Is it possible to keep a clean home with an indoor dog?

[Nakia]

I will just say it's not possible for me. We have four indoor/outdoor cats and two dogs. OTOH, my mother has five indoor dogs and two indoor cats. Her house is spotless at all times. She loves to clean, though, and vacuums twice a day. Let's just say I didn't inherit the "loves to clean" gene. :D

[Orthodox6]

I understand, really I do!

 

I think wood floors make a HUGE difference. We have only area rugs downstairs, all wood. The rugs are actually FOR the dogs, specifically my greyhound, so he doesn't slip on the floors.

 

Need a "smiley" for green envy ! I love hardwood flooring throughout a home ! I'm easy to convince of your success if you do not have wall-to-wall carpeting ! Our horrible house even has carpeting in the bathrooms ! Some demented builder out to torture customers is responsible for that.

[LibraryLover]

Need a "smiley" for green envy ! I love hardwood flooring throughout a home ! I'm easy to convince of your success if you do not have wall-to-wall carpeting ! Our horrible house even has carpeting in the bathrooms ! Some demented builder out to torture customers is responsible for that.

 

 

In the bathrooms? I wash my bath mats twice a week. I can't even imagine rugs in there. And what if you had boys? ;)

[Orthodox6]

In the bathrooms? I wash my bath mats twice a week. I can't even imagine rugs in there. And what if you had boys? ;)

 

. . . as in my three boys !

 

The greater "phun" came when the system backed up and overflowed across a couple of rooms. UGH ! :glare:

[hornblower]

carpeting in the bathrooms ! Some demented builder out to torture customers is responsible for that.

 

Hey - that dude was here too! Many upscale late 60's houses here had carpet in the bathroom.

 

:ack2:

 

I wasn't anywhere around when dh pulled that stuff up when we were reno'ing. I think he probably deserved danger pay for it. :lol:

[Mejane]

here's a pic of my shep/lab/collie mix a couple of weeks after a summer shave.

 

 

Cute! And funnily enough, she looks ashamed in both pictures. :D

[kitten18]

We have a Golden Retriever and a Chihuahua, the kids are FAR, FAR more messy than the dogs. Our Golden sheds very little (he has a very fine coat with very little undercoat).

If my house is messy/dirty, it is not because of the dogs.

[ktgrok]

If you have an english bulldog is HAS to be an indoor dog. They are not able to handle temperature extremes at all, and are VERY prone to heat stroke. They also have a strong tendency to skin infections if you keep them outside in the humidity. They need to be bathed fairly often, and they should have their "wrinkles" wiped out daily. yes, daily! Otherwise you end up with a stinky dog with yeast and bacteria in those folds. Baby wipes work fine for this daily cleaning. If you can't keep him indoors he needs to live with someone that can. Sorry, but it's true. And unless you are all outside a ton, and have lots of land for a dog to explore, then ANY dog should be indoors, or they get bored and neurotic.

 

Just my two cents, as a certified veterinary technician and a certified dog trainer.

 

Katie

 

My dh has always wanted an English Bulldog. Well, we recently found an adorable one, and my dh wants to keep him inside. The problem is that there are dog hairs everywhere, and the drool is driving me crazy!!!! How do you keep a clean home when you're fighting dog hair and drool all day long? - Not to mention all the sand he brings in when he does go outside and wants to play in the sandbox with the kids (who also track in tons of sand!) I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. Do I just wave the white flag? :confused:

[Pretty in Pink]

My dog is a bit messy (and I've had dogs that were messier) by my kids are the worst of all!

[DarlaS]

I can understand WHY you may think that way, but it truly is not a accurate statement. I hope I haven't upset you in anyway at all.

 

:iagree:

 

My mom, who has an even more sensitive nose than I (and does not live with any animals), would absolutely tell me if my house smelled like dog. She's not the type to worry about offending me. :D

 

It helps that I have a non-stinky breed of course. I've even buried my nose in her fur--nothing. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to come sniff my dog. (She won't mind! She'll think she's met a kindred spirit! :lol:)

 

If she was also a non-shedding dog, she'd be perfect. :glare:

[DarlaS]

here's a pic of my shep/lab/collie mix a couple of weeks after a summer shave.

 

 

 

So your kids pile books on the sofa too? I swear mine don't know what bookshelves are for. :glare:

 

Cut dog! She looks totally normal. I don't think I could quite get away with that with our dog though. I have a deep seated fear that instead of the usual fuzz, we'd just have short prickly hairs everywhere. That would be worse...

Edited June 1, 2010 by darlasowders

[stripe]

Our horrible house even has carpeting in the bathrooms !

I once lived in an apartment with a carpeted kitchen. That was awful.

[vettechmomof2]

If you have an english bulldog is HAS to be an indoor dog. They are not able to handle temperature extremes at all, and are VERY prone to heat stroke. They also have a strong tendency to skin infections if you keep them outside in the humidity. They need to be bathed fairly often, and they should have their "wrinkles" wiped out daily. yes, daily! Otherwise you end up with a stinky dog with yeast and bacteria in those folds. Baby wipes work fine for this daily cleaning. If you can't keep him indoors he needs to live with someone that can. Sorry, but it's true. And unless you are all outside a ton, and have lots of land for a dog to explore, then ANY dog should be indoors, or they get bored and neurotic.

 

Just my two cents, as a certified veterinary technician and a certified dog trainer.

 

Katie

 

:iagree:

[WiseOwlKnits]

LL, may I ask what kind of dogs you have? (Sorry if I missed it somewhere.) I can't imagine shaving my lab or what he would look like after, but if it would keep the hair down, I'd be willing to give it a try! :D

 

We have a black lab and we shave her every summer. It's more because we live in Texas and she's miserable with all that fur even though she lives indoors. But it DOES help with the hair...and she is great comic relief shaved. :)

[justamouse]

No. :glare::glare::glare: Even the Dobie sheds so much I have to vacuum every day. The lab? Fugheddaboutit.

 

The thing is though-as much as I HATE cleaning up after them, I can't stand my house without a dog in it. Even with 7 kids, I miss having a dog. So I put up and for the most part shut up. I have all wood and tile floors so clean up is easier-and yes, some days the dogs smell. Most days I have all my windows wide open and the house smells like house.

Edited June 1, 2010 by justamouse

[LibraryLover]

There's something about a dog! (Which you can sing to the tune of There is Something About a Dame. ;)

 

I never had a dog growing up and I can never now imagine my life without a dog (or two or three). I will probably have to take care not to become an old person with a zillion chickens, too.

 

No. :glare::glare::glare: Even the Dobie sheds so much I have to vacuum every day. The lab? Fugheddaboutit.

 

The thing is though-as much as I HATE cleaning up after them, I can't stand my house without a dog in it. Even with 7 kids, I miss having a dog. So I put up and for the most part shut up.

[Brilliant]

I haven't read the whole thread. But just in case it hasn't been emphasized enough, the answer is NO

 

The author of Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House says having an indoor animal is one of the most unsanitary things you can do to your home. I read that right after we got our adorable furball, and she's right, it's a constant battle. Despite daily sweeping (our downstairs is mostly tile), we periodically find "A new puppy!", AKA large furball, lurking under a chair or in a corner. Even in the pantry, ugh.

[shastanarnia]

I haven't read the whole thread. But just in case it hasn't been emphasized enough, the answer is NO

 

:iagree:

 

Our three dogs are part of the family!! So is the hair, mud, dirt etc. If you religiously use something like a Furminator, you can cut down on some of the shedding....but it won't eliminate it altogether. I do, however, have a dear friend with 4 kids and 2 dogs who somehow keeps the mess under control...but then again, she is naturally very orderly and clean, the dogs are poodles, AND she cleans all day while her 17 yo dd teaches the younger kids. Sooooo...in reality....refer to the above comment.....!!!!:lol:

[nono]

Does anybody else vacuum their dog? As in, with the attachments? My Mom did that with our Irish Setter growing up. Everytime she'd vacuum, she'd vacuum him too!

 

I've always taught my dogs to come and sit when I bring the vacuum out of the closet and go over them with the attachment brush. Just another part of the process for me. We also brush our dogs weekly.

 

As for my home smelling, no, well, not of dog, anyways. :001_huh: I think it is a combination of two things. First, approximately 5 months out of the year every door and window in the place is open with sea breezes blowing through. Second, this dog just doesn't smell. She's not a "roll in the sand on the dead fish" kind of dog, and she really has no odor. Plus, she's in the ocean at least weekly. The salt water baths seem to agree with her skin and fur.

 

I noticed when I first moved here with my previous dogs (Labs), their odor went to near zero too. And, they were definitely "roll in the sand on the dead fish" types. ;)

[Sunkirst]

One summer I shaved my GSD/border collie mix (we were on a farm and getting the burrs out of her coat was becoming a full time job).

 

Poor girl, she hid behind the couch for a week. She was totally humiliated by the way she looked/felt. We never tortured her like that again, and she got very good at waiting patiently while I removed all the burrs and twigs from her beautiful feathery hind end. :)

[Maddysmom26]

Wow, this is a funny thread.. LOL I cant imagine shaving my labs! I wonder how silly they would look ?? :lol: ALthough I wouldnt mind a little less hair!!! It wasnt as bad with one yellow lab, but with the yellow and black.. LOL It looks like salt an pepper hair balls everywhere! They really shed a lot! it really depends on the kind of dog you get and how ffussy you are! ;)

 

I cant imagine having a dog with carpet tho.. UGGhh.. That would be gross! hardwood floors much easier to clean and vacume! :D

[sassenach]

We have a 55 lb. slug-of-an-indoor dog who we've had for 8 years. He was crate trained, although for the past three years, he just lays around on his giant dog pillow instead of a crate. He's usually indoors 22 hours a day. He has short, coarse hair, some kind of coon dog mix.

 

We have hardwood floors and need to vacuum every other day. No big deal, we'd probably need to without a dog.

 

We've lived in three homes with him. He's never been allowed in the bedrooms or other carpeted areas, and he's NEVER damaged the hardwood floors. He's also never allowed on the furniture. He doesn't drool, and he doesn't make a mess with his water bowl (also on the wood floor).

 

When his pillow was near the wall between the window (see picture) and the corner curio cabinet, the wall got a little grungy, so dh touched up the wall and moved the dog's pillow away from it.

 

My house is pretty spotless, even with a dog. I don't think he makes any difference.

 

Wow, beautiful home. My house wouldn't look like that, dog or no dog.

 

That said, after just having chihuahuas for the past couple of years, we adopted a black lab 8 months ago. The shedding is insane. My house constantly feels dirty now. His hair gets everywhere. I found a piece in the fridge the other day:confused:.

 

For us, the answer is no.

[creekmom]

If you have an english bulldog is HAS to be an indoor dog. They are not able to handle temperature extremes at all, and are VERY prone to heat stroke. They also have a strong tendency to skin infections if you keep them outside in the humidity. They need to be bathed fairly often, and they should have their "wrinkles" wiped out daily. yes, daily! Otherwise you end up with a stinky dog with yeast and bacteria in those folds. Baby wipes work fine for this daily cleaning. If you can't keep him indoors he needs to live with someone that can. Sorry, but it's true. And unless you are all outside a ton, and have lots of land for a dog to explore, then ANY dog should be indoors, or they get bored and neurotic.

 

Just my two cents, as a certified veterinary technician and a certified dog trainer.

 

Katie

 

Thanks for the information. I haven't been wiping his wrinkles, but I have been putting diaper rash cream in the folds - is that OK? I was aware of the heat stroke problem. We do have a lot of land that is mostly wooded and cool (with a creek), but the humidity, even in the shade, gets pretty bad in the summer here. We are planning to keep him inside, I just needed some tips on how to control the new mess!