How to Protect Furniture from Dogs

If you are a proud dog owner, like millions of Australians, you are most certainly aware that with all the joy of having a four-legged friend, there are also a lot of problems related to keeping our home clean and tidy.

Some dogs simply leave much more mess behind them than others, but they all require lots of attention if you want your house to be a pleasant environment for everyone.

As always, it’s best to focus on prevention rather than dealing with consequences.

Even if you do everything possible to minimize the impact dogs have on your furniture, such as washing and vacuuming, there will still be problems to cope with, but you’ll spend significantly less time on them and your home will remain undamaged for much longer.

So, let’s take a look at some of the things you should do to protect your furniture and home from dogs.

Cover as much as you can

One of the most efficient ways of prevention is to keep your furniture protected by keeping it covered. That doesn’t mean you should keep the horrible plastic on your sofa or armchair that came with it.

Instead, opt for modern washable blankets, slipcovers and throws.

Even better, teach your dog not to lay on your bed or sofa, but have a designated spot for your friend somewhere on the floor.

Still, if your dog enjoys an occasional siesta on your couch or armchair, make sure it’s covered.

Luckily, you can now choose from a wide range of colors and patterns, so your place can look not only clean but stylish as well.

Pet friendly materials

If possible, choose leather or microfiber for your furniture, since these two materials are quite pet-proof. Leather is very easy to clean, while microfiber is known for its durability.

If you can’t afford to replace your current furniture covered with other materials, you can always cover it.

However, if you’re about to buy some new items, make sure it’s leather, which can be cleaned with a simple wipe down and doesn’t attract hair like fabrics.

An additional benefit is that it’s odor-resistant. The problem with leather is that it can be scratched, which is why you should make sure your dog’s nails are trimmed.

On the other hand, microfiber is difficult to stain and repels wetting, but dog hair tends to cling on it, to be quite honest.

When it comes to cleaning, you can use a damp cloth to keep it nice and clean.

Keeping your gadgets safe

Most Australian dog owners have experienced problems such as nose prints on the monitor, chewed up power cords or pet hair finding its way inside the keyboard.

Protecting your equipment is not easy, but it’s far from impossible.

The best way is to keep all your gadgets far enough from your dog. For example, have experts in quick TV installation from Brisbane to mount your TV set so that it can’t be affected by your dog.

Also, make sure the cables are protected from paws and teeth, using electrical tape or a decorated tape cover.

Groom to cut down on shedding

Dogs shed, some more, some less. Regular grooming is the best way to minimize the amount of hair you can find all over your furniture, but you still have to vacuum the place more often than you would if you didn’t have a dog.

Nail trimming will prevent your furniture from getting scratched.

Using a good steel file to smooth the nails is a good investment for every dog owner.

The more your dog sheds, the more effort you have to make to keep your furniture safe and clean, but that’s something most dog owners accept as part of the deal of having a pet.

Keep certain rooms closed off from pets

Probably the most obvious tip is to keep your dog away from certain rooms at all times by keeping the doors shut.

Baby gates can also be an efficient tool and will keep your dog contained to certain areas of your home.

It might take your dog some time to understand it should not go to certain rooms, but it will understand eventually.

Training your dog properly goes a long way towards keeping your furniture and the rest of the home clean and protected.

No matter how great it is to have a dog, we need to realize that it’s not just fun and joy.

On the contrary, a lot should be done to keep the home clean, so that all those living in it (your dog included) can really enjoy it.

Still, if you do your job properly when it comes to prevention, you’ll realize that it’s not that difficult to have a tidy home with undamaged furniture and you’ll be able to spend many years living with your four-legged friend.