Dog trainer shares verdict on allowing pets on home furniture

Daily Mirror

05-07-2025

The canine behaviourist spoke out about whether dogs should be given free rein of sofas, beds and household furniture
Should you allow your dog to sleep on furniture? It's a long-standing debate that often divides pet owners, but a recent take from one trainer might just settle the matter.
Will Atherton, a canine behaviourist from Derbyshire, boasts years of experience in his field, having worked with many pups with all kinds of behavioural issues, including biting. He said people often ask him whether dogs should be allowed on sofas, beds, and other furniture - and gave a detailed reply.
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"Should your dog be allowed on the furniture?" he asked in a recent TikTok. "And that's a question I get all the time. And for me, it completely is up to you. I have a few little rules about it."
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First and foremost, Will encouraged viewers to consider whether their pet has any recurring attitude issues. Although he didn't outline what these might include, they could be anything from aggressive tendencies to overexcited jumpiness.
When a dog is a major nuisance at home, Will implied that it might be best not to let them on the sofa. But if the dog is generally well-mannered, it should be fine as long as clear limits are established.
He explained: "If you don't have any big behaviour problems with your dog, then I think you can absolutely have them on the furniture if you want them. If you don't want them on the furniture, that's completely fine.
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"But if they are going to go on the furniture, my thought is that they shouldn't be allowed to have free access to jump up and off whenever they want. It should look like this."
To demonstrate his point, Will gestured to Sully, a large dog perched on the floor beside his sofa. Will then continued: "They should wait with good manners, sitting, looking up to you for guidance and direction, and waiting for you to say, 'up'."
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When commanded, Sully jumped up to sit next to Will on the sofa. "And they can jump on and they can have a cuddle," he said. "And the most important thing is that just as well-mannered as getting on the furniture with you, it should be just as easy - Sully, off."
Within seconds, Sully once again returned to sitting on the floor, as instructed. Bearing this in mind, Will summarised: "If you can do that and you don't have any problems with your dog elsewhere and you want them to come and have a cuddle on the sofa, then do so."
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Even while settling the dogs-on-furniture debate, Will's video still divided fans online. Among the viewers in disagreement, one person wrote: "I don't have to ask anyone to have access to my sofa, why should my dog?"
Another person also wrote: "I am not a control freak," as someone else said: "My dogs are a part of my family, so they can go wherever they want to without asking to go there."
However, others completely agreed with Will's perspective. One user wrote: "My boys love being on the couch and I love having a snuggle with them on the couch, but they know when I say they need to get off, they do! And same for coming up!
"It's so refreshing to hear a trainer who doesn't want to just limit a dog's life and surroundings and doesn't guilt owners for wanting to share the space." Meanwhile, another wrote: "Mine has free access to the furniture but when I tell him to get off, he does."