Talk to me about being house proud AND having a dog!

[EndlessUserName]

We are pretty house proud. We have three young boys. We have a robot hoover that runs every night (hard floors). We have a cleaner once a week. I follow the TOMM method. We have a playroom to keep toys out of main living space. House is pretty much always clean and tidy (despite living in a house of 4 boys!)

So, we would love a dog! DP and I grew up with labradors and that is what we'd love but they shed lots of hair! Please talk to me about your tips for a clean house with a hairy dog!

Do you do anything to help dog smell?

Our dog will have to sleep in the laundry room which also bothers me. I'll have to continue to wash clothes in there but maybe I should dry them somewhere else? (We have a rack, no tumble dryer) as I don't want our clothes to smell like dog / get hair on them.

Do you wash dog bed regularly? can you recommend that are easy to wash frequently? Throws on sofas a good idea? (Dog won't be allowed on sofas but I imagine the hair will go everywhere)

Any other tips / things to consider? Thanks so much!

Personally I'd not get a dog if you were that house proud and plan to shut it in a laundry room. Dogs really need to be part of the family and will take a lot of training to teach them to be ok enclosed in a small room for hours over night. You won't be able to get one and just leave it there from day 1. A smaller non shedding dog who is already trained at least might mean they could have a bit more freedom but there will always be muddy paw prints and times when they leap on the sofa regardless of rules. The teenage rebellion stage lasts a long while.

I didn't say id leave it in the laundry room all day just for his crate. I don't see any harm in that. He would very much be part of the family and allowed in the rest of the home downstairs which is why I described it

I also understand that there will be mud and hairs on the sofa which is why I also asked about tips to help 😂

Labradors stink. They’re my favourite breed and I’ve got one I adore but even his feet smell. I use old duvet covers for bedding and they get changed once or twice a week then hot washed. I’ve got about a dozen!

A good quality diet can reduce shedding, I put my dog on a raw diet 5 years ago so he shed around half what he used to. It’s still a lot of hair but there’s less of it.

You will find dog hair embedded in your bras! It gets picked up on socks no matter how often you vacuum and ends up on other things in the wash.

Despite all this I wouldn’t change my dog for the world. He’s worth it the fuss.

I would agree with pp. I used to homecheck for rescues and once or twice I checked people like you - the rescue agreed with my assessment that they weren't suitable homes. You want something small, perfectly behaved, odour-free and spotlessly clean at all times. If you look carefully, you can probably find some that come with the batteries included.

We have a springer spaniel , moults everywhere wheres our jack Russell never did .
We have 2 throws on the settee, tucked right in , one which my husband sits next to and one where my daughter sits , he knows he is ONLY allowed on those. They are easier to wash than upholstery
We have a stair gate too as hes not allowed upstairs
Dont buy Wamooosh pet hair dissolver , its rubbish , I made the mistake of buying bulk loads , it makes no difference, theres hair everywhere on the throws still and it doesn't dissolve anything
Luckily my dog dosent smell.. well I dont think you can smell him when you come in
I vacuum regularly, it's all hard floors which I disinfect every other day and I noticed he likes to.sit.on the bottom stair so we have an old blanket on there too.
The stairs I use glade carpet powder and on the bottom stair a spray foam that doesnt need hoovering up , although hes on an old blanket on the bottom stair I do spray it also..
Unfortunately I'm covered in dog hair most of the time .
I've got ( not the lint rollers).its like a pad you brush down yourself that collects the hair
I was speaking to a friend last week and hes dog. has been gone 18 months and he still finds hair
My dog has a memory.foam.bed , I put it on a very hot wash once fortnightly and it dries in the sun
We brush him almost daily which removes some hair

@BamboozledandBefuddled

I would agree with pp. I used to homecheck for rescues and once or twice I checked people like you - the rescue agreed with my assessment that they weren't suitable homes. You want something small, perfectly behaved, odour-free and spotlessly clean at all times. If you look carefully, you can probably find some that come with the batteries included.

ODFOD

You don't know me. Just because I don't want my house to be a tip doesn't mean we can't offer a dog a lovely home

I have a yorkie, he has the run of the house whether we are home or not. He sleeps in any human bed he fancies, he doesn't shed and is used to having a quick wipe paws and bits whenever he's been out. He'not allowed into bathroom/loo. I'm houseproud. He's part of the family. I wouldn't be getting a dog to have him out of sight at night.

I didn't say you were going to leave it there all day. I said over night from day 1 or the start. Don't expect you'll be able to just do this. Crate training takes some time. My pup hasn't taken to hers at all. We never got to the stage of being able to shut the door and I followed the routines to the letter. We've given up now.

We have a CKCS. He doesn’t smell. We bath him about once a week ( or after a muddy walk) . Yes I hoover more than I did as he brings in bits of garden but otherwise he’s no trouble.

Maybe re think thr breed / size of dog.

Also no one is claiming to know you or saying your house needs to be a tip - just pointing out your expectations as listed in this post, especially with a large, lively, hairy and typically quite smelly breed are not realistic.

I have two dogs and I sweep twice a day. They have the run of the house and their own double bed and yes they smell when damp but their enjoyment over rides the extra cleaning. My two are the best behaved loviest Staffies ever!!

There is zero chance of maintaining a clean and organised house and having a dog

Interesting with sweeping twice a day. Maybe I could run the hoover twice a day, that would be easy to do.

@Samanabanana

There is zero chance of maintaining a clean and organised house and having a dog

I suspected as much

Labradors STINK. I've never been to a house with a Labrador that didn't at least have a faint whiff of dog.

Why not get a low shed dog that doesn't smell? I'd recommend a whippet but you don't want a dog on the sofa meanie so not a goer!

My dog is low shed low smell and I'm houseproud. But my house is not as clean as if I didn't have a dog, and I can't pretend he doesn't exist.

I have a retriever so long haired and follow tomm. Tbh the biggest issue is the hair which your robot hoover will sort. She doesn't smell but I have stone floors so perhaps they don't take on the smell? I use a lot of plug ins dotted around the house.

I'm quite houseproud too OP so when we decided to get a dog I was reccomended a Cockapoo as 'they dont shed hair' but there is still black cottonwool type fluff EVERYWHERE! It's also slightly oily so it sticks to all surfaces (most of my surfaces are white!) We love him to bits but I would honestly say my housework has doubled.

A few things-

Girls are just as messy as boys
Raw fed labradors still shed but not as much
Slippy/hard floors are bad for dogs because they can't grip so have to walk differently

A dog is totally worth the smell and mess. I have a robot hoover, a boy, a girl and a labrador and my house does smell of dog on a wet day. But I'm allergic to febreeze and most scented candles so all we can do is clean and open the windows.

I'd say look after a friends dog for a while and see how it goes before you decide for sure.

Oh and she doesn't come on the sofa so no hairs there. I stick her beds in the washing machine a couple of times a month.

A big problem if you live rurally from around November to March is mud. It was a very wet winter just gone but every walk and every time she went into the garden she brought mud in so I was having to steam mop every day. That was really frustrating, but it did stop and I think last winter was exceptional. We also live on a track road and were seeding our garden at the time so very muddy!!

Our dog sleeps in the utility room overnight and has done from day one. He’ll often go in there for a nap during the day when he wants a bit of peace and often fusses to go to bed when he is tired. It’s done him no harm at all - it’s his room!!

I agree that lab hair gets everywhere, my friend has a black lab and gets fed up of all the black hairs everywhere (but he isn't smelly at all actually)

I've got a poodle cross and he doesn't really shed whatsoever but I don't think that's a guarantee with the breed, it's just lucky I suppose. He isn't generally a smelly dog but does get smelly breath 😂😂

I've got young children and I guarantee they make more mess than the dog. As long as you get them groomed regularly and wipe or clean feet if they are really muddy then it isn't too bad.

Seriously op, you’ll hate having a dog

You could research different breeds Lhasa apsos don’t shed, so no hair everywhere but they still eat things they are not supposed to, like most dogs and are sick on your lovely polished floors! Some dogs hate being in a crate and may hate being in the laundry room too.
Like others have suggested maybe rethink the kind of dog you are looking for and you still might have to get used to a much less pristine home.

Having a dog has resulted in more sweeping for us - he brings in lots of grass etc on his paws. We have a non-shedding breed, so no hair on clothes etc. Parents have a shedding breed - that really put me off getting one. Sweeping has been the main increase in work and also washing more towels in winter when we use them to wipe his paws at the door.
We have a bed for him that you can stick in washing machine and also one like a mattress which the cover zips off and can be washed.

We have a Newfie so, uh, all the mess is about quadrupled compared with most dogs. She doesn't really sit on the sofas (as she's too big), but we have a blanket for when she wants up. She leaves drool marks wherever she goes. There are mud marks on the walls where she sleeps, and on the doors basically from her just looking at them. She leaves hair everywhere - even upstairs where she doesn't go. The hair doesn't wash off properly in the washing machine so I spend a lot of time brushing it off things while folding the washing.

I used to be house proud. I am not anymore. It's still worth it.

There might be some breeds of dog that don't leave mess and hair everywhere. A Labrador is definitely not one of them. But they are loving and wonderful dogs so you might find you don't care after all.