Getting dog off the couch when Im on it!

Question
How do I stop my dog from getting on the couch when I am on it watching tv?  Specifically, my dog will frequently get on the couch when my kids are watching tv or playing video games, with the sole intent to slyly, and subtly nudge them off the couch.  You need to know that my dog is actually a puppy, a 75 lb. one!  He's been neutered, and is mom was half Pyrenese and half Anatolian Shepherd and dad was a black Lab.  He was born 10/06/2007 so he is 6 1/2 months old now.  I have tried a squirt bottle, no luck - he bites at the spray.  I have tried physically pulling and pushing him off the couch - no luck, he responds by digging in his heels and planting himself, barring his teeth.  I have tried treats (turkey hotdogs/pea sized) - no luck, he just comes down and gets his treat and gets right back on the couch and waits for the next treat!  He is super, duper stubborn!  I know this has turned into a power struggle, and with kids in the mix - I'm just not sure how to handle it.  There is no door to shut to lock him out, and I really don't want to use the kennel where he sleeps because that would be a real battle to get him in there and then he'll associate negative vibes with the crate.  Heard that sprays and devices don't work but half the time.  Do you have any doggy psychology that you can part with?  Please help!
Thanks, Diana

Answer
I'd work with positive motivation. Make it a training opportunity where he gets clicked and treated for getting off the sofa. Repeatedly, until following your cue is habit, without hesitation or question. Your house doesn't have any doors which can be used for management? Not even if you use it proactively instead of in response to a problem? I would make getting off the sofa more rewarding than being on it. Not use aversives (i.e. a spray bottle or collar corrections/physically pulling and pushing) but repeated reinforcement for getting down. And I would also look for good, positive based, in-person help NOW, before he matures. Livestock guarding dogs (especially Anatolians) are very independent dogs and need to learn early how to live in a human world. This is accomplished best by training and good leadership, not by physical force. When he is grown, you won't be able to physically out-muscle him. So you need to learn now how to out-psych him. I also would be putting this boy on a strict Nothing In Life is Free http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm program right away so he learns who is the "leader" in your family. Dogs have to earn priviledges. It's not their birthright. Sandy Case MEd, CPDT www.positivelycanine.com