Have you gotten tired of yelling at your dog, finding its hair on the new sofa, or just having to fight with him over your spot? Do you keep wondering how to keep dogs off the patio furniture?
Having to clean your furniture from your pet’s hair can be an exhausting job. The same goes for cleaning the muddy paw marks. It’s better to find ways to keep your best friend off the furniture than to yell and shush him away every time. This won’t be a long-lasting solution, but we have a few tips and tricks for you to try. Some of them require very little to no ingredients while the other is more likely to include something that can be found in a pet store – anyway, there are many options for you to choose from, and if you aren’t sure where to start, we gathered several ways to keep dogs off furniture.
10 Ways to Keep Dogs off Furniture:
1. Try Offering Your Dog an Alternative that It Will Like More
Try getting them a big comfortable pillow and place it next to the furnishings that your dog seems to like the most. To make the dog notice the pillow and spend some time on it, place its favorite items and food. If your pet sits or lays on the pillow for whatever reason, award him with a treat. This will let it know that this type of behavior is preferred.
2. Try to Keep the Paws Off the Furniture Totally
You can try placing the fence or something that will cause the unpleasant sensation that your dog dislikes like sticky things. You can also block the access to the furniture like putting some items on the place from which he usually jumps to the furniture, or on which he usually jumps. This may let him know that the place is unavailable, and if that happens more time, he may want to find another, more approachable, and pleasant place like the alternative pillow from the previous point.
3. Use a Dog Repellent
Numerous brands offer different dog repellents. It’s important to do the research first to know which one to use. When researching, keep in mind the materials that you’d like to spray with the repellent and how those materials will react. Also, keep in mind other pets if you have them and whether they will have a reaction to the repellent.
4. Use Citrus
Another smell that’s known to repel animals is citrus. Dogs tend to dislike the smell, unlike humans who find it pleasant. This is a good solution that makes your patio smell fresh and enjoyable while having a repellent effect on your pet. You can try spraying the patio or placing freshly cut lemons on the table and close to the place that your pet enjoys frequenting. To make a spraying solution, you can use the lemon juice in the beginning and add water later in the process. The repellent’s smell will make the dog want to leave the furniture and find another spot.
5. Use Vinegar
Another strongly scented solution maybe vinegar. Dogs don’t like the taste and the smell of this solution. You can spray it near the place that your dog sits, but the downside to this advice is that we humans don’t like the smell of vinegar. Make sure that you use the white vinegar as it won’t leave stains on materials as colored vinegar would.
6. Make a Deterrent Spray
You can use essential oils like lemon, eucalyptus, cinnamon, grapefruit, or orange and put them in the spraying bottle with a liter of water and spray around the patio. Another thing you can use for the spray is cayenne pepper. Before pouring anything, clear the bottle and its pipes so it wouldn’t get blocked. Take one tablespoon of cayenne pepper and put it in the spray bottle. Fill the bottle with water afterward and shake it well. Make sure to test all of the sprays on the distinct part of the furniture before applying it just to make sure that it won’t damage the material.
Make sure that you buy a new plastic bottle and not use the one that you find around the house since the residue chemicals can alter the mix.
7. Introduce a Stimuli that Your Pet won’t Like
If those tricks don’t work, you can always try and introduce stimuli that your pet doesn’t like. You know your dog the best and you have probably noticed some things that he finds unpleasant or startling. If he doesn’t like a certain sound, take a few days to make sure that you play the sound every time he jumps on the patio furniture. This will trigger your dog’s brain to make a causal connection, meaning that he will think that the act of jumping on the furniture is the reason for the sound and eventually make him stop.
8. Train Your Dog to Get off the Furniture
Firstly, make sure that you are outside with your dog. If you leave him wandering around and he gets on the furniture a few times before you join him outside, when you are out he won’t truly get that he can’t jump on it. You have to discourage his behavior from the moment he gets outside. This has to go on until you are sure that he understands that furniture is a forbidden area and that he won’t get on it while you are absent.
You can also introduce a new word/order that should tell your dog to get off the furniture or get to the floor, like “down”, “off”, or something short and catchy. You have to teach your dog to get on the floor and when he jumps off the furniture, try to sit in his spot so he doesn’t go straight back up.
9. Make Traps
Try to cover the furniture with something slippery and put something metal on it. If the pet jumps on the furniture it will cause the metal to slip, fall and make uncomfortable noise.
Place a fence around your patio as the last resort
If your behavior modification plans aren’t working, consider getting a fence or covers for your furniture (Lounge Chair, Rocking Chair, Ottoman and etc) as the last resort, until you find a better way to approach your furry friend and find other ways to keep dogs off furniture.
10. Hire a Trainer
It may seem like an obvious step, but sometimes it’s just necessary. Maybe you are not strict enough with your dog because you love him so much, and don’t follow the necessary rules and protocols that lead to behavior change. It’s understandable. But since you’re here, you are still looking for a solution on how to stop your pet from using your furniture. Hiring a trainer might be worth a shot and save your time and money in the long run. Why not contact a professional? That’s what they are for.
Frequently asked Questions (FAQs)
1) Question: Does tin foil keep dogs off the couch?
Answer: It may. Pets usually don’t like weird surfaces, just like humans. The sound and tactile sensations under their paws are unknown and therefore scary. The constant change of the shape and new sound might be overwhelming for dogs as well, causing them to jump off the surface where the tin foil has been placed.
2) Question: What smells do dogs hate?
Answer: Dogs are repelled by the citrus smells. Fruit like lemons, grapefruits, oranges, and similar citruses are unpleasant for them. They also dislike perfumes and vinegar. Alcohol and products for cleaning also cause dogs to retract. Many strongly-scented beauty products like nail polish remover have similar effects too.
3) Question: Is aluminum foil toxic to dogs?
Answer: There are some rumors that it is toxic, but in reality, it isn’t. If after the long, tiresome day, you find out that your dog ate tin foil – don’t panic. Chances are your dog won’t have any symptoms. To be sure, follow his temperature for the next couple of hours, and track him for vomiting and loss of appetite. Usually, the problem will be the food that was under the foil – if your dog ate chocolate, be sure to call the veterinarian right away.
Conclusion
With love and patience, change is possible. Of course, many dogs react to repellant solutions and sprays, but not every pet will respond to ways to keep dogs off furniture that we have mentioned. For some people, that’s an inconvenience. Others view it as a challenge and a chance to learn more about animals, themselves, and psychology.
Make sure that you take a few days to try out a technique. It may not be as effective at the beginning as it will be in a few days. Just like humans, dogs learn, and they do it fast. With this in mind, dogs are beings that have emotions too, and we have to be patient with them, bearing in mind that we are the ones that consider their behavior to be flawed and want to change it. We have to be diligent and methodical in the ways in which we teach them what they should and shouldn’t too, and what they may do instead.
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