Just got a new 4 month old pitbull over the weekend. Training him has been fairly easy but right now I’m working on training him off of the couch unless invited. I don’t have a dog bed for him just yet (underestimated how expensive those are in retail pet stores) but he does have a pretty comfy crate with blankets/toys/treats as an alternative right now.

He seems to understand the down command if I say it when I see him about to jump up but as soon as I look away he’s up on the couch again and I have to physically pick him up and put him in the crate to get him down when his training treats run out to reinforce the rule.

We’ve been working on it for about a day or so but after his night time walk all he wants to do is cuddle with me before knocking out for the night.

Is it okay if I let him up on the couch with me to cuddle before bed? Or is it seen as an inconsistent rule in his eyes? Does it make me seem like a pushover since we’re still in the beginning stages of this part of his training? Will he respect the rule later on if I let him up to sleep?

I guess I’m not sure how strict I should be. We’re in a 1 bedroom apartment so there’s really no where else for him to go (he only has access to the living room, bathroom and kitchen, no bedroom yet since there’s carpet in there) besides his crate if I am on the couch chilling watching tv but I also want him to have respect for my boundaries and others’ furniture if he visits someone else’s house.

I know how important consistency is with puppies (especially this breed) so any advice would help!