Teaching Your Dog To Get “Off”

Teaching a dog to get “off” a chair or bed can be important, especially to folks who don’t want the dog up there to begin with.

There is often confusion between “Off” and “Down.” “Down” means “flat on your stomach.” “Off” means get off the bed, get off the couch. These two commands need to be kept apart and for different purposes. It is a great temptation to say “off” when a dog jumps up on your chest or leg.

Teaching “off” when it comes to furniture is not always as easy as it would seem.

The first thing you have to do is decide whether your dog is to be allowed on the couch, bed, chair, or not. Then, that decision must be made permanent and everyone in the house and entire neighborhood needs to stick to it 100%. If the house rule is never on the couch, then the dog is never to go on the couch, PERIOD.

If little Johnny comes over from down the street and invites the dog onto the couch, all is lost.

The dog needs to find something better than the couch or chair when he hears “OFF!” In time, he should get the idea he is not to be on the furniture.

The best plan is to never let him on the couch in the first place. But, dogs are inquisitive, so he does need to know that “OFF” means “get going, you don’t belong here.”

I don’t know if hand pointing, loud clapping and saying GET OFF! in a stern voice is considered “teaching” or not, but it does work.