I have an English Pointer that sheds all year long. She's white and the wood floors are dark, along with most of the furniture, except the white wood paneling and kitchen.

Do your dogs have plenty of chew toys, including rolled Rawhides? These have always kept Grace busy except one day she chewed two corners on my prized coffee table. lol. Oh well, it adds character to the room. :)

I also have a deep maroon sofa which I keep a sheet on at all times because of her shedding and dribbling. When I know someone is coming over, I take it off.

We have runners in the hallway and sitting room which is a "walk way" between two rooms.

I vacuum about every other day, and I use a large feather duster on the furniture every couple of days too, which really helps! It blows her hair onto the floor before I vacuum.

My pups don't do rawhide but they do get raw marrow bones every once in a while, gated in the kitchen or outside. Toys are just another thing that will get them running around, it's just one of those things where they seem to want to interact with each other rather than play alone quietly.

Another decorating "I should have" is... gotten those furniture looking crates rather than the plastic jobbies I have now. Right now, I have 2 crates that act like side tables on each side of my sofa. Not very pretty... maybe one day I'll be able to afford 2 of those fancy crates.

Consistent training for day one kept my home safe. My golden turned 2 years old in June. From day one, if he ever went to chew on anything other than a toy, I'd stop him and cheerfully say "Let's get a toy!!!" and take him to his toy basket where he could pick something out to play with or chew on. He has always loved Nylabone keys (they look like a toy you'd give a toddler) and even now, he picks out those keys when he feels like chewing.

Chewing on anything but his toys just wasn't an option.

Sure, there are times when something goes wrong...just yesterday, he got a pen off the coffee table and crunched into it (he didn't break the ink inside). We think he thought it was the talking box that came out of one his toys (once he "kills" one, we usually take the squeaker or talking part out so he can further destroy the toy).

I only used the crate for the first year and a half. His "den" is now under my desk and I put his mat there most of the time. He knows that that is "his" space and that's also where he goes for some treats. We trained that in early, too. When he was a baby, he only got frozen kongs in his create, so when he saw one, he'd trot over to his crate and wait inside for it. It was very cute. :)

Anyway, I'm just babbling, but I think you can turn things around with very consistent training...you can make is positive, but firm.

Just for fun, here's Baxter when he was 15 weeks old (so tiny!!!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBFgEG2HW2k

I try to keep the nails trimmed so that they do not make that 'click click' noise when they walk. I have dog hair everywhere! I have a good vacuum and that helps. In my basement I have a booster bath...I used to bathe them in the tub also! I will never go back...

Barb

Here's Baxter in his domain...under my desk.

Oh, by the way, we found a lovely dog wash place near us so we don't have to wash Bax at home anymore. The woman clips nails for free and gives us a free wash every 6 times. It works out to be a great deal. :)

In the end, I remind myself that anything that gets dirty is just a thing and nothing compared to my little guy.

Adorable red boy Baxter! I really enjoyed the video too, I sure miss the real puppy stages, even with all the mischief.

I see that your floors are much more golden friendly than mine are, light floors seem to show the scratches less I think.

Don't get me wrong... my Sophie is well trained, she doesn't chew anything up at all anymore (except her stair "accident" when she was overly excited). We had the most time to train her for at least 5 months... then when she was 7 months, we got Duke. Duke only knew come, and sit when we got him. He's a little denser than Sophie, but he's learning (counter surfer!). Training 2 is just so difficult because these two seem to be focused more on each other and having a fun time rather than on me.

Kyliegirl, ah yes, those nails are starting to click, I really should do something about that again. I've been using the dremel on them but not nearly often enough! Thanks for the reminder.

Booster bath sounds like a good idea! I almost got myself one last year... but where does the water go? My basement is finished so I thought my only option would be to bathe outside with it but that doesn't go so well in the winter.

Back to the topic of Decorating around dogs, my opinion so far is...

Lighter floors that don't show scratches so easily
If you have an opportunity, build a dog grooming center
A good vacuum
If you crate at night, get furniture quality crates

Any more tips? Any corrections or opinions on my own tips?

PS: Here are my 2 mischief makers

Here is a link that might be useful: Sophie and Duke

"the upkeep of living with dogs and having your homes stay beautiful"

as a lifetime dog owner you lost me on the last part...

"In the end, I remind myself that anything that gets dirty is just a thing and nothing compared to my little guy."

spoken like a true 'dogmom'!

yeah, I got over the chewed edge of the oriental rug... the teeth marks on the steering wheel of my new car... by the time the car got older I'd grown to love those teeth marks.

as I tell my sister 'this is a dog house. if you don't want dog hair on you, don't sit on the furniture'.

OR you could BE like my sister - don't allow the dogs inside. tho over the yrs she has changed to allow them into the laundry room on AZ summer days and to allow the one that is afraid at night to sleep on a pillow on the floor of their bedroom. you could walk around your house (following your relatives, not other guests plz) with one of those tape rollers. and wear gloves when petting the furbabies.

i prefer the dog hair and the feel of it on my hands than tape and gloves tho.

I do vacuum my dogs sometimes.

I also will never be without a golden.

Even the best trained dog will have the occasional "oops" but I am also a big proponent of dedicated consistent training.

We only have one golden now but we had 2 for 8 years and except for the shedding and a fondness for eating paper products that might be at nose level or in someone's lap - napkins ;-) I did not have to worry too much and I did not worry about decorating with them - they were told to stay away from the xmas tree for example and they did. I was also able to leave food on the front seat of the car and know without a doubt they would stay in the back where I told them to stay. Imagine my surprise when I took my brothers untrained dog out and left a box of corn starch in the front - hardly a dog treat - and she ripped it apart all over the car - fortunately since I was visiting it was a rental ;-)

Our current golden is a dream - she is 3 but was abnormally calm as a puppy. Still things happen. We moved into our new house and we left for the first time and I had some things out that I was pretty sure she would not bother but for safety I put her in the bathroom - it even has a door to the outside as it is the pool bath with a glass window - so not a dark room. My normally calm girl ate part of the moulding on the door! I realized we never had locked her in a small room before and apparently she doesn't like it!

It is also never too late to train - goldens are clever and can take persistence but it is definitely doable. In the new house I decided to keep the living room carpet with silk in it dog free. She gives me the saddest look but she learned very quickly that it is off limits.

I love my Golden but I also want to be able to enjoy my life and home and I can only do that if I can trust her behavior. She travels with us a lot and when she can't we have a list of friends willing to take her if we need a sitter. There really is no substitute for training and it makes life much more pleasant.

Waterhog mats inside and outside the door to stop the dirty/muddy footprints. And a towel to wipe their paws when conditions warrant it.

Not a decorating tip, but if you are going to bathe them at home, then it is helpful to get a dog dryer. Toweling them dry does not get them totally dry and does nothing to help get rid of all the fur that the bath loosen up - you need to blow it off. Of course, unless it is warm enough to dry them outside, you still have to deal with all the fur. So see if there is a self dog-wash place in your area. You get to leave the fur there! Or use a groomer.

dekeoboe ~
So, you recommend the waterhog mats? I'd LOVE to find a good mat to put outside my sliding door entrance.

In response to the original question, my success with dogs has always been abiding to the thought, "Don't let them do anything as a puppy that you won't want them doing as an adult."

Currently, I have a 140-lb Newfoundland and am in the process of being considered for rescuing a second. I've never let any of my dogs get on the furniture or beds and playing and rough-housing is always an "outdoor" activity, only.

Yes, I have to vacuum every other day (at a minimum). I dealt with potential counter-surfing problems by having absolutely nothing tempting there. He tried it a couple times but I always knew where he was and he got a verbal correction immediately because I was actually setting him up and was watching.

My LR and DR has white berber carpeting and it has baby gates across the doorways.

Granted, it can be a lot of work but I want a 'near' spotless house so, I have to make whatever sacrifices it takes to have one. The way I look at it is, I was the one who wanted the BIG, black, slobbery, drooling dog.

It's a lot of work though but I wouldn't trade my dog(s) for anything.

charlie - yes, I recommend the Waterhog mats. I moved into a rental that had been vacant for 9 months during a drought, so the grass out back is not in good shape. The mats have really cut down on the amount of junk that gets tracked into the house. You can also get one to put under the water bowl to catch the water that gets on the floor after they drink.

Be the "alpha" dog.

It's really the same advice as above regarding consistent training, but I think it's the hardest thing in the world for us ppor humans to do. Dogs actually love having a clear idea about who is the boss. Unlike cats ... and I love them, too ... dogs are genetically wired to figure out who is boss in their group. If it isn't clear, then there will be a constant battle of wills going on. It can look like play, but the serious object is who is in charge and what can I get away with.

Humans who are constantly erratic about what is and isn't okay help to create neurotic, anxious dogs who will tend to take advantage. The inconsistencies we telegraph mean that the dog(s) aren't clear about who is in charge of the "pack". If you are sending the message that your dog is really in charge of you, then don't be surprised when they make an executive decision.

In addition to the above, creating habits and schedules also seem to be helpful for many dogs. No dog needs 24/7 access to food. Feeding twice a day -- best from the person who is most able to send the "alpha" vibe -- is a daily reminder of who provides. It's a simple way to reinforce your role.

Other chewing problems definitely have to do with seperation anxiety and/or boredom. A little harder to fix sometimes, and often requires trying several approaches before finding one that suits the particular dog. My beautifully trained golden sometimes didn't like it when I was gone. Since all my dogs can go anywhere in public (Guide Dogs for the Blind) he wasn't used to it the few times he had to stay home. He would go to the trash can if, and only if, there was citrus peal in it. (Had this dog in student housing and first apartment. no disposal.) He'd carefully remove the peel and chew on it.

Turns out he was raised with a small orange tree orchard in the backyard. His puppy raiser would throw the oranges as a fetch toy. So Cruiser was remembering his puppy days to alleviate the boredom and stress.

Just like with humans, I find my dogs have been much better able to handle me going out without them, if they have had adequate interaction and exercise. Again, they're social, pack-oriented creatures. A dog that has had adequate exercise v a dog that hasn't will tend to do better when left alone.

Daily grooming, if you have the time for it, can also go along way toward reducing the shedding problem. I'm not good at this one, and the kind of daily grooming the Guide Dog school recommends takes a minimum of 30 minutes per dog. Finger massage to loosen hair; rubber curry brush to continue the process; switch to hard bristle brush; final combing. It can truly make a difference, but in winter it's impossible to do outside.

For me, I tend to worry less about hair ... Unavoidable, inevitable ... and focus on the "manners" I expect. Dogs should not go where they have no permission to go. Dogs should not do what they have no permission to do. They will have bad days, and they will occasionally make poor decisions, but it's their behaviors I can have some control over. I can't control the shedding ... even with baths, grooming, etc.

Not sure any of this is helpful.

Wellspring