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  1. #1
    Puppy LabsN'Hounds's Avatar
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    Leather vs .Fabric sofa with Labs

    We are looking at getting a new couch soon and we are debating between going with leather or fabric since we have 3 dogs. I've read things that say leather sofas will not usually scratch with dog nails. I'm not sure if I 100% believe this since I've heard people complain that their dogs destroyed their leather sofa. However, I do like the idea that we would be able to wipe it off and it won't collect hair.

    Fabric obviously has no danger of scratching but I'm worried it will collect a ton of dog hair and drool (one dog is a Bloodhound so drool happens). I was thinking an option might be to have a cover made for the couch that we can take off and wash (also scotch guard it) but I'm still not sure if it will hold up to our dogs. My mom has some really nice covers made for her couch that zip on the cushions and over the whole couch. It doesn't look like a slip cover at all. This is what we would have made but I don't want to get something made and then have it destroyed.

    Our dogs don't get on the couches much but the little bit they do seems to do some damage. Our current sofa and love seat are suede. We definitely don't want that again. It's hard to clean and Bloodhound drool really seems to stick to it.

    So does anyone have suggestions?

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    I have leather and love it! I do keep my dog's nails short but they have never scratched it. I keep light, cotton blankets on the seat part that I can throw in the washer. Personally, I would never have fabric with Labs in the house again. There does not seem to be a way to keep it fur free. The ability to wipe off drool is wonderful!
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    Ozzy - 10/2002 - 06/2011 - Rest well my sweet boy. You are forever remembered, forever missed, forever in my heart.

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    LabsN'Hounds (08-09-2015)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    I have leather. It's sort of a tighter, shiny leather. My friend's boxer destroyed my matching chair after a few hours. But she has talons and is super obnoxious and uses furniture as a jungle gym.

    My matching sofa is about 10 years old and there are no scratches, at least nothing obvious. My dogs are not allowed on the sofa, but I know they get on the sofa when I am not home because there is hair, an indentation and some schmootz where they rested their jowls against the armrest. Plus, I have caught them from time to time. I do keep their nails fairly short with a dremel, but I am not that consistent.

    The sofa has been through four of my dogs, a couple fosters and a few of my friends' dogs. I don't keep blankets on it.

    My two chairs are microfiber and I hate them. I have to vacuum them every week. I wipe down the sofa and it takes just a few minutes.

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    LabsN'Hounds (08-09-2015)

  6. #4
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    We have a leather sofa but it's got a fairly soft finish and will scratch and show moisture spots, should any get on it. Our dogs are not supposed to get up on the sofa and for the most part, they do not. If my dogs were going to get up on the sofa, I'd get leather over fabric, but with a more "hard" or resistant finish to it.
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    Chase 9/29/2006- 6/30/2017 Always in our hearts
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    “Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor as well as love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this world be like without dogs?”

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    LabsN'Hounds (08-09-2015)

  8. #5
    Real Retriever
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    We have a leather couch and it has held up to kids, cats, and dogs. The important thing is to get a high quality one, you really do get what you pay for. Ours is eleven years old and still looks great, we spent what seemed like a pretty penny at the time, but it was worth it.

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    LabsN'Hounds (08-09-2015)

  10. #6
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    As noted above a lot depends, not on the covering, but on how you maintain your dog's toenails. Plus, some dogs like to dig at their bed before they lie down while others just do the three circles first.

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    LabsN'Hounds (08-09-2015)

  12. #7
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    My husband had an old leather couch when we married. That thing was bomb-proof but we eventually had to get rid of it. We bought a smaller leather sofa for the living room that's non-dog, and it will scratch fairly easily. Leather by far is the best if you can find a properly made one. We have a fabric sectional in our dog living room and it's woven, kinda wooly, and it holds hair better than a lint roller.

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    LabsN'Hounds (08-09-2015)

  14. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by JenC View Post
    it's woven, kinda wooly, and it holds hair better than a lint roller.

    Almost spit orange juice on the laptop when I read that!! LOL!!!!!!

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    POPTOP (08-09-2015)

  16. #9
    Senior Dog
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    Quote Originally Posted by JenC View Post
    We have a fabric sectional in our dog living room and it's woven, kinda wooly, and it holds hair better than a lint roller.
    I would LOVE to get a leather couch. We have a fabric one similar to what Jen describes and Scully accidentally tore holes in it jumping up - she wasn’t deliberately digging, but she seemed to catch her nails on the fabric as she jumped up - maybe she was using her claws to kind of pull herself up? It was definitely her though, not Mulder (who is the other dog we had at the time).

    I made slipcovers just for the seat covers - they are black and the couch is dark green so they don’t really match, but we’ve learned to live with it. Maybe some day we will replace it, but we have other priorities at the moment.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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    LabsN'Hounds (08-09-2015)

  18. #10
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    There is a third choice. I'm about to purchase 2 sofas from Slobproof. All of their pieces are upholstered with Crypton Super Fabric. I didn't know of it until recently, but am super excited about it.

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    LabsN'Hounds (08-09-2015)

 



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