Puppy won’t give up sofa

[Murray]

We have a gorgeous, smart and funny 13wk standard schnauzer puppy called Murray.

But we are really struggling with his biting, especially when we try to persuade him to get off the sofa.

The sofa has always been off limits to him, and we are consistent with this. However he has started to obsessively jump on the sofa, so much that we have limited time in the living room which isn’t ideal!

We have tried to encourage him off with treats (he’s back on as soon as they’re eaten), with a toy (again, back on as soon as he’s done), and we stand up and leave the room (he just snuggles down and enjoys the space).

The biggest concern is that when everything else has failed and we’re on the 30th time of moving him, if we try to lift him off, or gently encourage him to move using his harness, he violently swings his head from side to side biting at us really hard.

Being allowed on the sofa isn’t an option, so it is something we really want to get on top of. He has blankets and a bed in the room with us, but he is adamant he wants to be on the sofa.

He is a bitey puppy at the best of times, and we’ve spoken with a behaviourist who really helped us to understand how being calm and standing up and turning our back on him can help, and it has. But not with the sofa!!

Any advice would be appreciated!

[zeta1454]

Welcome to the Forum

Puppies will always test boundaries as they are growing and standard schnauzers are well known for being a challenging breed. There are two issues here in that you have a puppy who wants to be on the sofa and maybe thinks it a game to get up there when you are trying to persuade him to get off…and the biting when you try to physically remove him from the sofa.

If being on the sofa is really high value to Murray, you are going to have to offer him something at least as high value in return for getting / staying off. Treats, toys and ignoring him may work in some circumstances but with this you may need to try something more exciting and/ or make being off the sofa more fun than being on it. Do you have a playpen /crate for your puppy? These are invaluable when you want a puppy to be safe, if you can’t be interacting or watching him and also are a dog ‘cave’ where he can settle down while you do other activities - cooking, watching TV; home working etc. If you have been using either a playpen or crate then this is one of those occasions to use it in the living room and give your puppy a long lasting chew when he settles there - raw meaty bone, dried fish skin chew or similar. You should not leave him unattended with a chew item but as long as you are nearby that should be fine. If you have not got either a crate or a playpen, I really would invest in something which can become your schnauzer’s relaxation space when you cannot be interacting with him - they are invaluable for any puppy but may become useful in future years if you take your dog anywhere that he needs to be kept secure e.g. hotels and gets him used to confinement e.g. if he has an overnight stay at a vets or if he had any treatment that required ‘cage rest’ to avoid added stress at times of need.

General bitey behaviour is typical of all puppies and he will grow out of this naturally although the suggestions from the behaviourist are all fine strategies to help you through this teething period. The reaction when you tried to force him off the sofa (albeit gently) is more likely adolescent annoyance and frustration. It is not necessarily an indication that he is aggressive but does highlight the importance of using persuasion and encouragement to get your puppy/ dog to comply or be happy to do what you want - reward based training is definitely more successful and less stressful for all involved than trying to use physical coercion especially with a dog that is going to grow quite big and strong!

Just as an aside regarding things that a family dog is and is not allowed to do. We got our first dog 26 years ago and tried to follow all the recommended guidelines of what you should do to have the perfect puppy/dog and over the years (20 dogs later and 15 of them still living), we have learned how many of these ‘golden rules’ are actually unnecessary or can be relaxed over time. Our dogs at home go on sofas, laps, our bed and enjoy life as dogs do as part of a social, kinship, family group. Of course there are boundaries but they are primarily to protect the wellbeing of the dogs (and us) and we all manage like any large family without too many rules or upsets. Most ‘rules’ are human centred and don’t take into account a dog’s need to be part of a family group in every way - they like to be close to their humans and share the spaces that are comfortable with them. Puppies do have to take in a huge amount of information and learning at a very young age when they become part of a human family - they have to learn human ways as well as canine social responses when meeting and interacting with other dogs. Helping them adjust to both is a challenge but well worthwhile and it is important to try to understand why an individual dog is acting / reacting in a way that is troubling and work a way round it as dogs are very much individuals and there will be differences in temperament, how challenging or amenable they may be etc. just as with people.

Murray sounds a typical young standard schnauzer and I am sure he will really bring you so much joy in the years to come. I remember years ago, a lady bringing one of her standard schnauzers to the training class we attended and the puppy was such a fun girl - very playful, clowning around and rarely doing just what she should but absolutely a wonderful companion dog that everyone in the class loved to watch.