Training Buster?

Buster On His Bed - He thinks being told to get on his pillow is punishment.
@webeishere (36313)
United States
November 12, 2007 1:15pm CST
My Buster loves sitting on the backs of my couch and love seat watching for intruders walking past the house. he has a kennel and also a pillow bed. I keep the furniture covered to avoid all the dog hair and possible damage from his claws. I am now in the process of training him to stay off the furniture except when called onto it to visit etc. I always tell him, "Pillow". Now he seems to think this is punishment. Most times he glares at me like, "How dare you. I did nothing wrong." It's not working real well as each time I walk out of the office to the living room there he is sitting on the couch. Or dad tells me as soon as Buster heard the door to the office open he jumped down. Okay do you find it easy or difficult to teach your pet(s) newer tricks or behaviors that you want from them? HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
9 people like this
11 responses
• United States
12 Nov 07
Its really not to hard you just have to be consistant. Everytime hes on the couch without being invited tell him down. When he gets down give him a treat for listening. Walk out of the room and peek on him. If hes on the couch then tell him no, down...no treat this time. You have to be calm but assertive. Keep your voice at an even tone when talking to him. Keep working on it and he will get it.
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
12 Nov 07
Dad being home now Buster gets WAY too many treats. This is how I have trained Buster in many things since owning him so that's the path this is going as well. It'll take a few days I feel but it is going to change hopefully. Thanks also. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
1 person likes this
@Duvessa (913)
• United States
13 Nov 07
Then perhaps you should tell your Dad to stop giving him treats for no reason, too any treats anyway is not good for the dog, because you are trying to train him with positive methods.
@GardenGerty (157661)
• United States
12 Nov 07
Are you kidding? I have cats. They want on me, especially if I am using the computer. Tiger, the oldest one, can bounce back up to my lap faster than I can put him down. He has to be part yoyo. The only thing that discourages this behavior is that I keep a flea comb, and comb them when they get on me. After awhile they can't stand it, and they leave. In a little bit, they come back, though. Then we repeat the cycle, lap, brush, leave, return, lap, brush, leave, return.
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
13 Nov 07
Yeah Buster loves jumping on my lap as I am doing myLot etc. He is big too. That's a problem as he puts pressure on my bladder after a few pots of coffee. HAHAHAHA! Maybe I need the Depends huh? NAHHH! HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
13 Nov 07
Hahahaha he sounds like Gissi lol Gissi is allowed up but he is only a little Dog lol but I think you are going to have a hard time with Buster there lol It is hard to stop them once they have done it for a while lol Poor Buster must be up and down lol I wish you good luck but I think Buster might win lol
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
13 Nov 07
Yeah, very, very hard, HAHAHA! I have given up. Thrown in the towel, forfieted, and or surrendered. Buster wins this round. HAHAHAHA!! HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
13 Nov 07
Once a pet is used to doing something, it's hard to stop them. They like routine and your trying to break it which Buster doesn't understand.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
13 Nov 07
Yeah I have basically given up this training pattern. I must have chased him off the furniture 100 times alone yesterday. HAHAHA!! HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@Feona1962 (7526)
• United States
12 Nov 07
My dogs - Yoshee and Halo
Hi grandpa Bob, I do the same as you and cover my furniture. I am still paying on it so I don't want it to get ruined...I don't mind if my dogs sit on the furniture, but if I tell them to get down they do...fortunately we don't have a front window per say so they aren't jumping on the couch to get to the window or anything..I wouldn't put of with that if they did..I pretty much have them doing what I expect and don't have any trouble getting them to do things...They know the routine...Being consistent is the key...I watch the Dog Whisperer and have learned alot from him...
2 people like this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
12 Nov 07
We haven't paid anything yet towards this furniture. We bought it at an auction a couple years ago and my wifes boss paid for it. We just haven't paid him anything yet. But he is that type and doesn't mind. We are like second family kids to him I think even though he has 7 of his own. HAHAHA!! We can't afford the store bought covers for all the furniture so we just use old sheets. I wash them at least once a week also. Buster sheds a lot so the hair is the main problem with him being on the furniture. It's the fuzzy type material and acts like a magnet for fur, hair, dust and other debris. HAHAHA! I love that show as well. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
1 person likes this
@peanutjar (5198)
• Canada
12 Nov 07
Hello:)Our dog only listens to me,haha.Someone will tel her what to do and she will look at me waiting for me to say so.Shes just starting to listen to my daughter but not daddy,she considers him to be lower in the "family pack"haha. Peanutjar:)
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
12 Nov 07
Buster is the same way. The wife will make him do a trick. Then she will say OKAY meaning he is good to have the treat. Buster looks at me like, "Well can I have it?" Hee hee. I think it's the domineering deep voice as well. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
1 person likes this
• United States
13 Nov 07
That's funny, just like a little child. He knows you don't want him up there so he gets down when he hears you coming. My dog always listened to me pretty well when she was alive but sometimes she wouldn't listen to my husband and then I'd "fuss" at her and she would drop her head and walk away real slow like she was mad at me. Buster will do fine I'm sure, you just have to keep telling him and showing him what you want him to do.
@Zelmarq (12585)
• Cebu City, Philippines
13 Nov 07
I pity buster, he would not be able to fully understand it but its for his welfare also and so that he not get used the pampered life of sitting on his boss' couch. Our dogs and cats are like that at home, its as if they have this territory and they respect each others privacy. Our cats enjoys the comfort of the bed, while the others are on the top of the tv and this uniquecats who sleeps on top of the refrigirator.
1 person likes this
• United States
13 Nov 07
my cats don't listen to anything i try to teach them. unfortunetly they're better at teaching each other things than learning it from me,and usually bad habits LOL
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
13 Nov 07
That's one reason I will only have one cat or dog at a time. They seem to sonspire against their owners. HAHAHA! Thanks also. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@OURDEW (4809)
• United States
13 Nov 07
Would you believe I have not only trained my dog not to go on the furniture but I have also trained my cat. Neither one of them ever go on the couch. They are both happy to play or sleep together on the floor. I guess I am lucky, but it took a lot of chasing them off, especially our cat.:)
@lynboobsy11 (11343)
• Philippines
13 Nov 07
I can say my "whoppie" is easy to teach I just raised my voice for her a little higher she really knows that I'm mad of what she's doing. Like just a while ago she was running upstairs to my room to take a nap but since there are no people downstairs and I want her to go down so if someone knock in my door she can alert me through her bark. I shouted her to go down, I got a little pity on her coz I know she's asking why I can't her be in my room. And now I saw her on my couch just staring at me and snubbing me.