Best sofa material for house with dogs?? (vinyl, hardwood, colored)

[CObound]

Hey all. My husband and I just bought our first house and are looking to buy furniture for the living room. We have 2 dogs (about 50 pounds each) that like to get up on the sofa with us so we're wondering what kind of material would be most dog-resistant. We're thinking either leather or microfiber. Leather would be nice in that any dirt would be easy to clean off, but one of the dogs likes to 'scratch' her sleeping area so we are worried about the leather scratching. A furniture salesman at one of the stores we went to said Microfiber is good because there are no threads that can be pulled by scratching (which is what has happened to one of the couches we currently own...a twill-type material). Does anyone have experience with sofas and dog scratches?? Of course we could just try training the dogs to stay off the furniture, but I kind of like having them next to me on the sofa...they keep me warm!

[(901)]

Unless you get one made of concrete or steel your gonna have problems with a 50lb dog "Digging"

That dog will rip a M/F couch apart in a week. I myself have leather

[World Citizen]

I also have leather. You can wipe it clean with a cloth and hair doesn't stick to it. Right now I've got 2 dogs that are under 2 years of age and keep a throw over it. It's just a matter of training them not to dig or scratch. They're both young so I don't trust them.

I've always had dogs and I'm now on my third couch over the past 10 or so years. I bought my last couch (cream colored leather) at a second hand store. It was in good condition when I found it. My current couch is also cream leather. I found a place which discounts new better furniture and paid the same amount for it new as I had for the one I bought second hand.

You mentioned microfiber. If you do buy microfiber, be sure that you get the good microfiber. There's some that looks like microfiber but it's really thin and doesn't hold up as well.

When buying a new couch for dogs it's a good idea to find a really good deal... $$$

[(901)]

Originally Posted by World Citizen

I also have leather. You can wipe it clean with a cloth and hair doesn't stick to it. Right now I've got 2 dogs that are under 2 years of age and keep a throw over it. It's just a matter of training them not to dig or scratch. They're both young so I don't trust them.

I've always had dogs and I'm now on my third couch over the past 10 or so years. I bought my last couch (cream colored leather) at a second hand store. It was in good condition when I found it. My current couch is also cream leather. I found a place which discounts new better furniture and paid the same amount for it new as I had for the one I bought second hand.

You mentioned microfiber. If you do buy microfiber, be sure that you get the good microfiber. There's some that looks like microfiber but it's really thin and doesn't hold up as well.

When buying a new couch for dogs it's a good idea to find a really good deal... $$$

+2 on a throw ^^^ I have 2 old ugly quilts I keep on mine and remove when company comes

[kek1993]

That is what I did, it was amazing, for "clean" dogs, really, how much those throws smelled "doggie". And were pretty dirty. I just liked to make sure that the house always was clean and fresh. Plus, Sam would always manage to "sneak" in a pig ear, or raw hide bone, or something and he always wanted to chew it right smack in the middle of the sofa. Of course, he would jump down when he saw me, and wag his booty. "Mom, I never do ANYTHING bad".

[oldisnew]

I am sorry, with all due resppect for the posters but buying a couch "for dogs" and living with "some ugly rag over furniture except when company comes" seems rather submissive [former], and miserable [latter]. Don't we pet owners need to establish a sense of who is the boss in a household with dogs? Dogs instinctively need be guided by an alpha. I LOVE animals but when it comes to pets it would be reasonable and sensible that the pet's owner plays the alpha role, come on!

Regardless of who "says so" [owner or pooch] I would purchase leather. If your decor is traditional, mixed with antiques for example, scratches will add to the "old world" ambiance [some VERY expensive leather dry goods come all distressed from factory, I have an Italian military-style large handbag made of vintage leather which is all-over crackled faded and scuffed; gorgeous!]. If your look is sleek modern, or minimalist your leather must be super flawless and super stretched or it will look messy so no doggie scratches there. Either way I think the best thing really is to teach your dog to dig whilst in the outdoors only...

I still think, digging or not, leather couches [preferably high polished] are the most hygienic for households with pets and/or children indoors. Bottom line. Oh, and leatherette has come a long way, worth looking into.
For ideas on tough upholstering materials: manufacturer - Upholstery Vinyl, Leathercloth, vinyl leather, flame retardant leatherette

But if leather [or the likes of] isn't for you my ex boyfriend's RV comes to mind. His RV's furniture was covered in a nylon-like synthetic fabric so tough I have never seen anything like it. Perhaps buy an old couch and have it covered in that type of fabric? See, I still think all of this is too submissive for a dog owner. Sorry. Train your pooch, and have the sofa you really want already! ;~)

[pollyrobin]

Originally Posted by CObound

Hey all. My husband and I just bought our first house and are looking to buy furniture for the living room. We have 2 dogs (about 50 pounds each) that like to get up on the sofa with us so we're wondering what kind of material would be most dog-resistant. We're thinking either leather or microfiber. Leather would be nice in that any dirt would be easy to clean off, but one of the dogs likes to 'scratch' her sleeping area so we are worried about the leather scratching. A furniture salesman at one of the stores we went to said Microfiber is good because there are no threads that can be pulled by scratching (which is what has happened to one of the couches we currently own...a twill-type material). Does anyone have experience with sofas and dog scratches?? Of course we could just try training the dogs to stay off the furniture, but I kind of like having them next to me on the sofa...they keep me warm!

I have a 120 lb Lab/Dane Mix.
I've gone through 3 different sofa's with leather, different fabric etc... and they never lasted. So I bought a beautiful dark hardwood sofa with removable cushions. I bought an Egyptian cotton quilt medium weight (King Size) from Overstock.com in a solid cream color and used it to make covers for the cushions myself. It's easy to come off and on to wash and able to remove when company comes. It beats throw covers because my dog just crumples them up anyways. I'm happy, the dog is happy, and no one can even tell I have dog proofed my sofa.

[SoHoVe]

Quaility leather.

[ruready1st]

We keep our dog out of our bedroom, so we share the couch with him. We had a canvas couch for 8 years. The dog scratched and licked the heck out of it, it looked fine. We had an ottoman that was supposed to be a chenille microfiber (no such thing) it got thread pulls in it.
4 years ago we had a baby and then another. Our canvas couch didn't survive. The formula, food, milk, pee and juice did it in. The no food in the living room or on the rug never seemed to work as well as we thought. The couch was a stained mess. No amount of upholstrey cleaning worked.

We moved this summer. We decided that after 4 years surely we can trust the kids enough to now get some new furniture. We got a leather Lazy Boy loveseat and couch. We love it. Everything wipes off. We got a very durable leather. The distressed, weathered, soft or old world like leather was not suggested because it can show scratches. So far so good.

I am more concerned that the kids are going to break the recliners in the couch. However, Lazy Boy gaurantees the recliners so we shall see.

Sad thing is that the dog doesn't like the leather couch or loveseat. Which is odd since he used to love to chew up my leather shoes. He sleeps on the rug now. I feel bad for him. He will only snuggle up with us on the couch, not by himself though?

[plaidmom]

Of course we could just try training the dogs to stay off the furniture

In my experience, what actually happens is that you train your dog to never let you catch her on the sofa. The warm fuzzy spot is usually a dead give-away however.

What worked for me: two sets of identical, washable, slipcovers.
Probably the most dog-proof option. If you spring for two sets at the time of purchase, you always have a fresh cover for when guests arrive.