blythe7
Brick, NJ
Posts:14
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| 07/05/2012 9:40 AM |
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So Ginny ( Virginia) is 11 weeks oday and is doing great. Shes a sweet and cuddly girl and loves taking naps on the couch which leads to my question. Do any of you with more than one dog have diffrent rules for each? My 3 year old golden isnt really allowed on the couch, only reason is he seems unable to settle down and relax. He needs to be directly on top of you. Picture a 75lb golden retriver sitting ontop of a 125 lb girl and rolling and twisting. He litterally suffocates me with his butt! I noticed yesterday after we all crashed out on the couches, Ginny and me on the loveseat and my husband on the couch and Brady (our Golden) on the floor right next to the couch, that he looked sad. I dont want to hurt his feelings but is it fair to not let one dog up because the other doesnt know how to calm down. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get him to behave on the couch? |
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weerubbertummy
Ayrshire, Scotland
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Posts:726
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| 07/05/2012 10:18 AM |
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Jeez, i really feel for you because they're both such cuddly breeds. I've only had experience of my family having 2-3 dogs at a time (1 being an affectionate wirehair) and they were all told to stay on the floor - needless to say my parent's rules dont apply in my house 
I am of the opinion that you probably shouldnt allow one up and not the other, but could you maybe allocate which sofa they are allowed on? and maybe invitation only? For instance, puppy on the loveseat, and retriever on the other, when invited. That way you can decide when they come up and you can avoid getting squashed without offending your retriever.
Also,and this is just my personal experience, my current gsp has been allowed on the sofa since we got her (we thought "why kid ourselves that we wont give in  ?") and she thinks she owns it, and doesnt associate it with cuddles as such. Whereas my last girl we made her stay on the floor initially but we spent a LOT of time on the floor with her, and it definately made her more respectful of her place on the sofa (and cuddlier when on it) because she knew it was our space. By the way - do all gorgeous golden retrievers not have sad faces anyway? Are you sure you're not just feeling guilty and thinking he looks sad? What a beautiful combination of dogs, you should find some of sraghunath1's posts with photos of his furry family  Hope i've helped some!
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Miss you forever Kintra baby xxx |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
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Posts:7863
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| 07/05/2012 10:57 AM |
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| I have the same rules for all my dogs. They are all allowed on the furniture though. In fact I think there is rule is they get the furniture and I get the floor. I do have one chair in my family room that is my chair when I watch TV. If I walk in the room whoever is in that chair will watch me and if I turn on the TV or say I need my chair they hop out and relinquish the chair to me. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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blythe7
Brick, NJ
Posts:14
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| 07/05/2012 11:01 AM |
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lol your totally right they do have those big sad ole eyes but i swear he looked almost hurt.the diffrent couches thing sounds like a good idea. Maybe golden with me and gsp with hubby or vice versa so he doesn't feel alone on his couch. Its so funny how we bend over backwards to now hurt our dog's feelings. I dont think im this considerate with most humans. Maybe treating for calm moments and a OFF for wild rolling fits?? |
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Binni
Pittsburgh, PA
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Posts:76
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| 07/05/2012 3:25 PM |
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I have two dogs. 9 month old GSP and 6 month old English Springer Spaniel. I have same rules for both. Why would you want to confuse the dogs with different rules? It's difficult for me training two puppies at the same time, let alone having two set of rules. I'm sure you will figure out what works best for you Best of luck to you |
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Nancy D
No. Lower MI - Gaylord Area
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Posts:853
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| 07/05/2012 3:43 PM |
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I have 3 dogs and until about 1.5yrs. ago never allowed any of my dogs on the bed or furniture. Little Ms Lucy kinda changed all that. My old gsd/shep mix has never expressed an interest to get on the furniture. My dobe and Lucy think it's nice. Sooo,
I put covers on the loveseat, and they are both on it a good share of the time. However,
when I take the covers off - like for company - they know they are not allowed on it, and are very good at staying off till I cover it again.
I think it would be too confusing to allow one on and not the other. |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
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Posts:3136
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| 07/08/2012 7:05 AM |
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I say same rules apply to all... by allowing the gsp up gives the impression to the golden that the gsp is higher up in command... which may or may not naturally be the case but you shouldn't try to manage that 9only that you and all other humans are above both of them)...
the only time I had different rules was when I had a different dog and didn't have the ones I have now... my boxer never learned a good recall or liked other dogs so she had a on leash at all times rule... now that she is gone and I have my 2 gsp's they have super recall and are friendly so when it allows they get to be off leash... |
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smatulewicz
Michigan
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Posts:1197
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| 07/08/2012 7:49 AM |
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I'm sure it is possible to train the dogs to understand the different rules...but I'm not sure it would be the best way to go with something like that. It may just cause confusion and even competition. In our home, couch is a privilege, Bella can come up by invitation. But I'd be dumb to think (now that we are leaving at home unkenneled during the day) that she doesn't go up on her own when we aren't at home. She still asks for permission when we are home or others are sitting on the couch and that is OK by me.
If you don't want the golden on the couch...I know the lengths we go to for our pups is absurd, but maybe when everyone is lounging in the room...rather than your golden being the only one on the floor...why not all come down to the floor?  |
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keanmu
Ontario, Canada
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Posts:450
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| 07/08/2012 8:35 AM |
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Have to agree with same rules applying to all. I have 2 and they live by the same rules.
I wouldn't have different rules for the kids so why the dogs |
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see'n'spots
north central Florida
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Posts:334
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| 07/08/2012 9:24 PM |
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Sorry, blythe7, but you really do need to establish some "Diffrent rules" if any dog "litterally suffocates (you) with his butt!"
Just replaced sofa bed ruined by Kal's territorial imperative to dominate that space. The old soiled, worn out from dog claws, sofa is sitting on utility trailer awaiting its trip to the county dump. Kal is dreaming on the new sofa. |
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blythe7
Brick, NJ
Posts:14
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| 07/16/2012 3:20 PM |
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| Hey sorry i havent replyed sooner. Thank you all for your responses and i know your right and they shouldnt hav 2 diffrent sets of rules. Its not so much that i don't want the golden on the couch but that i would like it if he could just lay down and relax with me on the couch like our GSP. Weve been letting them both up by invitation and when he ( the golden) starts to get rediculous ( laying directly on me or body pressing) i make him get down. I would love it if we could all be on the couches together. Possibly this is a job for a trainer because the root of the problem is ingrained in his deep need to constatnly be on my feet or in my lap , its gotten better with age but still there. |
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DuckFever
Central Oregon
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Posts:323
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| 07/17/2012 4:14 PM |
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| I rent my house with two other roommates. My one roommate's English Pointer is allowed on the couch, however my dog, Rowdy, as well as my second roommate's black lab, Cuda, are not allowed on the furniture. I personally would probably have let Rowdy up if the couch were mine, however it's the landlord's. They do give us that look of "hey, why does she get to be on the couch and we don't," but they oblige to staying off the furniture. I do, however, allow Rowdy up on my bed for an hour or two, starting around 6 or 7 in the morning, whenever I first wake up. |
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The worst day of hunting is better than the best day at work. |
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smatulewicz
Michigan
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Posts:1197
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| 07/18/2012 9:38 AM |
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Blythe...did your golden do this before you got the GSP? I'm just wandering if he is maybe exhibiting some "claiming" or dominant type behavior. My nephew dog is a very good boy, but he is passive aggressively dominant (if that makes sense lol) and always has been. He won't attempt to win dominance over other dogs, but with people...he will subtly try to. What I used to think was cute and cuddly or him being affectionate, we realized was him trying to dominate over me, or even claim me from my husband. He was sitting by me on the couch once when my husband walked in the room and he literally took his leg closest to me and crossed it over my body while staring at my husband.
If none of that sounds like your golden's nature...he probably just seriously underestimates his size and is a total love bug |
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:4452
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| 07/20/2012 6:32 AM |
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that he looked sad. I dont want to hurt his feelings but is it fair
This is the root of your dog issues
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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blythe7
Brick, NJ
Posts:14
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| 07/28/2012 1:16 PM |
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smatulewicz- hes pretty much always been like this. We actually never let him up on the couch as a puppy but when he became older and would serpently wiggle his way up we would let him be just to see how he would act and it always resulted in laying on us in a i cant possibly be any closer to you way. Hes such an undominate dog, this .boy is just a 75lb wanna be lap dog lol 
Pixie bee- I agree with you 100%. In fact in the weeks that have past since i first posted this he doesnt seem to care as much. He will come by lay his head on us and thats about it. Its funny because im not sure if its because our gsp ginny has been a ball of energy but hes been so mellow and good. I think hes finally growing up. |
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