Dog too friendly.

Question
Hello;

I have a 2 year old english bulldog.  He is very obedient although he does move at his own pace.  It is very easy to train him except on 2 things.  First he isnt allowed to sit on the sofa, he never does it.  That is except when he is alone.  He notices that we go to work and school in the morning, he then gets on the sofa and throws down the pillows because he doesnt like them and then sleeps there all day.  As soon as he hears the door open, he gets off and runs to the other side of the room so i never catch him doing it.  I know that he does it because i always find my sofa pillows on the floor becausee he doesnt like to lay on them and I've caught him a couple of times because he didnt hera me come in.  He knows its wrong because he never does it when we are home and the couple of times that ive caught him, he immediately jumps off the couch without me saying anything.  Im not sure how to train him not to do something like that.  Wich brings me to my second problem.  I dont expect him to guard the house because he isnt that type of breed but it would be helpful if he at least barks at people when coming in the house.  He almost never barks, when he wants to tell me something he makes like a crying noise but almost never a bark.  He is very protective of the car, and everytime he is in it, he never allows anyone to get near the car unless i let them.  How can i make him be protective of the house instead of the car? The only way he would bark at someone is if he sees them thru a window and its dark out.  Ive had maintenance men come in while nobody was home and they all tell me that my dog basically sleeps through all of it, maybe takes a half look at them and continues sleeping.  They could be robbing me and my dog would keep snoring.  Thanks in advance for your help.
William

Answer
The dog who GUARDS THE HOUSE is the dog one must GUARD oneself and the family FROM.

Your dog does not "know it's wrong" to sit on the couch; he knows it's your prerogative (as the highest "ranking" member).  When you're not at home, and the entire household is left as his "responsibility", he obtains the place of honor.  "Right" and "wrong" are human constructs; dogs learn that certain things make us angry (because of our response) or are not a privilege they can obtain when we are present (a pack related behavior.)  If you don't want the dog on the couch (a very reasonable choice!), confine him to the kitchen or some other pleasant area with soft bed, water bowl and toys.

You have a Bully that appears to have a wonderful temperament.  This breed is being mass produced by puppy mills and backyard breeders for profit and is beginning to obtain some serious predilections for aggression. Your dog is DOING what he's SUPPOSED TO DO.  It's common for dogs, even the most sublime temperament, to "guard" the car: it's a very confined space surrounded by windows and when a dog responds to that amount of stimuli it is often demonstrating fear, not confidence.  The English Bulldog is NOT a guarding breed.  As I first stated, "guard" dogs are patently dangerous and don't belong in casual homes; such dogs are usually responding to FEAR.  Any dog, no matter the breed, providing it is of sound temperament, will react if its owner is at peril.  The friendlier the dog, the better the dog; what you DO NOT want is a dog that is fearful to the point of threatening people who are offering no actual threat.