Dog owners, I have a predicament..

Keeping animals off of furniture when you aren't there is something I have never mastered and have learned to let go of. Place sheets and blankets on the furniture to protect them and thank the Lord above that the dog isn't destroying your furniture.

I do keep my dogs confined to an area with a baby gate while I am at work. I keeps them from finding new things to get into and honestly, they sleep 90% of the day.

And yes, walking him will help wear him out and build a bond between you, meaning he's more likely to listen to you when you call him or give him commands. Also, work on basic training to further build the bond and trust. Any dog lover will tell you that having their SO love their pet as much as they do is similar to a SO loving your child as much as you do.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

One more comment-

Those saying the boyfriend should give up the dog for the sake of the relationship- it makes me smile, but not for the reasons you might suspect.

I was once dating a guy, getting really serious, and he told me I'd have to get rid of the dog or get rid of him. Guess who I said good-bye to? Best decision I ever made. My dog doesn't put conditions on his love.

Glad I didn't read those posts :noway: Some people's children, I swear. :grumble:

Amen to that. My dogs were there first and they will be there when the man leaves. :smokin:

I have 3 dogs, love them all at least as much as my kids. lol I find the kids make more mess, so maybe it's a good way to get used to what will come. The gate is a great idea, spend money to get one that always stays in place (screwed in doorway), and swings open easily with the push of a button, it is worth it! I also have blankets they know are theirs for the couch, and they stay on them. Another thing that works great for me is keeping "dog" towels by all doors, to wipe their feet when they come in. Keeps that dirt off the furniture! I run 10+ miles with my dogs, and I can't wear them out, so you will never on a walk. Good luck...if you let him, he'll become your best friend!

If the dog stays in the house all the time except for going out to use the bathroom or go for a walk with you and then just right back inside the house then shaving the dog is the only way to go. I have a lab border collie mix and she sheds like crazy. I am like you, I simply can not stand that long hair all over everything. I would never have picked this breed of dog because I can not stand the hair that she sheds. My daughter rescued her from a rescue group and brought her home so that is how we got her. Any way long story short she gets shaved to the skin every 4 weeks. In other words her hair is cut shorter than a normal labs hair every 4 weeks. You would not believe the difference in the amount of hair that is in my house now. Don't get me wrong, she still sheds but the hair that she sheds is less than half the length of what she was shedding before she got shaved and so in other words you can hardly even see it at all. One thing that helps with keeping them off the furniture or all of it is choose a chair or end of the sofa that is ok for the dog to be on and make that the only place the dog can sit on the furniture at. Each time the dog jumps on another piece of furniture say no and direct the dog to the spot that is ok for the dog to sit. The dog will soon learn this is my chair and only go to it. To keep that chair clean they do sell pet covers that actually fit the chair like a chair cover and you can get them in colors that match your chair so it is almost unnoticeable that it is a chair cover. The dog will learn this is their chair and only go to this chair. Then just take to cover off and wash it once a week. Washed and dryed all the hair comes off into the washer and dryer vent and it is fresh and clean to put back on the chair. I always vacuum my dryer vent out and that keeps any dust from flying into the air when you clean the vent. They are actually called pet chair covers so they are easy for you to take off and wash. Until you can get one of the chair covers that will look neat you can use a large throw and the softer the better as that will make the dog want to be on it. Cover the back, arms and seat of the chair so that no part of the dog touches it then take the throw off once or twice a week and wash and dry it. You will be amazingly surprised if you follow this how much cleaner your house will stay and how the dog will learn, ok this is my chair and automatically go to it and stay off of all the rest of the furniture.

I think this will help keep any problems down between you and your boyfriend over a dog that he obviously loves. Also, the more you walk the dog or exercise him, the less time the dog will become bored home alone and tear up something.

Let me start off by saying that I am NOT an animal lover. I have never wanted a pet but my boyfriend is moving in......and has a dog. I have a son and his dog is like his child so it was just a no-brainer to me that this would be a situation where I would have to give a little. My boyfriend is only here on weekends for the next couple weeks but the dog is now staying with me. I'm a bit of an obsessive neat freak and I am trying to adjust to the dog hair, the stinky breath, him tracking stuff on my clean floors, etc.

My issue as of now, I cannot keep the dog off my furniture! He is a Black Lab/Spaniel/Rot mix and has terrible long, wavy, black hair and sheds like crazy. We even had him groomed a couple weeks ago and the hair is just collecting on my couches, bed and hardwood floors. Even though I do not like animals, I do not have it in me to keep him caged while I am at work for 9 hours a day. For now I come home on lunch to let him outside and he stays off the furniture when we are in the house.. My boyfriend has suggested a baby gate to keep him confined to the kitchen/laundry/mud room. Has anyone else overcome this issue or have suggestions?

Finally, a silly question. If I take him walking for a long period of time, is he going to get exhausted? :laugh:

My Ex Girlfriend would complain that my pants smelled like dogs and she couldn't stand it. I mean she really made a big stink (Pun inteneded!) about it. I made sure that I changed my clothes before going to her house. Oh, By the way, I never made a single comment about how her hair, clothes, house and car smelled like an ashtray! She smoked!

:laugh: This is funny because I smoke (outdoors) and I think my house is starting to smell like dog too! I have a friend with a small indoor dog and I can hardly stand to go in her house without gagging because of the dog smell. I don't want to be that person!

I have two cats (at one point three) and a small dog and a relatively small house -- townhouse -- and it doesn't smell. And I know it doesn't because when the cats leave a particularly special gift in the litter box, I can tell! lol

Anyway, if you keep the house clean (I vacuum every other day) and keep the dog clean and healthy, your house shouldn't stink.

Please please please do not try some of the methods suggested (water/ air / bubble wrap/ paper).
I'm horrified!

Whilst I understand that there are different schools of thought on dog training anything which has a negative impact on the dog is a BAD idea! It breeds contempt and frustration & with your son in the house you don't want a dog to be wound up & snap do you?

Water is acceptable as a last resort if positive training doesnt work, compressed air is downright dangerous - all cans say to keep away from human skin / body, why would a dog be any different!!?

Paper or foil or bubble wrap will scare the dog but it may result in them slipping & having an injury - doubt you want vet bills or guilt when bf comes home!

I'd say take time to get to know the dog as you would expect bf to get to know your son, work on positive reinforcement (treats for coming off furniture when told) give it a safe comfortable section of the house easy to clean - kitchen with baby gate would be fab.

If you groom regularly & get right down to infer coat with a rake the shedding will be
More manageable but spring is always bad for shedding.

Hope this helps, your relationship with the dog can be manageable, maybe even pleasant one day so long as you don't make the mistake of using negative techniques to repress behaviour early on in your bonding phase that could cause irreparable damage!

There are a lot of compromises in a relationship.

There are some issues that require both parties to agree too and a compromise might not be applicable. I believe kids and pets fall into this category. I think either has the right to say no to either.

Telling the dog off only works if you tell them off as they do something, any delay at all and the tail between the legs, ears down, upsetness is at its owner shouting rather than it knowing what it's done wrong, far better to correct behaviour than punish actions

I'm a little surprised by all the comments of "put xyz on the couch" Seriously, having a kid and a dog is enough work, why in the world would anyone want to add to it by papering the couch before they leave everyday. Plus as another person as posted, that really can be dangerous for the pup. SMH.
We're bringing our new puppy home Friday afternoon and he will be getting crate trained. Not all dogs love this though, we had a chihuahua that hated to be crated and would howl and chew at the bars till he was let out. I'm hoping our new little guy does much better.

I have a dog blanket over a piece of furniture that my dog likes to get on. It makes it easy for me to clean up, but my dog has short hair so it really doesn't bother me.

And yes, a lot of exercise will tire out the dog. It just depends on the dog's energy level. For my dog, him running next to me while riding a bike will get him tired quickly. Much faster than walking alone.

Yes, babygates are a wonderful alternative to being caged all day, thank God you don't do that to the poor little bugger! As for the hair-lint rollers (the big ones) are amazing at picking up the hair. that's awesome that you go home to let it out too.
Walks are good for dogs-they need exercise too
if you do ever have to put him in a cage, make sure it's big enough...I can't stand when people have big/huge or any size dog that they put in a cage four sizes to small and they can barely move/breathe comfortably.

I know I'll catch some flak about my point of view but I say there are compromises that need to be made in relationships. Why do YOU have to make the compromise? If the dog sheds and jumps on your furniture or you think you may not "gel" with it, I say let someone with a large lot adopt the dog. Your bf can be the one to make the compromise. It's a big dog, he would probably be happier with more room to run anyway.

Ok.....Go! :-)

When I met my partner, he suggested he'd never 'get used' to our dogs' white hair, and that he wasn't a dog person. It was more or less framed in a 'it's the dogs or it's me' kind of way. I made it clear that the dogs were part of me, they were part of the deal, and there was no way our beloved family pets were going anywhere... 3 years later, he's besotted with those dogs.

I don't think what you're suggesting here is 'making a compromise'. It's sacrificing one relationship (the relationship between her partner and his LIVING doggy friend) for the sake of another. No-one should ask someone they love to sacrifice in that way for them, in my opinion.

You also appear to be coming from a worldview that dogs are commodities - things to be picked up and shed like toys or cars. they're not. They're living beings. When you take a dog on, you make a commitment to live with them till they pass on. That's the deal when you get a dog. Any compassionate human being isn't just going to 'get rid' of the dog in the way you suggest. And to be honest, if he were willing to do that, I'd be concerned about how seriously he takes his commitments and his relationships.

6 years ago i went from being single to instant family add water. two kids and two dogs to be added. I was the same way as you! It was a package deal. Now we have the two kids 3 dogs and a rabbit. Love them all

When I first got my lab/husky mix (80 lb), I tried to gate him in the kitchen. He ended up eating through the gate and having his way in the house. After some crate training and getting comfortable with my house, he now is free during the day.

As for those who feel that pets are disposible, you clearly have never worked/volunteered in an anima shelter. You can feel the psychological pain that these animals have gone through from physical abuse or psychological neglect and abandonment. My dog was in the local shelter for 53 weeks, confined to his cage. All it took was the right person to come along.

If you see youself not being able to commit full time to a pet, then don't get one. Compromising with someone else's animal is a good thing. The dog will get use to the rules of the roost and will eventually keep off the furniture.

I know I'll catch some flak about my point of view but I say there are compromises that need to be made in relationships. Why do YOU have to make the compromise? If the dog sheds and jumps on your furniture or you think you may not "gel" with it, I say let someone with a large lot adopt the dog. Your bf can be the one to make the compromise. It's a big dog, he would probably be happier with more room to run anyway.

Ok.....Go! :-)

Yup this is a flak situation. I am a pet person I warned my now husband that I love my pets MORE than I love most humans. Specifically the cat he finds the most annoying. Same cat has caused one divorce, he would work it out if I got rid of my cat. Since my cat's mother had kicked him out long ago and as a feral stray I assumed she was dead and my ex's mommy wanted him home all the time the right choice was to kick out the ex he had a place to go. Now husband was warned that the pets are like my fur children and we are a package deal. To compromise because he is not as much of a fan as animals naturally start to pass we will not be adopting more until we are petless and then it will be one dog and one cat. What he does not know is the dog will be some crazy giant breed and the cat will either be a savannah or a maine coon. I have three cats now at ten pounds a piece seems only fair if I can only have one cat it be a 30lb cat.