, rather than trying to teach her something she doesn't understand, ie: that she isn't allowed on the couch when we aren't home... because we can't seem to catch her in the act. If blocking your dog out of the bedroom isn't an option, there are a couple of questions I have that might help you come up with some other solutions.

Try and figure out why your dog is getting on the bed. Is there something she gets from being up there? Can she see out of a window, is your bed in the sunlight where it's warm and cozy, does she not have a dog bed of her own to lay on?

I would also have to ask how big your dog is, and how big of a deal it is that she gets on the bed. If she's not causing any harm, simply just laying there... is this a battle worth fighting? Of course, I'm not suggesting that you let your dog 'win'... but it might be a good idea to decide if this is something you can compromise on or not.

A last resort though, if you can't find any other way to keep her off the bed (without shocking her - I agree, I wouldn't want that either) is to put her in a kennel. But you should also make sure she's gone potty before you put her in there, she has things to do while she's in there, ie: toys to chew, etc... and that she gets plenty of exercise when she's not in the kennel, so when she does go to her kennel she's happy and comfortable, not simply 'crated'. Good luck to you!

I would suggest two approaches. One, do not let her in the bedroom when you are gone. Simply close that door of the house to restrict her from it.

Two, try to catch her in the act of getting on the bed when you are home. When you see her do this, chastise her with a very loud and forceful "NO! " I mean, really be mean about URL1 may be difficult to catch her since you say she doesn't do it when you are home.

I have used inside kennels to housebreak and the dog, and avoid chewing problems. After the training the dog seems to adjust to it being his or her safe place and does not want it removed. It depends on how many hours in a day you are gone to as where a kennel would be a good thing.

They do have a spray called "Stay Off" but it does give out an oder which we are'nt suppose to be able to smell but I did. I think the best thing is a gate, maybe confine the dog to a kitchen area or an area that does not permit the dog to get on any furniture. They are going to do things they don't normally do when we are home.

Alot of animals suffer with seperation anxiety. Leaving a tv or radio on helps them to not feel so alone... this is why the dog is on the furniture and bed when you leave, he relates these to you and feels closer to you while you are gone. If this is an only pet, maybe get him or her a companion, like a kitten.

They will use each other for comfort and company while you are away and ease the seperation and loneliness.

I know your dog is important to you. Probably you consider your dog a family member. You need to make your dog understand that he does not belong on your bed or room.

For example, I love my kids, but they do not belong on my bed. My kids should lie down and sleep on their beds, in their bedrooms. I keep my kids out of my bed and my bedroom by locking my bedroom door when I am not in the house.

I also lock my bedroom door when I am in my bedroom and I do not want then there . You can lock your bedroom door every time you leave the house. In this way, your dog will stay out of your bed and room.Do this for three months.

Then see what happens. After the three months leave your bedroom door when you go out, but put a small gate in front of it. When you come back home give your dog something he likes, if he is not on your bed.

If he is on your bed, take him out and talk to him. Let him know that his behavior is not acceptable. Try this and good luck.

The first though any of the top 6 items on this page would work well for what you desire to train your dog not to do and yet more importantly is safe and humane.

Ha! I had a dog that I loved when I was in my early teens. He would wait until I was almost asleep and then he would jump up on the bed next to me.

I would push him off. He would wait and then jump up again. It took him a while, but he finally trained me.

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