I'm probably not alone here with this, and some of you may know - I have a sofa in shambles today. Due to Duke when he was a puppy, and has since gotten worse when we adopted our puppy Daisy. It used to be a beautiful "lifetime" type sofa. But now - I must bid it farewell - as soon as I select the next perfect sofa. It was a casual, durable blue denim fabric. My question is…When I buy new, should I select a leather sofa? I've noticed some photos submitted that you have leather. Have you ever had a problem where your B's want to knaw or chew on that leather? Mine two little ones LOVE rawhide chewy's. Which is a concern. Have any of you with leather had any problems with your B's wanting to chew on it? Would leather be a good choice? I truly want to make a wise decision with consideration of my two little young fur kids. I would appreciate your help.
I can't speak about my dogs eating my furniture, neither has ever dug at or tasted my furniture. Sorry I can't be a help there.
I got leather because it is much easier to clean and get pet hair out of. THe weather here in German changes all the time and that cause Reggie and Pigmy to shed A LOT. So it's nice to just wipe the hair off or vacuum. PLus any spills wipe right up, dog spit wipes off easy.
We have fabric. I know a lot of dog owners who opt for suede or microfiber. It supposedly holds up pretty well. More than actually eating a couch, I'd be afraid with leather that they'd scratch it- mine like to "nest" and end up digging at the cushions to get comfy. So I'm uncertain as to what our next couch will be… but we'll be in the same boat- our couches are 9 years old (from my college days!) and are on their last legs! Okay, more like I just hate the pattern and they are el cheapo! I'm actually surprised at how well they've held up! Anyways, this is a good debate to have. I'll be curious to hear what the leather-owners have to say!! Come on now y'all!! POST! 
I love leather and have never had a problem with puppies or adults wanting to chew it… but of course I do watch puppies around them... but the leather we decided on is already distressed.. so they can't scratch it... and I have a throw on the sofa that they can "nest" in and not worry about the leather...
Only one of mine likes to scratch and nest, and we always have a throw for him to nest in. I have had leather for years, never (knock on wood) had a chewing issue. Mine are adults, so I can only speak about dogs older than 2. Leather is certainly durable and easy to clean. When I had fabric couches, I had to keep cloth covers on them that I could wash easily and that was a pain.
Anne in Tampa
We have leather and neither dog has ever even attempted to chew on it.
Of course, we don't allow them ON the furniture, only on laps, so I can't speak to the effect of toenails . .
The rungs of my wooden dining chairs however . . .
We have leather couch and I have never had a problem with any of the pups chewing. I have a throw on it and stop them from digging, although they aways try. After years of dogs climbing on it, it now has a distressed look. We have a fabric couch at our vacation house and I'm sorry I did that. It's a pain to keep clean with three dogs.
I have a B and leather furnature, she doesn't chew on it how ever given the redo I would have gotten the suede rather than the regular leather. Why you might ask? She likes to dig in the furnature to bury bones and she has left scratch patterns in my leather. She has only scratched the color off of it. I have been told it can be re-dyed.
Well, here is my 2cents worth. I have a black leather couch in my den. Sahara has scratched it so much in the corner of one of the cushions that it is turning white. She has also tore 2 places from digging, I also put a cover down on the cushions but her frantic digging pulls it up. I have now used black Gorilla tape to cover up the holes b/c she would pull the stuffing out. The holes are near the back of the cushions so it does not show, thank goodness. I would get leather again but I would not allow my Basenji to get up there, if like Sahara your B is use to laying on your couch I would get leather but not the top of the line. One thing that I do now to deter Sahara is to say, "No digging and spray with a water bottle. It is the only thing that seems to work (why didn't I think of this before, duh). Leather is easier to keep clean, and a vaccum does great for shedding. You must be on your toes to keep your B from digging at the leather, or you will end up like me with having to replace it. I want a new one before too long but it is not that old and until Sahara gets older and stops with hiding her bones and stuff, and digging to nest I will have to be patient. Hope this helps with your decision.
Nesting will never stop… regardless of age. Mickii who will be fifteen next month still nests.... so you will have a long wait...gggg...
That said, the problem with cloth is that with nesting, just getting a string started happens really quick...ggg and there go the couch... from digging.
Again, I have not had a problem with leather, and the throw is tucked into the cushions so that even with frantic nesting, they can't really get it up.... and again since we got the distressed look even if there were some scatches you can't see them... for my money, leather was the way to go...
I have been thinking about going Leather too… there is just SO much dog hair woven into the fabric of my current couch!
Goober unstuffed our old leather sofa, but never really chewed it. We have microfiber sofas now and none of the dogs seems all that interested in chewing it.
They doo love to run around on them with their muddy feet though:(
we have leather. I think it had held up very well. I would reccommed it. They do not have free run during the day though.
Today I was discussing Leather verses Fabric with other dog owners and someone said that there is leather made today recommended for owners of dogs. I can't believe it, I will definitely look into that when I replace my current sofa. Sahara has calmed down on the digging to nest when I am around, and I think all dogs are different, like some chew and some don't.
Today I was discussing Leather verses Fabric with other dog owners and someone said that there is leather made today recommended for owners of dogs. I can't believe it, I will definitely look into that when I replace my current sofa. Sahara has calmed down on the digging to nest when I am around, and I think all dogs are different, like some chew and some don't.
Not sure I really believe that… you know sales people will tell you anything... I still think that leather is a good choice, but as with anything you need to watch your B's or any other dog for that matter....
I've only had adult basenjis so can't speak to puppy behavior and I only have cloth furniture. When my first beastie clawed through the fabric on the chair while trying to make his "nest", I simply found a "nice" baby blanket to put over the seat and when he pawed that away I simply put one of his doggie beds on the chair which worked great. EL D my current beastie doesn't claw as much when making his nest and I just have this big afghan that I threw on part of the couch for him. He doesn't bother the uncovered part of the couch.
Looks like no matter what I decide, the dogs must be watched. Daisy is my perpetual nester. I think she wears herself out doing it when suddenly she plops down and rests. Duke started digging a hole on the attached back cushion when he was a puppy. I was upstairs getting ready to go somewhere. He was not watched. Then Daisy found the loose threads of my quick fix repair job. She proceeded to dive deeper into the hole and now…the sofa is "toast". Of course she's a year old. I don't want to get a new sofa too soon either. So now about what to get - leaning toward the leather. No loose theads in them. I should choose one without any cording on the seams. And get them doggie beds on the floor to rest on. They should be trained to stay off the furniture. They can be too invasive and annoying when they're on the sofa with me. The hard part will be to keep them off when I'm upstairs, keeping them with me ensuring 100% supervision. What a job, eh? They'll be getting more mature - hoping for the best.
Thanks everyone for your input - it is great to get a better idea with what to expect.
I have experienced both, Mia's first few months were at my parents and they had a dark brown leather couch, she didn't chew on it, but you could see the scratch marks from her claws, and I always kept her claws very trimed. Tried to cover the seat cushions with a blanket, she didn't have that! If anything it encouraged her to scratch at the couch. Now I have a microfiber, which I think is great. It's red and you can't really see the fur at all, although Mia doesn't shed really that much if at all. The best is how easy it cleans, especially if you ask the store to spray it, we didn't and it still cleans great. Mia even eats her treats on there and slobbers a little, and just a little wet rag cleans it up. I also vacuum it when I do the carpet. Pretty easy to mantain. Although I am sure leather would be good too, maybe just make sure it's a high quality leather, and maybe a beige color would show less claw marks than a darker color.
We Have Leather And No Chewing But Our B Likes To Dig In The Corners So It Has Become A Little Scratched. We Try To Keep Baby Blankets Around For Her To Curl Up In. I Think The Scratching Is From Her Burying Her Toys, Chew Bones And Other Surprises All Over The House And She Can't Remember Where They Are.
