Is the dog the problem, or am I?
Hey guys. I apologize in advance for the lengthy description, but here it goes.
My boyfriend has a 5-year old female Springer Spaniel that has always had free access to all furniture, with the exception of when she was a puppy, due to her piddling. I completely disagree with dogs being on the furniture, as fur, the dog's bodily fluids, or mud getting on somewhere I lay just grosses me out (all of which have happened). He has let her on the couch and bed when she's in heat (consequently dirtying them), and she loves to get a mouthful of the blanket and let it sit in her mouth, soaking it in slobber. Nothing irritates me more than seeing these things happen on freshly washed bedding. I told him this, and despite his hesitation/reluctance to do so, he has been making an attempt to restrict her furniture privileges so that I feel more comfortable.
My boyfriend says that I am not patient enough with her. The dog knows good and well what "off" and "down" means, but she is slow to do what she is told. Personally, I think this is unacceptable. I don't think I'm being impatient, I simply believe it is poor behavior for a dog not to do what they are told the first time.
There were two times when I've told her twice to get off the furniture, only for her to stay in her spot looking at me. As a result, I have given her a nudge while telling her once more to get down, only for her to respond by trying to nip me! That is NOT OK. I believe that in itself is enough to show that her unrestricted furniture privileges have caused behavioral issues. She is over-affectionate and has no concept of personal space, which I also think could be a result of being welcome to the furniture all the time.
My boyfriend was told both times this happened, and it irritated me further when he responded by saying I'm the only person she has done that to, as if to say I'm the one that did something wrong. I understand where my boyfriend is coming from when he points out that free access to furniture is all she's ever known, but I can't help but feel that he's being too lax with her.
To be clear, I ultimately don't mind the dog, but I find her very annoying because of all this. I realize it might be unfair of me to get annoyed with her because it ultimately comes down to him, but it's hard not to. This is a lot to address, so I'm thankful to anyone who chooses to respond. I just don't know what else to do, so I thought I'd try to enlist the help of other dog lovers/owners.
Number one ; the dog needs to be spayed.. That will reduce some of the issues. The biggest thing I heard from your explained experience is not the dogs fault. Your getting mad at the wrong person /dog . It's 100% you humans fault . You can't have 2 people telling dog 2 different things .