We don't usually have this problem. We have a couch we generally sit on. My wife on one end, me on the other. In the middle we have a dog blanket. And so when our pooch lays on the couch, he pretty-much always just lays on the dog bed whether we're sitting there or not. On the off chance that he was sitting where I wanted to sit, though, I would pick him up (he only weighs about 15 1/2 pounds), kiss him on tip of his cute little head, & move him over. He doesn't like to lay on laps. But he likes to snuggle up beside you against your thigh. He does also sleep in our bed with us at night. Sometimes he takes up a bit more space than he really needs. So then we just move him over.