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Dog proof furniture?

It's all my fault, I know it. Yet, in the few unsupervised minutes it took me to prepare lunch, one of my teething puppies ate a hole through the fabric and two layers of padding of the sofa arm. I never liked that sofa anyway. ;-) Both my chewers have a taste for fabric and wood. So, as I plan to replace furniture, do you have any suggestions for dog-proof/ sanity-preserving options? Yes, I'm crating, using bitter apple, supplying them with chewing alternatives, etc. But furniture? So, I'm out of luck hoping there exists furniture with external metal frames and any fabric is heavy-duty and machine washable. I'm thinking long term - for any future dogs, as well. Maybe I need to design my own. :-)

Public Comments

1. Crate them when you can't watch them, and use bitter apple spray on things that they tend to enjoy chewing.
2. NO such thing as "dog-proof" furniture. Just wait until puppy stops teething and then get what you like, and don't drop a small fortune on it...just in case. I have a microfiber couch and really like it though, it's easy to clean and animal hair doesn't collect on it like some other fabrics.
3. No furniture outside is there?
4. I have a futon couch even though I left university years ago. It has a all wood frame, but is a double mattress when open. Some models are very nice looking too, mine looks very well with my furniture. This way I can just replace the mattress if need be, and standard fitted sheets fit over it so I can wash the pet hair off easily or do a quick change with a fresh sheet when people are coming over. Saves me much sanity. Add: People also have good ideas about ways to deter your puppy from eating your new sofa when you get it too, like sprays and using a crate ect! There are also hormone sprays you can use to help as well. I agree you may want to hold off on any new furniture until the puppy is past the worst of the chewing stage. Some good strong chew toys like Kongs that can be filled with a tasty treat can also help give them better things to work on, and there are many styles and sizes of chew toys designed for "power chewers" to give your dogs. I would also like to add though, that if your dogs are big chewers of all kinds of materials it may help you to train them to NEVER go on the furniture at all. That way they will be more likely to see the couch or chair whatever as "your" territory and be more respectful of it when you aren't able to watch them like a hawk. It can be hard to do, and you need to be consistent about it or the dogs will not get it is the new law, but it may help in the long run. The can't chew up things they won't sit on or lay right next to. In my house all "people" seats are dog free spots as a rule, and now my dog has stopped getting up on them when I am not watching him. Took me a lot of corrections for him to understand he never gets to sit on my furniture, but it was worth it. Might help you out to do the same with your dogs. I could be easier to start training them to stay off a new piece of furniture as it will not have any doggy smells on it yet. Good Luck! I know it can be hard to have nice things and pets sometimes :)
5. There are several things you can do. First, purchase some "Bitter Apple" and spray it all over your furniture. It is non toxic, but tastes horrible! You can also use a soda pop can filled with 13 pennies (your dogs unlucky number!) and shake it when your dogs attempt to get on the furniture. Also, you can purchase a Sofa Scram (available online from PetsMart). This is a unit you place on your sofa and when your dog jumps up on the sofa it sets off an alarm! Good luck!
6. I'm fond of leather.. wipes clean. Unattended furniture (or car upholstery as a friend of mine found out) with a dog who is a chewer is an accident waiting to happen. I'd be so worried the dog would consume some of the foam and end up with a blockage.
7. I'm sorry you've got an issue. I may be able to help. You could make a homemade noisemaker to shake when they jump on the furniture. Spray the surfaces they chew with bitter apple, rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, hot pepper sauce, or other dog "repellents". Dogs will WANT to stay away. Try these tips-- http://www.dogobedienceadvice.com/advice_about_dogs_chewing_furniture.php http://www.thedogspeaks.com/artchewing.htm Or.... http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/chewing.php http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=12&pCatId=1471 I wish you good luck!
8. Lol...I no longer have a decent couch! I feel your pain. To be honest, I wouldn't get another couch until they get out of that stage. I had a nice futon serving as my couch (it was temporary, so I'm not too upset it was destroyed.) The frame is all metal, and the pillow is basically just a spring matress with padding. There are some spots where padding is missing, but I just covered it with a bed sheet....luckily when I have company, they understand what dogs are like. You are doing the right things by crating when you aren't home, etc. Sometimes, they are just so sneaky if you turn your back for a second. I really can't suggest a certain type of furniture, other than perhaps going with the metal as I did. I do also have a recliner...the dogs don't even touch that thing.
9. My pup (I still have him, he's 5.1/2 now) was the maniac Terrier destroyer, dress shoes, furniture, clothes. All my fault, once he was house trained I didn't watch him as closely. Mercifully this does pass - I could actually leave him alone in the house at a year, not crated or confined for several hours with no chewing.
10. I have a friend that just buys cheap furniture from Ikea or something similar so that she can just replace it cheaply if one of her dogs destroys something.