Sometimes, our pets act like they own the place. Some of you may have come home from work only to find your dog sprawled out in the sofa. Dogs enjoy furniture for the same reasons as we do: they’re comfortable.

If you have run out of patience and are tired of finding dog hair on your furniture, here a few tips that would help you keep your pets off the furniture for good.

Be consistent

Once a dog forms the habit of lounging on the sofa, it is difficult to change. But if you are serious about keeping your pets off the furniture, you have to set a rule and make sure to stick with it. This means that every member of the family should cooperate and abide by the rule. One uncooperative person can ruin the training.

Until the training is complete, you shouldn’t leave your pets unsupervised, especially around furniture. Also, be gentle when removing them the furniture. If you can, try not to touch the dog at all. It would be best to lure them to go down and get back on the floor. Also, don’t forget to reward the dog after.

Compromise

Even if you have trained the dog to stay away from the furniture, the dog will always have a tendency to get up on the sofa especially if no one is around. In this case, the best solution is to use slipcovers.

You can use blankets, comforters or bed sheets and toss it over the sofa in order to keep it from picking up dirt and dog hair. For this method to be effective, you have to train your dog to wait for the sheet to be placed before getting up there.

If you don’t want to get your furniture messy, another solution would be to get a piece of furniture that the dog is allowed to use. An old sofa is the most ideal for this. Place this furniture in an area of the house where the dog usually stays in, preferably where the rest of the family hangs out.