That time occurred Friday night when this dog...
decided that it was ok for him to sleep on this beloved couch, thumbing his nose at a perfectly good and comfortable dog bed.
Clearly, strong action was required!
Of course, as in most cases of dog misbehavior, the owners are usually to blame and we're guilty in this case. On two or three occasions, Bailey has been courteously invited onto the office couch. The office couch is one I don't particularly care for because it's not very comfortable so Bailey spending time on that couch isn't a bit deal. The living room couches are an entirely different matter.
Enter the solution:
I realize that most of you out there are probably outraged that I would even consider putting mouse traps on my couch for fear that they would do serious damage to my poor pup. Keep in mind that we have a giant 100-lb beast that couldn't fit his nose, feet, or tail into the trap even if he wanted to. We've successfully used traps on a number of large black dogs while I was growing up. In fact, we used to hang them around the bottom of the Christmas tree so they wouldn't knock it over.
Basically, it's the sound of the sprung trap that scares the dog into vacating the couch. I've snapped myself enough times over the last 10 years to be convinced that they aren't capable of any lasting damage. Usually, I just snap them a couple times while the dog is watching and then make a big show of placing them on the couch. So far Bailey has been quite attentive. I My parents suggested placing newspapers over the traps and I'm going to give that a go. I'll keep you posted on the results. 
