How to Keep Pets Off the Furniture

Most pets shed when they lounge on the furniture. You may end up spending time cleaning up pet hair and still have to spend money having the upholstery professionally cleaned to remove body oils and dirt left behind. It takes effort keep pets off the furniture, but a well trained dog or cat is worth it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Fill a spray bottle with water and set the sprayer on "stream." Keep the spray bottle within reach. When a pet makes a move to get on the furniture, spray in the direction of his face and say firmly, "No!"

2. Cover furniture to protect it until the pets understand that they are not allowed on the furniture. Use blankets, tarps, old sheets or throws to prevent damage to the upholstery and to keep pet hair from accumulating on it.

3. Use the command "Off!" when instructing a pet away from the furniture. Save the command "Down" for when the animal is to lie down.

4. Rinse out an empty soda can and drop a handful of gravel into it. Cover the opening with duct tape. Roll the noisemaker in the direction of a pet that's about to get on the furniture.

5. Use a "bubble mat" to keep a cat out of a particular chair or from clawing upholstery. Position the mat, which has an unpleasantly nubby surface, in the chair or near the corner of her preferred "clawing" furniture. If you own a dog or a combination of animals, opt to use a static electricity training mat.

6. Praise a pet for good behavior immediately after correcting a him. Make the correction swift and brief.

7. Be consistent with the "no pets on the furniture" rule. Keep pets off the furniture when they initially arrive into the home. Enlist the help of everyone in the household.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that animals do not understand grudges.
• Understand that sitting on the furniture while holding a pet is a license for the pet to be on the furniture.

Resources

• Cat and Dog static electricity training mats.