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An extremely common query that comes up again and again is whether or not a dog should be allowed to lay on your furniture, or share your bed. A typical question like this came up on a recent presentation I made in Harrogate, when a very bonnie young lady approached me stating that I was probably going to be 'mad' at her, as she lets her dog snuggle up like this on her bed. After telling me this she gritted her teeth and smiled, as if waiting for the "fall out".
I asked why on earth should I be angry at her for choosing to do this with her dog, to which she looked absolutely amazed, 'but everyone says that you should never have your dog on your furniture' she explained, to which I replied 'Not me!'.
This has become such a firm belief amongst so many dog owners for a considerable length of time now and I have no idea how it began, unless it was for health reasons, when a family member suffers from any form of breathing difficulty, or allergy other than that it really has to be the right of every dog owner to choose for themselves.
If, as some people believe, it can cause a problem with the status or hierarchy, there is a very simple way to ensure that you are the decision maker (leader,) which is to ensure that you are the one to invite your dog to join you and not allow the dog to presume it may go where it wishes.
Remember and respect that all dogs have the most wonderful ability to be persistent and the lovely piece of film shown below will show you the perfect way to shape the desired behaviour you require and I can assure you that later that evening this loving lady was free to call her little dog to join her for the biggest cuddle, how wonderful.
Jan Fennell
13th April 2011
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