Strong Willed Cocker

[Oscar]

Hi everyone first post here (but probably not the last) hope someone can help us out :-)

We have a 7 month old cocker called Oscar who persists in trying to get up on to the settee when we are sitting in the lounge in the evening. We try telling him down (which he does understand) but he just keeps on trying to get on the settee with us. We have also tried ignoring him when he attempts to get up and have even moved his bed into the front room so he has a comfy place to lie down. Distracting hime with toys/chews does not work either. We have this same battle every evening and have done since he was big enough to jump up. Can anyone suggest anything.  

[Shirley]

When I read the title of your post my immediate thought was - is there any other type of cocker??!!!  

Have you ever allowed Oscar onto the sofa?  Have any children in the house allowed Oscar on the sofa without you knowing?    Have you got a clear command -ie OFF! which you say each and every time you want him to get down?  I don't say DOWN to Morgan or Cooper when I want them off the sofa, as DOWN to them means 'lie down'  

This is the example that I was given by a breeder when I was phoning looking for my first pup.  While explaining to me just how strong-willed cockers are, she used climbing on furniture as an example.  If your cocker isn't going to be allowed on the sofa all the time, then never let him up at all.  If he is allowed up, he will claim it as his own and he will not take too kindly to being told he can't climb up i,e when visitors are round.  Make your rules and stick to them.  She said it was confusing for the dog if the rules constantly changed - kind of made sense to me    In saying that, some people may have had success in training their cocker to jump up only when invited - I wish!!      as do my visitors (mind you everyone knows that you don't come to my house if you've got a problem with having two cockers sitting on your lap!!!)

In my sittingroom I have a navy sofa and a pale blue one - they both know they aren't allowed on the pale blue one at all (they both tried it at one stage or another - in fact Cooper really pushed it for a while there) but can climb on the other one whenever they like.  Persistence and consistency is the key.  It does get boring saying the same thing over again but after a while it should sink in.

Hope some of that made sense    

P.S.  Forgot to say Welcome to COL!!  

[padfoot]

I couldn't comment because I let my dogs on the sofa's anyway   I am too weak to say no  ::  

[Gilly]

Hi Oscar and Welcome to COL  

I can only agree with what Shirley has said   give a little and they will take a mile. I also use the command OFF and this works for me. Buttons is ONLY allowed on the couch on my terms and my terms only. Sometimes she goes up of her own accord and sits in my seat when I get up...but as soon as i return and use the command OFF she get's down immediately.
Maybe you should try and go back to basics and re-assert your authority. A good book to read is "The Perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey. You may not realise that you may have been giving off confusing signals and your dog is just maybe misunderstanding you. Also at 7 months cockers do tend to go through a "teenage rebellion" stage which can be very trying but don't give up hope. Make sure all members of your familly are singing from the same songsheet, using all the same commands etc. You will tend to find that most (not all) dogs do like to be lead and not to be the leader, so if you go right back top basics hopefully you can get past this  

Good Luck

[PennyB]

When I read the title of your post my immediate thought was - is there any other type of cocker??!!!  

 

That's just what I thought.

Mine are allowed on the sofa but if I want them to move sometimes they will. My present foster cocker is another matter and I think he invented the word strong willed as he won't budge if you lit a fire underneath him (so I guess his previous owners just let him do what he wanted) and at 16 kg its hard work shoving him off only to find as soon as he hits the floor he yo-yos back up again.

I used the word 'off' and then point at the floor with my own two and treated/praised them when they got off the sofa. Sometimes with Wilf he needs a little nudge and then the 'off' command but it eventually works with him

[bluesmum]

I couldn't comment because I let my dogs on the sofa's anyway   I am too weak to say no  ::

     

Me too!  

[Mightyjoe]

we let our oscar on, we have have lift him most times but sometimes you see him taking a run up and launch himself up onto the sofa  ::  

[dillydolly]

with our other dog we had who sadly passed away    we never let him on the sofa and it was a constant battle that when we went out the room he would sneak onto the sofa and he was a big heavy lump to. This time i have let zorro on the sofa for lots of cuddles    

[Jaljen]

Off!

Possibly with a determined shove, a raised finger and a glare!

Our two know we mean it. They come on the sofa by invitation. I don't mind them sitting there when I'm not as we are a shabby-dog home.

My small boy thinks "Off" means get off and get straight back on again if I'm not insistent but they do know perfectly well. After all, they do want to keep in my good books.  

In his earliest days I smacked small boy with a rolled-up newspaper. I am devoutly anti-smacking for dogs and children but ...

I would only have to show him a rolled-up paper now and he'd know I was cross. In fact, he is very well-behaved. The only thing he does is try to eat the cat-food which I leave on the front step. I'm not cross about greed because I think their instincts compel them to eat so that isn't bad behaviour. No, I think our two are pretty darned good.    

[scoobie]

Once upon a time I used to allow scoobie on the sofa but he got that little bit too cocky and he groweld at hubby when he told him to get off I now sit on the floor with him  he doesn't care as long as he keeps getting those cocker cuddles   and he never gets on the sofa now so we are all happy

[suki1964]

If anyone has any tips on how to keep hubby off the sofa Id be gratefull

Its always me on the floor with Alfie trying to take bites out of me

[DIANNE32]

    Bailey does climb on ours too, but he gets too hot and jumps down after a couple of minutes. I know what you mean about being strong willed. But thats cockers for you    

[ziggy]

i can,t offer you any advice   i,m too soft{or daft]jaspers on the bed,on the settee,on my lap,just can,t help it i love cuddling him all the time he also lies round my neck!! which is great,until i can,t breathe anymore,and don,t want to hurt his feelings by telling him to move,{like i said daft}  

if i had of bought a crate for him in the early days,i would have probably used it for myself,  



ziggy and jasperxx

 

[dog2]

sorry also guilty of Benji being allowed on the sofa.He is allowed in the evenings only and if anyone wants to sit there as there arent any spaces left he has to get off.By repetition he has come to know that but will still try it on,thats what cockers do!!he just loves to sit on the sofa with me and who am i to say no.Its his wanting to be close to me and so i look on that as a plus.He tends only to sit there if I,m there he doesnt want to sit next to anyone else so I,m secretly pleased But rules are rules and like I say,by sheer repetition he knows that if he gets on the sofa in the day he is told to get off.In the evening he is invited to get on by me.If you really dont want him to get on the sofa then its repetition,repetition,repetition I,m afraid with cockers.  

[gc]

Oscar is still considered to be a puppy. So you need to place a good base in his behaviour. It doesn't matter how much he wants to do something. In your case it's the sofa sitting

By having a stable strong and strong voice and raising your finger in front of his nose it'll do the trick within a short time. Also when he looks at you, be sure that you also stare at him, until he looks somewhere else. Place your body a little bit on the top of him, like you are trying to show off... Also take his legs off the sofa, and once he is down, command him to sit. Once everything is done, treat him with a nice dog-biscuit, but make sure not to make that as a rule

g'luck