the two big dogs would never dare get on the couch when we are home, or awake, they know better and if caught on it will get down instantly with the first "off" command and slink around, they absolutely know better without a doubt.

The couch is in front of a big picture window, this is the perfect spot to relax and watch the world go by. I also dont blame Nico for getting up there, it is soft and comfy on those old hips im sure.

BUT, I dont want them on it, plain and simple, the couch is for people.
I also just got a new slipcover that is stretchy and it looks like a brand new couch, but dog hair sticks to the microfiber like crazy and there is already a giant muddy pawprint on it.

Now i really really dont want them up there, and im mad enough to actually do something about it. Id like to buy a new one within the next year but wont until we solve this little issue.
I dont want to crate all three dogs, we would have to move the furniture out anyway to make room for all three crates
and at almost 11 I dont want to make nico have that big of a change in routine.

I tried duct tape earlier, it worked for counter surfing, I left it face up on the cushion in several strips then left to drive around the block.
Ten minutes later I came home to a frantic kitty and ive got the scratches to prove it. Loki was happily munching on the other piece of it....great deterrant

I have seen those pad thingies that shock when something sits or steps on them, and also thought about stringing together pop cans with pennies in them.

How strong are those shock pads, is it going to harm a cat when they land on it unknowingly? I guess a little shock is better than being tangled in duck tape though.

and how on earth do you get dog hair off microfiber, ive tried the vaccuum, lint roller and even a peice of saran wrap hoping static would help, no luck with any of those.

Oh, Jennifer, you nailed it, that couch is comfy. And, well, if you're not there..

Have they been allowed up there in the past? Only reason I ask is that it will be harder to break them of it...

Try putting some plastic chairs (upside down) on top of the cushions when you are not there. They will be less inclined to get up there. Just a suggestion, then taper off along with your strong disapproval. Perhaps try and catch them in the act of getting up?

Having the couch in front of the window, IMO, is a toughie. Isn't it a dogs given right to look out the window?

As for the hair, I don't know what microfabric is, but try a damp sponge with quick, tight wiping motions to bring it up. Or, sans the sponge, just a damp hand might do the trick, then you'll hopefuly have a handful of wet dog and cat hair YAE!

Good luck.

PS. THe duct tape was a funny visual anyway (poor kitty!

Oh, and do they have their own dog beds? COmfy ones with a cushion? If not, it could help too.

Microfibre is the absolute worst possible choice in the history of bad choices when it comes to "materials to use in a multiple dog household".... EVERYTHING sticks to it. Leather is the only type of couch material that is dog friendly, and it only works if the dogs dont walk up and down the couch constantly with their nails.

Microfober is that new synthetic suede feeling stuff that resist stains and is really resilient, but i know now is also like velcro to dog hair.

Well duct tape apparently works to train cats off furniture, the poor dear is pacing at the foot of the couch and telling me all about it. The top of the couch is a kitty safe zone from the pup so I feel bad.

they have their own beds, two of them are regular cedar and fiber filled cotton beds but comfy, and I posted somewhere else about Nico's organic cotton covering over her bed of memory foam with a cotton padded cover. cost more than my sheets and comforter when it was all said and done!

The were previously allowed on a different sofa, it was literally a dog only loveseat because they funkified it so badly. We ended up throwing it out because it stunk so bad.

Dumb move on our part to let them have it, but we never used it and I wasnt thinking at the time about the later issues since they stayed off all other furniture.

We do catch them on it frequently when we either wake up to use the potty in the middle of the night or when we walk in from being gone, I can snap, point and say "OFF" and they get off right away and do the sulky guilty thing. I use my truly mad voice followed by the shaming voice but I dont correct them beyond that because they are already off so it would be like correcting after "come" IMO.

Baby gates work for rooms like the Kitchen and my bedroom that thet are not allowed in ever, but the living room is where they live so they will simply hop over the gate to be in the place they are used to living.
But a baby gate laid across the cushions might work, loki is terrified of them ever since one crashed down on top of him when it was leaning rather than pushed tight it pinned him on the big return air vent which normally he wont walk on and he is neurotic to begin with...poor baby... if he sees one laying flat or leaning against the wall he wont walk by

Ill also try the lawn chair thing, i'll have to move the coffee table and make sure the computer is well clear of flying lawn chairs.

 Quote: mike j schoonbrood

Microfibre is the absolute worst possible choice in the history of bad choices when it comes to "materials to use in a multiple dog household".... EVERYTHING sticks to it. Leather is the only type of couch material that is dog friendly, and it only works if the dogs dont walk up and down the couch constantly with their nails.

I was told it was stain resistant, durable and easy to clean, perfect for pets and kids...and this slipcover is really cool, it is stretchy so it stays on and there is a separate part for the cushions so it actually looks like a new couch rather than a slipcover.
Its not just dogs, little boy stuff sticks to it horribly too.

I might just go back to the ugly plaid that hides all sins until we can get a distressed leather one. and i can figure out how to keep them off the furniture, hopefully.

 Quote: Jennifer Lee

Microfober is that new synthetic suede feeling stuff that resist stains and is really resilient, but i know now is also like velcro to dog hair.

I bought a couch for the exact same reason, I guess it looks nice but I never see it. I keep a bedspread over it because my dog does get up there to sleep so the cover keeps the hair off the furniture.

You could try setting some mouse traps on the couch and cover them with a sheet or something, that might help. But again, don't think kitty will like that either.

Good Luck,

I looked up those pads and im still iffy about them, they arent cheap and i wonder how reliable they are...I can just see my son plopping down on one if he wakes up early....guess he would only do it once rofl.

I just vacuumed it and it didnt help at all
im going to try putting on a rubber glove later and see if that will pick up the hair, or maybe ill buy another of the rubber curry comb glove type things that picks up hair too off dogs and furniture.

I am used to the dog hair, im just not a fan of having it EVERYWHERE, and its so obvious on this fabric. Id also like to be able to have someone besides us sit on the sofa and not be mortified about it.

I also just sprayed a little resolve on it and it brought dirt up from the actual couch even though i vaccumed it before i put the new cover on.

I think its time to rent a steamcleaner for the sofa. And brush the dogs more often with the rubber curry comb thing

do the mousetraps still pinch from under the sheet, or does that give enough protection. Honestly if one of the dogs got a mousetrap stuck to them i wouldnt cry over it. These are big 75 and 120 lb Hounds, so a moustrap would hurt but not hurt them if that makes sense.

But i think it could actually hurt kitty.

I shudder to think of april and october when the husky blows his coat!!!!!

 Quote: Jennifer Lee

do the mousetraps still pinch from under the sheet, or does that give enough protection. Honestly if one of the dogs got a mousetrap stuck to them i wouldnt cry over it. These are big 75 and 120 lb Hounds, so a moustrap would hurt but not hurt them if that makes sense.

But i think it could actually hurt kitty.

No, the mouse traps won't hurt the dogs, they would snap right away if dog jumped up on them and dog would fly off the couch. A few times of that could very well break the dogs from getting up.

I would secure kitty in a safe room if you decide to try them, wouldn't want one of her paws to get caught in a trap.

JMO

Jennifer-

I'm not sure about how to keep them off the couch, but one thing that has worked for me as far as removing pet hair when the lint roller/tape roller doesn't work, is get a strip of that really strong, sticky clear packaging tape (like you use to seal boxes when you're moving), and just use it to pick up the hair. It works a lot better than the lint roller I have (which has like the cream colored "masking" type tape on it). The clear packing tape is a lot stickier, so maybe that would work on microfiber. You're right - everything sticks to that stuff! Good luck!