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!

@Atadaddicted I suspect some aggressive responses due to the thought of all the homeless dogs out there in shelters due to people not realising the pitfalls of having an animal living in their home.

Op has done the right thing in asking dog owners what the cons are, hopefully she will make the right choice for her after reading some of the replies.

The simple fact is that animals create extra work, if op is the type to have a fit when her teenage dog bounds on her sofa with muddy paws a dog isn’t the right pet for her.

Are you set on a lab? Our mini poodle doesn't shed AT ALL. I'm super house proud, I'm constantly paranoid our house smells like dog but I clean, open windows, febreze all the time.

My house is (usually) clean and tidy and our spaniel doesn't smell- not dog lovers bias, our previous dog definitely did!

It's not just the shedding and smelling though that can affect the house. She's a sweetheart who doesn't toilet where she shouldn't, she doesn't chew or slobber but there are scratch marks on the living room door where she gives it a swipe if she deems it not open enough for her liking. The footplate of the french doors from the kitchen is scratched where she scampers out to the garden- little things like that.

Agree with @Chuly - we have claw marks on every door and door frame downstairs and she’s only been here a month. And that’s with clipped claws. She’s just a tall pup with strong legs so any pawing at the door leaves a mark behind.

If you haven’t already OP, have a read of the puppy survival threads on here before you make a decision. It has been harder for us than having a newborn and the trail of destruction much greater - and that’s with a dog who arrived housetrained.

Why don’t you get a cat?!🤣🤣

Why don’t you get a cat?!🤣🤣

😂 I used to have cats. They made far more mess than my German Shepard 😂

Whippet is you answer.

Actually that's a good point about the Robot Vac. If he mooches through some drips of water near the dogs bowl you can see the trail spread far and wide.

As far as a hairy washing machine goes, I bought a special bag to put the hairy stuff in which stops it sticking to the machine.

Our robot vac isn't on a timer so we only switch it on when we are there and know the floor is clear. In fact the dog knows where to press and turns it on himself now

We have wood floors and a labrador whippet cross - DDogs hairs get everywhere . Am amazed how much hair there is between my weekly cleans if I bother to put the broom around .

I had virtually none of the problems others describe. We had a Lhasa Apso. If you want a bigger breed, they will jump up and are probably more difficult to deal with. Friends have two cocker spaniels and they have been very clean too! You can easily wash your dog down if you do not want muddy feet. You need a routine after walks (wash down, towel dry and kitchen only for drying off) and perhaps just don't go where its muddy! You do not have to! Neither do you have let your dog into the lounge when grubby. Keep doors closed.

Our Lhasa totally understood about not going upstairs. He rarely tried to. Occasionally when full of bravado, he would. Ran around like a lunatic and then straight down the stairs again.

He did not sleep in a crate. We have a large house and he actually slept in the hall. Loved his comfy bed. Washable cushion in it. My friends had their spaniels in a crate and they saw those as their home at night.

I would strongly advise you get a non shedding dog - Lhasa Apso is an example. Hopefully you have a big garden and keep away from muddy fields. We have woods and fields but my dog did not seek out mud! He fitted in fantastically well and although not easy to train, he never made a mess in the house because we were careful about where he went. So you can keep a clean house with a dog.

The only issue was he did seek out shoes to chew when teething. Keep shoes out of reach! Never chewed anything else. Also, if you are open pklan, then that's a bigger issue. I think a crate in the laundry for a smaller dog is fine.

I have a labrador and a clean and tidy house and three kids. I just hoover a lot and wash the dog's bed a lot. The lady from the rescue centre saying you aren't suitable is ridiculous. With that attitude I am really not surprised rescue centres are full.

Haven't read other comments but we have a similar household to you (although only one DS for now!) and have a Cavapoo who is small and doesn't moult or smell. He spends time inside and out & doesn't create a mess at all (except when he brings a branch inside and chews it up :o !!).
Make sure not to get a dog that slobbers (bulldog, mastiff etc) or sheds a lot (golden retriever would be on this list).
Other breeds that would work IMO include Shih tzu, Maltese, Yorkie.

I have a big dog and am not houseproud. My friend has the same breed of big dog and her house is immaculate. So it must be doable, it just takes a lot of effort. Mind you, her dc are teenagers and she doesn't work.

The problem is that carefully choosing a particular breed doesn't guarantee anything. You can easily end up with a dog that can't cope with being shut in the laundry room at night, or one that chews stuff if left for a couple of hours. You just can't know how they're going to turn out.

OP we are both very house proud and have a Labrador - she is 5. We invested a lot in good training when she was a baby - she is working stock and gun trained - and it’s paid dividends. She has never chewed anything apart from one rogue shoe when she was small and she is brilliant in the house. She still has her crate in the utility as this is her safe space and her bed, as a pp said she will also just take herself off there around 9pm. We have a good grooming routine - we have gloves with the brushes on, they’re brilliant, and give her a good brush every few days. Hair is part and parcel of it but if you keep on top of it you’ll be fine. Regular washes of the dog bedding, specific throws for the sofa if it’ll be up there (mine is not, she has a bed for the lounge floor) and get a proper liner/bed for your car boot to transport the pup as well whilst helping to keep your car clean!

I have a cleaner and also mop/hoover daily myself, the dog is fed on a sensible high quality diet for dogs - human food is often what makes dogs smell, ours does not. I’m not nose blind, people have been surprised we have a dog when coming into the house! Keep the dog clean, shower if muddy or it rolls, dry properly when it’s wet and find a good groomer. You’ll be fine, it’s completely possible to have a dog and be house proud - it’s just a bit more effort!

We have a lot of glass doors / french windows and bifolds and non are scratched as the dog just sits there looking in and waiting to be let in.

Digs are dirty yes. The muddy footprints are constant, but we choose a darker flooring when we moved here and modernised which certainly helps.

Dog isn’t allowed out of the kitchen area and sleeps in the boot room. I replace the dog bed on a fairly regular basis. I tried it in the washing machine once and for the next dozen washes was removing fur from clothes so never again. I shudder to think of it being on our sofa. This would never happen.

We tend to live in our kitchen so she is around us during the day but she retires to her basket after dinner and we probably move to a lounge.

People are often surprised we have a dog, so that’s enough for me to think my home doesn’t smell.

We have a lurcher; lab x greyhound x collie. Doesn’t shed much - we use a Thunderpaws brush weekly. Bathed every 3 months. Our house is clean and tidy and well organised. Also 3 boys, who are great at housework!

Robot hoover is a great boon, hard floors also good. Wouldn’t recommend a lab though if you don’t want your house to smell of dog as they are the smelliest dogs I have come across!

@lobsteroll

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.

I was going to suggest a poodle cross OP. My friend has a cavapoo, lovely dog, I think it looks like a teddy bear and doesn't moult! I had a lab growing up and I still remember the hairs everywhere to this day!

My spaniel only smells when he's wet (his breath is pretty doggie though as expected) and my home doesn't smell of dog. We have our doors and windows open a lot but we aren't particularly clean around the house. We keep him groomed.

I know it doesn't smell as people have told me😂

I used to have cats. They made far more mess than my German Shepard

I agree that cats are filthy. The animals themselves are fairly clean, but that's because they wipe all the mud that they accumulate on other surfaces. Our catflaps are constantly filthy. They leave hair everywhere, their claws damage everything (curtains, sofas, cushions, carpets etc). They can come in from outside walk up carpeted stairs and across a carpetted bedroom and still have muddy paws to wipe all over a clean duvet cover. They bring in dead, half dead and still very much alive prey and either leave the entrails on the floor, hide them so you don't know until there's a smell or lots of flies, or the mouse goes off and hides and gets hunted again inside the house.

OP if you get a dog, you'll spend a lot more time cleaning, so you need to decide whether you're OK with that.

Thanks all for your advice. I've made a big list of all the tips, confident that we can do this

I would be careful about buying a cross breed. You cannot always be sure about what exactly you are getting. Look up non shedding breeds and support registered breeders with an immaculate track record of breeding dogs that don’t have health problems.

Also if anyone uses a crate for a bed, the dog/crate doesn’t have to be shut in any room at night. The dog has its self contained sleeping space. Although I have to say our Lhasa refused to go in his crate!

OP, the bed I was talking about doesn't seem to be available anymore. But there are others that are similar. I think the main thing I've learnt though is to stick to beds that are completely waterproof! So easy to spray and wipe down, don't need washing (and then to have to dry for a day or two) and don't take on the doggy smell.

Good luck with everything!

I have a poodle cross and a tidy clean house. He doesn’t shed, doesn’t smell and doesn’t cause any destruction. He’s very little work other than needing to feed and play with him, he’s a total pleasirw

I’ve got two dogs (and kids) and I like my house super clean and tidy. It’s not that hard. My top tips:

• Get a good Hoover. Use it daily
• Wash the dog every week or two
• Wash the dog bed once a week
• Windows open as much as you can
• Get sofas with removable, washable covers

It’s totally doable if you stay on top of it, which if you do TOMM you already know. I’m known for my house always being clean and tidy and people ask me how come it doesn’t smell of dog. It’s completely possible if it matters to you, you’ve just got to put a bit of work in.

I’m not massively houseproud as such, but I find family life runs better when things are clean and tidy and I just feel nicer too. Go for it :)