Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Foiled Again

I have an aluminum foil couch.

Well, sort of.

See, a few years ago I was having a problem with my dogs getting on the furniture and I wasn't crazy about that. Add to that, I have a doggy door so my dogs could get out "in the elements" and THEN jump on the furniture, when I wasn't home. On more than one (or two or three) occasions, I came home to find my couch AND my bed covered in mud because Max took a dip in the pool (wading pool, purchased just for him) or went out after it rained and then ran around the muddy yard - right before he jumped on furniture. (I could always tell the paths he took in the house, but I digress.)

Anyway, a friend told me that if I put aluminum foil on the furniture that would stop it because dogs didn't like the sound or the feel of aluminum foil. I figured I didn't have anything to lose by trying it so I put a strip on the couch the next day before I went to work. Now, aluminum foil is pretty flimsy so you'd be able to tell if it was "disturbed" during the day. I came home to find the aluminum foil in perfect condition and so it became an every day thing. Each morning I'd cover the furniture (bed too) with aluminum foil and go to work. Every evening I'd remove the aluminum foil - putting the foil from the couch on the piano and the foil from the bed on the dresser - so I could use it. This became my routine.

Then I got Brewsky.

Not only did the aluminum foil not "scare" Brewsky, he thought it was a toy. As a result, it was more of an incentive for him TO jump on the furniture. I'd come home in the evenings to find aluminum foil all over the house and backyard. Shredded. In little pieces. I also caught him, or more than one occasion, running through the house with this long strip of aluminum foil trailing behind him. It served no purpose to put it out anymore. It was a lot more work for me to clean it up and it wasn't effective anymore.

So my furniture hasn't been covered in aluminum foil in a couple of years now and the dogs have been jumping on it (no mud - knock wood - though). That is, until today.

Last night I thought Brewsky might be old enough now to think he should be afraid of aluminum foil, so I covered my couch last night. Of course, overnight coverage isn't really a true test so I left it on this morning when I went to work and was happily surprised to see the foil hasn't been touched!

So, when it comes to covering the furniture to protect it, forget about plastic - I use aluminum foil. LOL

4 comments:

Ellen said...

I've heard about that aluminum foil trick for thwarting a pet from tinkling in a certain spot. I hadn't thought about covering a couch in it. LOL. Good luck -- I hope it breaks them of the habit!

Monica Burns said...

ROFLMAO!! I have to try that. Magenta is on the couch, off the couch, stands on it to look out the window, and she's a 45lb lab! Great post!

Monica

Honey said...

I've heard that might work for cats, too. Just might have to try it. :)

Lucy said...

Hey, it's worked for two full days now. If this keeps up I'll be able to open the bedroom back up again so the boys can look out the front window during the day.