# Frustrating paws-up-on-couch-when-we're-sitting-there behavior



## julliams (Oct 27, 2010)

I'm going to tune in on this one. Our 6 month old has started doing this, only because she is so tall now, it's at the table. She has never been successful and always gets told to get down, yet she still does it. I'm hoping to get some good advice too...


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

1) Obviously it's fun in some way (....you are talking to her and sometimes touching, even in an attempt to get her down).... we need to prevent all opportunity to do the feet up behavior. Gate her out of the room. Supervise when she's in there, sit on the floor with her, with great chews so that the floor is more appealing. Be sure she has a great bed in there.
2) Train her an alternate behavior. As well as the puppy socialization class you are in, enroll in a basic training class and let the instructor know a go to bed/mat and stay on bed/mat behavior is one you really really want to work on. If she's lying on her bed in that room, she can't be putting her feet up.
3) Teach her an 'off' behavior so that you have it if you need it. Get a textbook, rock...something.... lure her up with a treat. Stand COMPLETELY STILL. Say "off". count for two whole seconds. THEN move to lure her off with a treat. Feed the treat. Lure her back up. Stand still. Say "off". PAUSE ..... then lure her off. Soon she will anticipate the word is followed by the lure off and she will start moving on her own. Reinforce!

Management is really the key piece right now....every time she's practicing the behavior, she's getting better at it!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Sosoprano said:


> Hi,
> 
> Pippa has been home with us for three weeks (she's 11 weeks old now), and we can't seem to discourage her from standing up and putting her paws on us when we're sitting on the couch. *She learns other things so quickly, but we're making no headway on this one. *
> 
> ...


I've bolded that one line because it's the clue to your problem. If your dog is a quick study in other behaviors, it means that there's something you're doing with this particular behavior that's confusing her.

My guess would be that what you're doing to stop her is actually reinforcing her. Many dogs don't like having their paws held, but lots of pups don't really mind much, and she may find that hearing "off" and having her paws held and then dropped is actually kind of a fun game. My dogs certainly love bouncy games. The fact that you're giving her attention may be enough to reinforce her, even though you intend the attention to discourage her.

I generally favor a negative punishment approach for this kind of behavior (bratty pushy puppy). Don't be scared by the behavioral science language. Negative punishment describes situations in which you remove or withhold what the dog wants in order to decrease an undesired behavior.

In this case, she wants attention, so you need to figure out what you can do to become exceedingly boring and give her the sense that you have an "off" switch that's triggered at the moment she does the undesired thing.

Just as the paws are about to hit you, look away, freeze, and don't say anything. Voice, eye contact, motion, and physical contact with the dog can all be energizing and reinforcing. Your job is to remove all reinforcement from the moment.

Your dog will then engage in extinction behavior. She may bark, nibble, jump up on you harder (typical extinction involves a more intense version of the behavior you're trying to eliminate), etc. Then, eventually, she will offer a behavior that you want (like a polite sit). The polite sit is a common thing a puppy will try if she's already been working on it a bunch.

The instant the dog does what you want (all four paws on the floor or the sit), you come back to life. Four paws on the floor is your "on" switch. Eye contact, mellow praise, gentle petting on the chest or under the ear. The trick is to keep your praise low key, but even the mellowest praise may result in a jump up again. Simple repeat your "off" behavior.

Eventually, it'll click that polite behavior gets her what she wants and impolite behavior doesn't.

Also train the "off" behavior separately, like when you're standing or when she wants to get up on the couch and you're not sitting there. That'll help her make the connection more quickly.


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## Sosoprano (Apr 27, 2011)

@Julliams--that's exactly what I'm afraid of 

@RedDog and Tippykayak--I think you've nailed it! I once used my laptop as a barrier (so she couldn't see my face) and just sat still and quiet and she eventually did get bored and drop down. But because she escalated her behavior first, I was afraid I was going to make the problem worse. Thanks for explaining about exctinction!

BTW, while I was writing this, Pippa woke up and launched her paws. I turned away, froze, and she gave up after maybe 20 seconds, sitting nicely. I praised her hugely and now she's playing with a toy on the floor. Yayay! Thanks:--big_grin:


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## penparson (Sep 19, 2010)

I used a 6' training leash with Wakefield to reinforce a "down wait" at the table. I stepped on the leash so he couldn't get up. It took a while, but he will now lie down on his own next to the table while we eat. He's beginning to do the same near the sofa. He's been to puppy class and a "Good Manners" class and is 6 mos. old. It takes a lot of time and patience!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Hmmmmm....

It might help if you sit on the floor when your puppy is in that persistent a mood. She mainly wants to be up on the couch because you are up there and she's trying to do the dog pack thing with you. 

And gently tell her "off" when she tries jumping on the couch. 

^ The above worked back when I did not want dogs on my bed. I've changed over the years and now allow my current boy to sleep on my bed all the time, but with the previous dogs I did not allow it and it never really was a problem. If the guys wanted attention, I gave it to them on the floor away from the bed. 

That said... *coughs* 

(I couldn't resist)

The couches have always been hang out centers for our pets.... I'm pretty sure it goes back to this portrait at our old vet of a golden lying in the sunbeams from a window with his head on the arm rest of a couch. My mom loved that picture and thereafter considered that to be the look of a pampered and much loved pet. As you can see below... :

Charmy and young Sammy hanging out on the old living room couch... 










Sam and baby Danny hanging out on the old living room couch











Baby Jacks snuggling on the family room couch









The boys (Arth, Jacks, Danny) hanging out together on the (then) brand new family room couch, showing they approved... 



Jacks relaxing on the new (and covered) living room couch in the evening...


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## Sosoprano (Apr 27, 2011)

Adorable pics!! Gotta admit I'm tempted to throw the rule out the window sometimes...


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## cubby (Jun 23, 2010)

They'll learn, just be consistent. Cubby took a while, but we allow her on the basement couch and not on the upstairs couch and over time she has learned which places she can go and which places she can not. Not to say she's perfect. She's still always digging for gold.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

quick-learners can be so much fun to live with...challenging sometimes ;-)..but so much fun none-the-less! Do your best to stay 3-4 steps ahead of her and enjoy the relationship youre building.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Our dogs are allowed on the couch, but they have to "ask" first if they're going to sit next to someone. They have to sit and stare at you or lay their heads on the couch and wait until they're invited. If there's nobody on the couch, they're allowed to get up without asking.

And they have to immediately get off if a person says "off." 

I like snuggling with dogs on the couch, but I cannot stand a pushy dog who makes it unpleasant for me or my company to enjoy sitting on the couch.

And paws on people may be cute, but it's a big no-no unless asked for, since I don't want the dogs inadvertently clawing at children, the elderly, or those scared of dogs.


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## Mavrk (Mar 11, 2011)

I was going to suggest getting a step stool so the puppy can get all the way on the couch  In all seriousness, I see enough good responses that I have nothing to add except that most of us have the same issue at the table even if the couch is not off limits. Consistency is important.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Sosoprano said:


> BTW, while I was writing this, Pippa woke up and launched her paws. I turned away, froze, and she gave up after maybe 20 seconds, sitting nicely. I praised her hugely and now she's playing with a toy on the floor. Yayay! Thanks:--big_grin:


I missed this post the first time around somehow. Congratulations! Negative punishment is a strong tool, and with some puppies, it's totally magical. Well done.


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## elly (Nov 21, 2010)

We had a very strict rule of Chester not being allowed on any settees when we got him and as th trainin progressed and we got to know him more this was the result..........


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## elly (Nov 21, 2010)

Not sure why it posted 2 of the same photo in different sizes when I only posted one in one size and 2 other different ones...and theres no tag for editing!


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## Sosoprano (Apr 27, 2011)

Hahaha, Elly, what a cutie


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