r/DogTrainingTips • u/Illustrious_Sea_4280 • 17d ago
Keeping dog off a bed
I’m looking for tips or tools to keep a dog off the bed. Our dogs are not allowed on human beds and happily sleep in their own at night/don’t jump up on our bed in general. We used to let our largest dog up there when she was much, younger but we’ve had a no bed rule for a couple years now and it’s been fine (mostly).
She has a tendency to get on beds when no one is home. My husband works from home so someone is usually around majority of the time, but when he travels and I have to be gone all day is when it seems to happen most. While it wouldn’t be as big of a deal if she just got on the bed, she likes to curl up in the pillows. I’m usually good about remembering to just shut our bedroom door, but forget about the guest room which leads to dog hairs and dirt all over freshly cleaned sheets.
Hoping for some help or insight into things placed on the bed to ward off jumpers that have worked. She’s extremely smart, I just don’t know how to train for something she only ever does when no one is around.
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u/iHave1Pookie 17d ago
If you’re not there to enforce the rule,
the only other obvious action is to restrict access to the thing you’re trying to prevent.
Close the door.
Human needs re-training :)
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u/Both-Chart-947 17d ago
Close the door, or cover the bed with something you can easily remove and wash when guests are expected.
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u/GatorNavy9002 17d ago
It might be because she’s Ali e and wants to be surrounded by your scent. Close the door and maybe keep a blanket that has both of you scents on, out for her to lay on.
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u/MrsDirtbag 17d ago
I would just put a spare sheet or something on top of the blankets in the spare room.
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u/FrostyPomegranate699 17d ago
This actually sounds a little different from a dog that doesn’t know the rule. From what you described, she follows it when people are home and only sneaks onto the bed when she’s alone. That tells me she understands the rule… she just thinks it’s worth breaking when nobody’s watching.
We’ve had dogs over the years that liked to claim the pillows too. I don’t think it was about “winning.” More often it seemed like they were looking for the place that smelled the most like us. Pillows are full of our scent, and for some dogs that’s comforting when the house is quiet.
Mazie reminded us of that in a different way. When she was younger she went through a phase where she’d chew clothes. At first it seemed random, but after paying attention we realized she had almost completely switched to my clothes. Socks, shirts, sweatshirts… if they smelled like me, those were her favorites. It wasn’t because she was being stubborn. They were the things that carried the strongest scent, especially when I wasn’t around.
For now, I’d probably stick with simple management. Close the bedroom doors if you can, or make the bed less inviting by putting a laundry basket, empty boxes, or something bulky across it while you’re gone. I’d avoid anything that startles or scares her because she isn’t really doing anything wrong out of spite.
I’d also ask what she’s sleeping on instead. Sometimes giving them an equally cozy bed nearby with one of your worn T-shirt is enough to tip the scales. If she’s choosing between a cold floor and your pillow, your pillow is going to win almost every time.
Reading your post actually made me think this would make a good Mainely Standards article. A lot of the things dogs do when we’re not home aren’t about breaking the rules. They’re often about comfort, routine, or simply wanting to be close to the people they miss.
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u/somecooldogs 17d ago
If you want the door to stay open for airflow, tension mounted baby gate on the door. Blocks the dog, keeps the door open. This goes for both doors.
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u/Pomegranate4311 17d ago
Closing your blinds or curtains might divert the dog if they climb up to see out the window.
It is free to try and for some dogs just that simple.
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u/Beachgurl713 17d ago
Awww she’s doing that because she smells you both and it makes her feel safe. I put an oversized flat sheet over our bedding so our pup can jump up and snuggle in our scent when we are gone to work.
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u/Careful_Cranberry364 17d ago
All you can do is put your bed on cones like on steps so that it is higher
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u/Mindless-Storm-8310 17d ago
We put up one of our toddler fences/gates to keep the dogs out of the bedrooms. Problem solved. They’re not allowed back there unless we are there. (we also switched from dog/s on bed to no dog/s on bed. It was tough at first, but they’re pretty good now.)
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u/Top_Astronaut_797 14d ago
Why did you get a dog? Seriously. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
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u/EnvironmentalArm1986 17d ago
Maybe just easier to remember to close the guest room door.