Training. When all is said and done, investing the time in training your pet correctly will stop it ruining your lovely living room and bedroom furniture. If you are lucky enough to be able to provide training from a young age then your pets will be more receptive to new training when they are older as well. If you can teach them that the furniture is not their plaything, but instead for their owners to use, that is great. But at the very least they should know which places they are not allowed and to listen to your commands to get off anything they shouldn’t be on.

Pet deterrents. If training your pets was never on the agenda and now they respect you as much as their fleas do, you’ll need to tackle the problem head on. You can buy certain powders and sprays that cats, dogs and other animals simply detest. These products often smell quite citrusy, which is one of the worst possible smells for pets as their noses are too sensitive for it.

Discipline. This ties in with training, but even pets that have had no training at all with still respond to correct discipline. This doesn’t mean that you should hit your pets every time they jump on the chair or bedside cabinets, but instead be consistent with how you react when they do. There is nothing more confusing to an animal than being told off for something one day and allowed to do it the next without being told off.You should let them know your not happy by using short sharp noises and directing them out of the room, but make sure you praise them when they respond well to your requests.