Do you let your cat or dog on the furniture?

[goldenstar]

I let my dog do whatever he wants, but I''m starting to think I shouldn''t. I''ve read that for behavioral reasons, dogs need boundaries and should sleep in their own beds. I''ve also read that dogs pick up germs from all over the place and deposit them on the furniture.

But there''s nothing I love more than cuddling with my doggy on the couch or bed. I don''t want to stop.

 

[Cleopatra]

I voted "sort of"

The cat can get on the chairs (we have micro-fiber-suede chairs - thus, the hair is easily removed) but we have a leather couch - and a non-declawed kitty....get the picture??? haha....Oh well, she''s learned that the couch is off limits!

 

[chrono]

I voted sort of. My cat has learned over time that she''s only allowed on certain furnitures. She sits on my dining room chair and on the chair in my playroom but nowhere else because I don''t want her do damage the furniture or have to remove fur from too many places. I''m a strict cat mommy.

 

[sumbride]

We have 3 cats and are only home and AWAKE about 4-5 hours a day... so it''s not like we really have much say. They aren''t allowed on the table or counters but I have to say at least twice a week "Bill, GET DOWN!!" So they don''t really respect me so much. They are cats though. They really just do whatever they want.

Mine are indoor cats so I know they aren''t picking anything up outside, but there''s always the litterbox... eww.

 

[goldenstar]

Oh good, I'm not such an unsanitary dirtball after all.

It does make a difference if you have an indoor or outdoor pet (I tell myself). My dog is always indoors, other than when we go on walks. He plays in the backyard sometimes too but he mostly walks around and sniffs the plants. He doesn't dig or anything.

If he's pretty fresh I let him in the bed, but when it gets closer to the bath time (less fresh and clean) then he sleeps in his own bed.

Also, I wipe his paws with baby wipes after he goes outside.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

We have some "limits" and 4 cats! [You can tell who id in charge here!]

The only biggies for me are the grand piano and the kitchen counters. Of course, I do find paw prints on the piano periodically! They do seem to stay off the kitchen counters.

 

[AmberWaves]

Our mini dachshund is only allowed on the couch, the ottoman and the overstuffed chair. He''s not allowed in any room other than the bathroom, and the bedroom once in a bluemoon. Oh, the kitchen is "his room" so that''s kind of his area. Being a pack animal, he just likes to be with the "pack", so to speak. He''s a little snuggle bug, so I can''t resist it, what with him keeping our feet so toasty. We do spray the couch and other furniture with anti-bacterial crap, so it''s a little better (in my mind, please let me believe this).

Also, I dare anyone tell a stubby pawed wiener dog to get off a perfectly-sized-for-him ottoman! It''s just the cutest thing ever, like his own little throne.

 

[lumpkin]

Eddie, our cat, is allowed pretty much everywhere except for the kitchen table and counters, which I also have to get after him about. We close our bedroom door if I have clean laundry on the bed and can''t get it sorted or put away until later. My little boy keeps his door closed most of the time because Eddie likes his pillow, for some reason. I don''t want Eddie sleeping on my pillow, either, LOL!

 

[Mara]

our dog portia is an inside dog. as such, she's kept pretty clean, she gets wiped down once a day with a wet towel and when we take walks with her we most of the time clean her paws off. part of this is because she has itchy dry allergy prone skin so it helps keep dirt/pollen/dust off her fur from making it into her skin. but part of it is because she is an inside dog, she lays on the furniture and sleeps with us at night, in between our pillows lengthwise which is a position she loves. she doesn't bother us at night and goes to sleep when we do, and gets up when we do. she does not get up and bother us in the night or try to get us to wake up before we are ready.

when we first got her, she had a crate and she was confined to one room in the house. she slept in there too. but really we wanted a companion pet who was well behaved and could understand the boundaries of the house and respect them. she's an excellent dog in that respect. when we leave we pen her up in the middle area of the house, so she either has the family room and kitchen OR sometimes we let her have the fam room, kitchen, dining room, and downstairs living room (where she sleeps on the leather ottoman and looks outside).

i know not everyone believes in letting their dogs sleep with them, but even when she didn't sleep with us, she still had free roam of most of the house when we are home. bottom line is that she wants to be wherever WE are in the house. so she doesn't use the rooms we don't use. she is almost always in the fam room or kitchen and the master bedroom.

my feeling is that while dogs do need boundaries, i think that as long as there is not a 'problem' with your dog, you don't have to try to follow a 'one rule fits all' kind of thing from a book you read or show you watched. i think each person's dynamic with their pet is different and should be treated that way. while P sleeps with us and has roam of the house, she also is very deferential to us, doesn't have accidents in the house, she knows where she can and can't get on and off of (i don't know how but we were afraid when we first got our leather chair and ottoman she'd be scratching the leather all up...so i put a blanket for her on the ottoman and from day one she just jumps up on there and hangs out there, she NEVER goes on the chair part which is uncovered...i was so impressed!) and where she is and isn't allowed. i can drop things on the floor in front of her and she won't make a run for it like so many dogs do. she's very well behaved, doesn't bark much, and just in general wants to make us happy and hang out with us. we feel so lucky to have her and figure we should continue rewarding her for her good behavior by continuing to let her have free roam and do what she wants because she seems to understand the hierarchy.

as for germs, i'm sure WE pick up a ton of germs from being out all day and come home and deposit them as well. we typically change our clothes when we get home but many people don't and they wear shoes in the house and this and that. i figure in general our dog is probably cleaner than we are considering she doesn't go out as much as we do!

 

[zoebartlett]

We have 2 cats and they go wherever they want (well, indoors, they''re not outdoor cats). I''m REALLY happy that they haven''t discovered (or seem interested in) the kitchen counters. Our male cat does jump on the kitchen table but we don''t eat there. We keep a spray bottle next to the couches and if one of them scratches, usually the male (he''s into everything), he gets sprayed right in the eye. It''s cute though -- he stares at the bottle, squints his eyes, and then proceeds to lick the water off himself...and does it again. Sigh.

I have no idea how you''d train a cat to stay off the sitting furniture. That would be hopeless around here.

Dogs, on the other hand, are or can be anyway, easier to train. If we had a dog, I''d probably let him or her on the couch, provided he/she hadn''t just come in from outdoors.

 

[Cleopatra]

Date: 12/3/2007 4:53:34 PM
Author: zoebartlett
We have 2 cats and they go wherever they want (well, indoors, they''re not outdoor cats). I''m REALLY happy that they haven''t discovered (or seem interested in) the kitchen counters. Our male cat does jump on the kitchen table but we don''t eat there. We keep a spray bottle next to the couches and if one of them scratches, usually the male (he''s into everything), he gets sprayed right in the eye. It''s cute though -- he stares at the bottle, squints his eyes, and then proceeds to lick the water off himself...and does it again. Sigh.

I have no idea how you''d train a cat to stay off the sitting furniture. That would be hopeless around here.

Dogs, on the other hand, are or can be anyway, easier to train. If we had a dog, I''d probably let him or her on the couch, provided he/she hadn''t just come in from outdoors.

Let''s just say that FI took up that duty since the day little CLeo was brought home. Many many water bottle squirts later - she doesn''t even go near our leather couch!!! haha!

 

[Dee*Jay]

The Demon and Oscar sleep in bed with us (2 adults, 130 pounds of dogs, 1 queen size bed...

) but that is the only piece of furniture they are allowed on.

They were shelter dogs and in both cases when we got them they each got up on the couch but I only had to yell at them once or twice and they never did it again.

Because Oscar thinks the whole world's a chew toy though we do confine the mutts to the downstairs entryway when we go out. It has a marble floor and only one [now destroyed] table so aside from the baseboards, door, doorframe, stair trim... there is nothing left to worry about down there. But when we're home they have the run of the house.

 

[mrssalvo]

Zoe has free roam of the house but isn't allowed on any furniture. She does sleep with one of the girls on their beds though. I would love to have her on my bed but hubby said no way so we trained her it was off limits. and I can't imagine my dog picking up and bringing in any germs worse than the one's my girls pick up at school, which last week included an outbreak of chicken pox, strep throat and scarlet fever

 

[ksprincess]

I''m going to be honest and say that my cocker spaniel Lady is allowed EVERYWHERE. When she lived with my dad she wasn''t allowed to get on any furniture except my bed (but she did anyways when left alone) and now that she lives with me she knows no bounds. She''s very well behaved so I don''t mind, but she sheds a lot......A LOT....so I have dog hair everywhere.

Therefore, my apartment isn''t as clean as it could be but she looks so cute in bed next to me, actually she has a tendency to lay on the pillow I''m not using (well actually she usually beats me to the pillows, so I get the one left over) like the princess she is!

I''ve thought about keeping her off the bed considering, all the hair, but she''s ten now and I''d hate to traumitize her or myself.

 

[Selkie]

At our place, the question is more like "Are we allowed to sit on the CAT''S furniture," because in her mind, it''s all her furniture. Including us.

 

[Mara]

Date: 12/3/2007 5:47:33 PM
Author: Selkie
At our place, the question is more like ''Are we allowed to sit on the CAT''S furniture,'' because in her mind, it''s all her furniture. Including us.

lol selkie this is sometimes how we feel about portia. we''ll be sitting there relaxing watching tv and she''ll come over, climb on our lap and stretch out. and then if you move she gives you a look like ''you are seriously irritating me''. that''s usually when she gets dumped! hahaha.

 

[Blenheim]

I voted "sort of". They''re allowed on the sofa (and in fact, are all on the sofa curled up next to me right now), but have to move if we want to sit where they''re sitting. They''re allowed in the armchairs in the living room and on the upstairs landing (but once again, we have priority if we want to sit there). With permission, they''re allowed on the beds, although we have rules regarding sleeping who is allowed to sleep where. Dylan''s allowed to sleep in our bed every night and Aonghus is allowed to sleep in our bed only if he''s not being a PITA. (His tendency to hog the covers and make it so I can''t roll over gets him kicked out of bed.)

And despite how much Aonghus wants us to, we do not let him jump on the coffee table, kitchen table, or countertops.

They''re also not allowed on the hearth because Dylan''s not smart enough to grasp the concept of not stepping into the fire.

 

[lyra]

We have all leather furniture. The big old non-shedding dog is allowed to sleep on the couch at night, since he can no longer go upstairs to sleep in the bedrooms. The little shedding dog isn''t allowed on the couch! Yes, it''s a contradiction, and enforcement is only an issue when we are out of the family room. Otherwise, she has her own bed near a heating vent. They usually cuddle too. I would allow my dog wherever I wanted, germs or no germs. We bathe them twice a month minimum.

 

[Kaleigh]

I have 2 doggies, they are allowed pretty much everywhere. They stick to me like glue, so if I am upstairs they are upstairs, etc... They do love their doggie beds and sleep in them most of the day. I also get them groomed frequently, so they are pretty clean as far as dogs go.,

 

[widget]

Date: 12/3/2007 5:47:33 PM
Author: Selkie
At our place, the question is more like ''Are we allowed to sit on the CAT''S furniture,'' because in her mind, it''s all her furniture. Including us.

LOL....so funny...

Widget has the run of the house and sleeps anywhere she wants. Only problem is lately she needs help getting up on my bed...she''s getting on in years...which can be a pain if she decides she wants to join me in the middle of the night.

She''s a perfectly mannered guest when we go visit the grandkids, but my DIL doesn''t want her on their furniture. Hmmph. I almost want to include in my will that Widget NOT go to them because they don''t "love" her enough!!

widget

 

[KimberlyH]

My now deceased dog slept at the foot of my bed for years. She was only allowed in parts of the house that had tile/wood, except my bedroom, and obeyed. She slept on a chair in the family room, until we got a gate and confined her at night.

Now that I am married to someone who has severe pet allergies I have a different perspective on this subject. Any enclosed space that has animal dander is terrible for him. He coughs for days, has red eyes, can''t breath, etc. Meds help, but only sort of. His closest friend, H, lets her two dogs rule their home, which means we can''t go over very often, or for very long, unless we sit outside because of what it does to him. If she kept her house cleaner and confined the dogs we could spend a lot more time with them. The friends'' sister is also married to a person with terrible allergies, and he has to take meds every day because she lets the pets (rats, dogs, cats) rule the house. I can''t imagine expecting/making my husband take any sort of medication on a regular basis, not knowing what the long term side effects are.

I totally get pets being companions, I adored my Sadie. But if she were still alive and I had realized how uncomfortable her presence made people with allergies (my sister included, who has allergies and adult onset asthma) I probably would have done more to keep her confined, off furniture, etc.

I know this is a bit off topic, you were referring to pets needing boundaries, it just made me think of how it might affect friends/family members who visit and have a hard time because of allergies. Sorry for going off topic.

 

[Sabine]

Brandy is another ruler of the roost. She is allowed anywhere. She''s a rescue with suspected separation anxiety, so she wants to be wherever we are, usually sitting so close that if we shift she ends up practically behind us. I do wish that we had taught her to sleep in her own bed and not ours, but she has learned that she sleeps at the end of the bed on her own blanket rather than up on the pillows.

OH! When we visit my dad, he let her have free reign too. She quickly feel in love with 2 places...one the back of his microfiber couch which is right in front of the window (still her place), and on his bed with his oh so expensive suede comforter. Then one day my dad had a dinner part. He threw his guests'' coats in his room on his bed. 3 of his guests had dogs, and therefore dog hair and scent all over thier coats. As soon as they left, Brandy went in and PEED all over his bed, marking her territory! Needless to say, she is not allowed in there anymore, but we have to keep teh door shut or that is the first place she tries to go!

 

[isaku5]

Our eight year old cat Sammy lets us live here rent free as long as we provide him with fond adoration on a rather constant basis. He''s the boss, sits anywhere he wants when he wants, touches us gently (no claws) when he''s hungry or would like to be petted.

He''s under the mistaken illusion that he''s an aristocrat and that we must obey, and we do (perfect subjects that we are). If we were to die, no one would want him as he can be ferocious and inflict mighty scratches on those who are not welcome to touch his silken fur.

 

[anchor31]

My cats are indoor cats, so yes. But outdoors cats or dogs, no!!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

I used to let my little dog on the sofa and on my bed when he was young, but he definitely became more aggressive. (He was the alpha male of his litter, so I suppose it''s in his blood.) I shortly thereafter heard about the link between aggression and being allowed to sleep in the master''s bed, so he was demoted to a little doggy bed of his own and taught him that he was to not longer jump up on the sofa. It''s worked well and he''s seemed much better adjusted since the change was made.

That said, I do bring him up on the bed for a few minutes of snuggling in the morning. But no, he''s not allowed to jump up on his own.

(Of course, it''s a lot easier with a dog than with a cat!)

 

[fansynancy]

Our beagle, Ollie, is the baby of our family and he has his run of the place. The more expensive a piece of furniture is, the better he seems to like it. The settee in our library has become his and he sleeps in bed with my husband and me every night. He doesn''t seem to like to sleep with our kids. I think that''s because he is a pack animal and my husband and I are the leaders of the pack.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

My darlings, Odin and Maggie, sleep wherever they choice, including on my head at night. They are indoor cats and the only place they are not allowed is on the counters in the kitchen but they really have no interest in them anyway. They take turns sleeping on top of my moniter and I have spent the last 10 minutes trying to convince maggie to move her tail so I can read the screen to no avail. Its clear whom owns whom.

 

[diamondfan]

Maya was never allowed on the furniture til I had a conversation with my dog trainer. He has the view that as puppies they should be allowed on because then they elevate themselves to your level. You are trying to establish yourself as pack leader. Once you have done so, they can come up, but only if invited by you and they must vamoose when you tell them too. They should not just get up on the furniture without your permission. I try to follow this, but she loves to come up and cuddle on the couch. At 75 pounds this can be interesting! Also, she is not allowed in our formal rooms, so the den couch is less of an issue. I would not let her on my light colored stuff in the living room, but if she is not muddy I do not mind her in our family room on the sofa. For a good sized dog she is very cuddly and loves to sit in your lap. Yes, dogs get dirty and step in pee and poop, but you can use wipes on their paws if you want to. I think if you make sure you have established boundaries in general, the ability for you to be flexible is fine. They still need to respect you as the pack leader.

 

[nebe]

Our kitty has a chair she sits on because no one else uses it. She''s allowed on the beds/couches but not on any table tops in any of the rooms. She gets yelled at if she hops onto the counters in the kitchen or bathroom. She used to be a faucet kitty but we''ve since broken her of that due to the move.

 

[butterfly 17]

My cat and dog are allowed everywhere, but they have to move if we need to sit. Lately the cat has been bugging me because I put up the tree and she likes to curl up on the tree skirt and then start playing with the glass balls. She''s already broken three of them!