I often hear in my consultations:
"I let him on the sofa, which I know I shouldn’t" or "I don’t let him on the bed, as the last trainer said he is dominant"
News breaker: Being on the sofa or bed, doesn’t make your dog dominant!
Dominance theory has been proven to be an incorrect analogy for domestic dogs and wolves. What this means is being on the sofa or bed is YOUR choice! It doesn’t matter if you’re a YES or NO person. However, as a family, you should all decide the rule together.
What matters is consistency, so if you say yes to dogs on the sofa or bed, you have agreed they can use the sofa or bed anytime they like, regardless of if visitors are present or bedding is clean.
What often causes problems is inconsistency, where sometimes they’re allowed on and sometimes they’re not. This leaves dogs confused and will more likely feel the need to protect the areas, such as the sofa or bed, when you move them off.
If you feel your dog shows any problem behaviours around the sofa or bed, you can contact us for help and guidance. We only use ethical and scientific methods which are proven to work.
